The 29th Annual David E. Grange Jr. Best Ranger Competition, held at Fort Benning, Ga., is now complete, and for the third consecutive year a team from the United States Army Special Operations Command prevailed.Master Sgt. Kevin Foutz and Sgt. 1st Class Thomas Payne struck the traditional triumphant pose – matching Colt pistols held aloft.Fifty, two-man Ranger teams started the grueling 2012 "Ranger Olympics" competition with 34 teams crossing the finish line 60 hours later.This means 60 hours of non-stop action, with no scheduled rest, designed to test their mental strength and physical...
Service members train to hone their skills both on and off the battlefield throughout the year, testing their abilities to perform in different environments with various stressors.Recently, soldiers from the 28th Combat Support Hospital (CSH) participated in a mass casualty training exercise at Fort Bragg, N.C."Boom!"The loud sound of a simulated grenade went off outside of the forward operating base and quickly alarmed medical personnel during the first phase of the exercise. Screams and moans from the "wounded" soldiers could be heard as medics fought through the smoke and woodland debris to...
A humble 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) soldier received the nation’s second-highest military honor in a ceremony April 12 at McAuliffe Hall, Fort Campbell, Ky.Sgt. Felipe Pereira is the first “Screaming Eagle” to be awarded the Distinguished Service Cross since Vietnam.The A Company, 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, squad leader earned the recognition for what the official citation calls “distinguished service and heroism” during a firefight in Kandahar, Afghanistan, Nov. 1, 2010.“It’s a great honor to represent the division,” Pereira said. “It’s real...
President Barack Obama and Afghan President Hamid Karzai signed an agreement that commits the nations to negotiating and building a strategic partnership that will frame their future relationship.Just after midnight May 2 local time, sitting at a table in front of U.S. and Afghan flags at the presidential palace in the Afghan capital of Kabul, the leaders signed the strategic partnership agreement.“I’ve come to Afghanistan to mark a historic moment for our two nations and to do so on Afghan soil,” Obama said.“I’m here to affirm the bonds between our countries, to thank Americans and Afghans...
The key to more productive work between the Army and industry during the coming era of budget cuts is a closer relationship built on trust, Marillyn Hewson, executive vice president, electronic systems, Lockheed Martin Electronic Systems, said.Hewson, speaking at the Association of the United States Army Winter Symposium and Exposition in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., emphasized three key ideas for the future of industry’s relationship with the Army: better communication, more rationalization in contracting, and working together to bring down costs.Regarding communication, Hewson called on industry...
The science and technology, or S&T, sector of the Army will be less reactive and more proactive in concept and capability development in coming years, according to Dr. Marilyn M. Freeman, deputy assistant secretary of the Army for research and technology."We’re going to look at how we spend the money to get results rather than how we spend the money to fund laboratories and facilities," Freeman said, at the Association of the United States Army Winter Symposium and Exposition in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Feb. 22."We have got to be able to invest our time and money at the right time and the right...
The Army is the nation’s "force of decisive action," the Army is "meeting the needs of the nation" and "people are our Army."All three messages figured prominently in a new Army display shown for the first time at this year’s Association of the United States Army Winter Symposium and Exhibition in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.The new display features two curved walls that featured imagery to reinforce Army leadership’s three "top line" messages, and additionally featured a "gallery of heroes" section to pay respect to the more than 400 soldiers who have earned Army awards for valor during Operation...
The Military Coalition strikes back! Members of the House Armed Services Personnel Subcommittee heard directly from a co-chairman of The Military Coalition on why the Defense Department’s proposal to increase/enact fees for military retiree health care is just plain wrong.The Military Coalition is a group of 34 military-related associations that meet monthly to craft joint legislative strategy pertaining to issues that are important to their constituencies.AUSA is a member.Coalition Co-chairman Col. Steve Strobridge, USAF, Ret., challenged the Defense Department witnesses on their position...
Three soldiers, selected as the athletes and coach of the year for 2011, were honored and recognized Feb. 24 at the Association of the United States Army Winter Symposium and Exposition in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.First Lieutenant Charles Ware, III, a competitive world class runner assigned to the 304 Military Intelligence Battalion, Fort Huachuca, Ariz., was recognized as the male athlete of the year.Capt. Danielle Cork, a competitive volleyball player now attending the Adjutant General Career Captain Course at the U.S. Army Soldier Support Center, Fort Jackson, S.C., was honored as the female...
Longtime readers know that AUSA is partnered with The Military Coalition – a group of 34 military-related associations that meet monthly to craft joint legislative strategy pertaining to issues that are important to their constituencies.Participation in the coalition is a force multiplier – there are more than 60 government affairs professionals and a combined membership of over 5 million. Numbers like that resonate on Capitol Hill.One of the ways that the coalition advocates before Congress is through testimony at congressional hearings.This year the coalition has provided detailed...
Maj. Gen. Jeffrey W. Talley has been nominated by President Barack Obama for appointment to the rank of lieutenant general and for assignment as chief, Army Reserve and commanding general, U.S. Army Reserve Command.Talley is currently serving as commanding general, 84th Training Command (Unit Readiness), Fort Knox, Ky.His leadership experience spans from serving as an active duty platoon leader to service on the Joint Staff in Washington.Talley is currently a member of the Reserve Forces Policy Board.Talley is president of his own company, Environmental Technology Solutions, or ETS Partners...
Gen. Robert W. Cone, commanding general of U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, provided updates on TRADOC initiatives that will help shape the future Army during the Association of the United States Army Winter Symposium at Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Feb. 23.Cone began his presentation by addressing the challenges of the future operational environment and identifying the hybrid strategy used by nation states and surrogates to draw the U.S. into conflict."These forces recognize that conventional confrontation with the U.S. is, in fact, a losing proposition. They understand our vulnerabilities...
AUSA’s Institute of Land Warfare (ILW) has recently released a new publication titled "The Rationale for a Robust U.S. Army Presence in the Pacific Basin" (National Security Watch, 8 March 2012).This paper evaluates the role of American ground forces in the Asia–Pacific region in the wake of new strategic guidance from the president and the Department of Defense.Fundamentally, the Army’s role in providing security is to prevent conflict via its ready posture, shape the international environment via strong relationships with partners and win decisively if prevention fails.There are four main...
Guard and reserve in TAMP eligible for dental program. The TRICARE Management Activity recently announced that on Jan. 27, 2012, National Guard and reserve members separating from active duty after an activation of greater than 30 days in support of a contingency operation began receiving the same dental care benefits as active duty service members.The TRICARE Active Duty Dental Program (ADDP) now provides coverage to those members in the Transition Assistance Management Program (TAMP).ADDP beneficiaries receive active duty dental benefit services as long as the referral and/or authorization...
The Army Historical Foundation has announced the plans for five public spaces to be featured in the National Museum of the United States Army.The museum, a permanent tribute telling the history of America’s oldest and largest service, is expected to open at Fort Belvoir, Va. in 2015.It is forecasted that the museum will welcome 750,000 visitors each year. The U.S. Army is the only military service without a national museum."Each of the public spaces – Army Theater, Education Pavilion, Medal of Honor Garden, Veterans’ Hall, and Wall of Honor – will provide visitors an interactive and engaging...