Force protection against a classified list of threats, a nine-soldier capacity, full-spectrum-operations capability and on-time delivery within seven years are among the "big four" imperatives the Army has spelled out for those hoping to be selected to build the Ground Combat Vehicle (GCV).The Army took the next step toward providing a ground combat vehicle for infantry soldiers, Nov. 30, when it issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the project. Industry has until Jan. 21 to submit proposals.The four imperatives, said Col. Andrew DiMarco, program manager for Ground Combat Vehicle, are "non...
President Barack Obama is proposing a two-year freeze on federal civilian employee pay, a move that he said would save $2 billion over the rest of this fiscal year and $28 billion over the next five years.Speaking Nov. 29, he said, "This is not just a line item on a federal ledger. These are people’s lives. They’re doctors and nurses who care for our veterans; scientists who search for better treatments and cures; men and women who care for our national parks and secure our borders and our skies; Americans who see that the Social Security checks get out on time, who make sure that scholarships...
The Army is working on a variety of initiatives to ensure that its human resources remain strong and resilient even after nine years of conflict, Army and civilian leaders told an Institute of Land Warfare Contemporary Military Forum, "Manning the Army for the 21st Century," at the Association of the United States Army’s Annual Meeting and Exposition .The human cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan has been high, said Lt. Gen. Thomas Bostick, deputy chief of staff of the Army, G-1.He said, "We’re operating at nine years of war. Our soldiers, our civilians, our families that support them...
The 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team (CBCT), United States Division – Center, assumed command Dec. 3 during two official transfer of authority ceremonies in Baghdad.The 116th CBCT headquartered in Boise, Idaho, now known as "Task Force Snake," assumed garrison command over Victory Base Complex (VBC), a large U.S. military installation.Col. Guy Thomas, brigade commander, and Command Sgt. Maj. Steven Woodall, brigade command sergeant major, uncased the 116th CBCT colors signifying the beginning of their mission.The outgoing unit, the 199th Brigade Support Battalion, 256th Infantry Brigade...
Forty American Gold Star Mothers made their annual pilgrimage to Washington to honor the memory of sons and daughters who served and died in the U.S. military.The 2010 trip was supported by the Association of the United States Army’s George Washington Chapter.The tradition started in 1936 when President Franklin Delano Roosevelt issued a proclamation calling on government officials to display the United States flag on all government buildings, and the people of the United States to display the flag and to hold appropriate meetings in their homes, churches, or other suitable places, on the last...
Command Sgt. Maj. Robert C. Moeller, USA, Ret., who served in the active Army and Connecticut Army National Guard for over 41 years, was inducted into the Connecticut Veterans Hall of Fame at a ceremony Nov. 22 in the State House atrium.Moeller serves as the Association of the United States Army’s Connecticut Chapter president and the vice president for reserve affairs for AUSA’s First Region.James S. Tierney, who nominated Moeller for the honor, said in his justification: "Bob Moeller’s life since high school has been one of public service. Spending 41 years in the military, he then shifted...
AUSA’s Institute of Land Warfare recently published two Torchbearer Issue Papers: "New Educational Opportunities for Soldiers and Families" (Torchbearer Issue Paper, October 2010) and "Army Strong Community Centers: Serving Army Families" (Torchbearer Issue Paper, October 2010), that discuss the resources available to Army service members and their families.In addition, a new Defense Report titled "Capability Portfolio Reviews" (Defense Report 10-3, September 2010) examines the Army’s new program and resource evaluation process."New Educational Opportunities for Soldiers and Families"...
CW5 Wade Lavron told a professional development forum for warrant officers that this was his second time at an Association of the United States Army’s Annual Meeting. The first time, he set up a booth in the exhibit area and then took it down; but on Oct. 26, he spoke at the first break-out session for warrant offices at the meeting.The chairman of the Senior Warrant Officer Council said as a group, warrant officers "are very detail oriented" and are technical experts.Warrant officers make up 14 percent [more than 21,800] of the Army’s officer ranks and spread now across 15 branches. Warrant...
Thomas R. Lamont, assistant secretary of the Army, manpower and reserve affairs, set the context for the second AUSA Military Family Forum that focused on the children of military families at the Association of the United States Army’s Annual Meeting and Exposition. "It is our responsibility to take good care of military families," he said Oct. 26, and added the $8.8 billion budget for family support will increase by 3 percent in the upcoming year.Nine years of continuous war have not been easy, Lamont said, and those years have produced the signature issues of suicide, post-traumatic stress...
The Army is increasingly calling upon its Civilian Corps to assume greater levels of responsibility and accountability at organizations throughout the service. This is due to a number of initiatives to convert military and contractor positions to civilian careers, as well as due to the increased operational mission requirements in this era of persistent conflict. What has the Army done?The Civilian Workforce Transformation Task Force, which consists of the Army G-1 staff, along with G-3/5/7, assistant secretary of the Army for manpower and reserve affairs, and the Department of Defense...
The Army is implementing a variety of programs to improve soldiers’ "resiliency," or ability to deal with stress from combat or elsewhere, Army leaders told an Institute of Land Warfare Contemporary Military Forum, "Resilience in the All-Volunteer Force," Oct. 27 at the AUSA Annual Meeting and Exposition.While the Army ethos towards stress has traditionally been to "suck it up," Army leaders realize this isn’t an appropriate approach anymore and are working to formally teach soldiers "Comprehensive Soldier Fitness" to manage stress better so that they react to difficult situations in a more...
The Army is investigating the possibility that a single grave at Arlington National Cemetery was used as a dumping site for a number of cremated remains that had been improperly dug up.The discovery of eight urns or containers in a plot that was supposed to contain a single set of remains that had been identified as "Unknown" on the headstone set off the criminal investigation.Christopher Grey, a spokesman for the Army Criminal Investigation Command, told the New York Times, the discovery in October of so many remains raised questions beyond those of sloppy management identified in a year-long...
Rep. Tim Walz, D-Minn.Member, House Veterans’ Affairs CommitteeAs a 24 year guardsman and a veteran myself, I am proud to sponsor the Honor America’s Guard Reserve Retirees Act (H.R. 3787) which has been a priority among the veterans community for years.As you are all well aware, the reserve component of our military performs an invaluable role in supporting the active duty component, responding in times of national emergency, and most importantly standing ready to deploy to overseas missions in times of need, as so many of those who have served in the guard and reserve post-Sept. 11th have...
If the total Army is to remain combat ready after the drawdown in Iraq, it must get the dwell time between deployments to at least twice the time gone, it must retain the current force structure, must retain access to the Army Reserve and National Guard and it must be well funded, Lt. Gen. Daniel P. Bolger, Army deputy chief of staff for operations, plans and programs, said Oct. 25.The Army also must resume training for full-spectrum combat, after nine years of mainly counter-insurgency operations and may want to review its modular structure based on brigade combat teams, Bolger told an...
"True professionals are servants" and experts in what they do, who derive their satisfaction for "a job well done," a senior fellow at the Center for Army Profession and Ethic at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., said in answering his own question about: "How do we think in this campaign about [the word] profession," especially when serving in the Army?Don Snider said, "Not all work done in society is expert. It’s commercial; it’s done under the profit motive. A lot of productive work in society is done by government occupations."But, "a profession is society’s way of organizing expert work … the kind...