After three days of panels, exhibits and meetings between government and industry representatives, the third annual Land Power in the Pacific Symposium and Exhibition, held at the Sheraton-Waikiki Hotel in Honolulu, came to a close May 21.LANPAC is a professional development forum sponsored by the Association of the United States Army Institute of Land Warfare.The international event leveraged the strategic location of Hawaii to bring together government and industry representatives from over two dozen U.S. allies throughout the Indo-Asia-Pacific Theater.The three-day symposium provided an...
Joint and multinational military exercises and operations put a premium on U.S. soldiers quickly gaining the trust and respect of other militaries, even when there is a language barrier, a panel of senior enlisted leaders said at the Association of the U.S. Army’s LANPAC Symposium and Exposition in Honolulu.The multi-service, multinational panel marked the first time during a senior non-commissioned officer panel as part of the annual meeting about landpower in the Indo-Asia-Pacific Theater.Representatives of almost 30 nations attended the symposium, with international attendance at the...
When my daughter was in the 6th grade, she was the recipient of the Daughters of the American Revolution Award for History.In her acceptance speech, she stated: "Of course I know history; my Dad has dragged me to every battlefield that he could think of since I was born."Sound familiar?What military kid doesn’t have a long list of military battlefields he or she has visited during every PCS they have been through up to age 18?It’s a rite of passage and a pretty normal military family experience.Most military families that I know "vacationed" during PCS moves.Memories for millennials that grew...
The annual slog to completion of the defense authorization and appropriation legislation has begun. The House of Representatives is first out of the gate and has passed its version of the defense authorization bill and the House also has passed its version of the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs appropriations bill.The MilCon bill provides housing and services to military personnel and their families as well as funding to build and maintain infrastructure. It also funds veteran benefits and programs.This year’s bill provides $76.6 billion in discretionary funding which is $4.6...
Greetings from the Association of the United States Army (AUSA), our Army’s and our soldiers’ professional organization.The 2nd Annual William J. "Joe" Gainey Cup Best Scout Squad Competition kicked off with 19 scout squads at Fort Benning, Ga., in early May.The three-day competition tested the mental, technical and tactical skills in both individual and team events to determine the Army’s best six-man scout squad.This year’s competition was won by Staff Sgt. Kyle Cooper, Sgt. Casar Cavazos, Spc. Glen Gianello, Spc. Joshua Castro, Pfc. Justin Cope and Pfc. Daniel Casillas, representing the 4th...
"Building Readiness to Sustain Global Responsiveness and Regional Engagement" (Defense Report 15-2, April 2015) delineates the requirement for an Army methodology that can more efficiently and responsively project unit readiness based on leading indicators.As the velocity of instability accelerates worldwide and global demands for the Army are increasing, associated reductions in fiscal resources place a premium on creating unit readiness more efficiently.However, the inability to apply leading indicators contributes to the inefficient application of resources, reducing the Army’s ability to...
President Barack Obama presented the Medal of Honor, our nation’s highest award for valour, to two World War I soldiers who were previously overlooked for the nation’s highest military award for valor.Then-Pvt. William Henry Johnson, of the 369th Infantry Regiment (known as the Harlem Hellfighters), and Sgt. William Shemin, of the 4th Infantry Division, received the award posthumously at a White House ceremony June 2.Johnson, an African-American, was awarded France’s top military honor for valor after fighting off a German raiding party using his bowie knife.It was eight decades later before...
Gen. Gordon R. Sullivan, USA, Ret., president of the Association of the United State Army and the Army’s 32nd chief of staff, released the following statement regarding the president’s nominating Gen. Mark Milley to become the next Army chief of staff."Gen. Mark Milley is an excellent choice to be the next Army chief of staff."His 34 years of service, including combat duties in Panama, Iraq and Afghanistan, make him an experienced battlefield leader."He is a graduate of Princeton and Columbia universities, and from a national security studies program at MIT."His command of U.S. Army Forces...
Gen. Mark Milley, commander of U.S. Army Forces Command, has been nominated by President Barack Obama to serve as the new chief of staff of the Army.The announcement came during a press briefing at the Pentagon by Defense Secretary Ash Carter, May 13.If later confirmed to the position by the U.S. Senate, Milley will serve as the 39th Army chief of staff."Gen. Mark Milley [is a] warrior and a statesman," Carter said. "He not only has plenty of operational and joint experience – in Afghanistan, in Iraq, and on the Joint Staff – but he also has the intellect and vision to lead change throughout...
The Army’s top commander in the Pacific launched a three-day symposium in Honolulu saying much progress has been made building new and enhanced partnerships across the Indo-Asia-Pacific theater but "significant hazards remain."Gen. Vincent Brooks, the U.S. Army Pacific commanding general, said there is still a risk of miscalculation and misunderstanding leading to conflict, and there is always a risk of natural disasters requiring humanitarian assistance delivered by land forces. Army, Marine Corps and Special Operations forces have been involved, more than ever, in bilateral and multilateral...
The Army is moving to divest itself from nonessential weapons and equipment in hopes of saving billions that can be put to use paying for higher priorities, the Army vice chief of staff said May 12 at a breakfast sponsored by the Association of the U.S. Army’s Institute of Land Warfare.Gen. Daniel B. Allyn, who has been the vice chief since 2014, said the Army staff and major commands are "identifying programs for divestiture," an action that would be similar to the decision to completely eliminate the TH-67 training helicopter and the OH-58 Kiowa observation helicopter.Completely eliminating...
Twenty-five years ago this August, Saddam Hussein’s army overran the emirate of Kuwait in a matter of hours. President George H.W. Bush acted decisively and rapidly and consistent with long-standing U.S. policy. “We had no formal commitment to Kuwait or other states in the region, but our interests there had been declared in statements by every president since Eisenhower.” After some intense National Security Council meetings and consultations, Bush declared on Aug. 5, 1990, “This will not stand, this aggression against Kuwait.” The result of this decisive response was a 38-nation...
The Army has entered a period of self-reflection that has already led to new behaviors, processes and institutions. This kind of reflection happens after every war: a time to look back at wartime experiences, assess what the Army did well and what it did not do so well, and adjust based upon whatever future the Army foresees. There are two problems with this current period, however: The war is not over, and war itself is changing in fundamental ways.War was forced upon us on Sept. 11, 2001. Final decision authority concerning how the U.S. responded lay with our senior political leaders, but...
Luck, Superstition and the Eyes in the SkiesBy Nancy Barclay GravesSurprised at Being Alive: An Accidental Helicopter Pilot in Vietnam and Beyond. Robert F. Curtis. Casemate Publishers. 297 pages. $32.95.
Luck, Superstition and the Eyes in the SkiesBy Nancy Barclay GravesSurprised at Being Alive: An Accidental Helicopter Pilot in Vietnam and Beyond. Robert F. Curtis. Casemate Publishers. 297 pages. $32.95.