Whether injured in combat or knocked unconscious on the field, service members and athletes are both at risk of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).That’s why, as part of a national effort between the U.S. Army and the National Football League, or NFL, soldiers from 7th Infantry Division and former players shared their experiences with Traumatic Brain Injury during a round-table discussion at Virginia Mason Athletic Center, the Seattle Seahawks’ practice facility.Pfc. Nathan Landaas, from St. Peter, Minn., a forward observer with 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, suffered two...
Testing networked equipment in a lab ensures functionality, but only a field evaluation with soldiers ensures it will work as designers intended in an operating environment.
Soldiers using Nett Warrior during the Network Integration Evaluation 13.1 met with mock opposition forces (OPFOR) during a combat training engagement.
The Massachusetts Bay Colony was founded in 1630.More than 5,000 men, women and children made the two-month voyage to the New World. In doing so, their actions tread new ground in the country that would become the United States of America.The military organization we know today as the National Guard came into existence with a direct declaration on December 13, 1636.On this date, the Massachusetts General Court in Salem, for the first time in the history of the North American continent, established that all able-bodied men between the ages of 16 and 60 were required to join the militia.The...
The U.S. Army Golden Knights Formation Flying 8-Way Team won the Gold Medal, and the All-Female Golden Knights 4-Way Team brought home the Silver Medal, at the 2012 World Parachuting Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.The 8-way competition team brought home the gold in the 8-way Open Formation Skydiving with a winning score of 229 points.The Knights conquered France, who came in second with a score of 225, and Russia took third with 192.The United Arab Emirates hosted the 2012 World Parachuting Championships for the first time in Dubai, the sports capital of the Middle East, which...
A map has been the commander’s steadfast strategic planning tool on just about any battlefield throughout history.In recent years however, the map has evolved to embrace digital networking technology and allow commanders – regardless of their physical location – to share information in real time and collaborate with other leaders on a common operating picture (COP) of the battlefield.Command Post of the Future (CPOF) is the U.S. Army system that pulls it all together."CPOF is the standard on how to do mission command in tactical Army units," Lt. Col. Tom Bentzel, the Army’s product manager for...
Success! FY 2013 National Defense Authorization Rejects administration proposals. By the time you read this, the FY 2013 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) should have cleared Congress and have been signed into law by the president.An AUSA salute goes to Congress for recognizing that service in defense of America is not just another job. A provision in the NDAA said "It is the sense of Congress that – (1) members of the uniformed services and their families endure unique and extraordinary demands and make extraordinary sacrifices over the course of 20 to 30 years of service in...
At last the Fiscal Year 2013 Defense Authorization Bill conference is over and the two houses of Congress will have voted on the bill and presumably send it to the president for signature by the time you read this column.The bill includes a 1.7 percent basic pay raise for military service members and extends TRICARE Standard coverage and TRICARE dental coverage for an additional 180 days for members of the Selected Reserve who are involuntarily separated.As AUSA urged, the conferees also included the House version of the TRICARE pharmacy co-pay increases rather the more onerous administration...
More than 400 veterans and military spouses headed out to the Washington Nationals baseball park in early December to talk with 87 potential employers as part of the on-going nationwide "Hiring Our Heroes" campaign.Sponsored by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Capital One, the "Hiring Our Heroes" campaign was first launched in March 2011 as a way to engage the business community nationwide (and in Puerto Rico) into committing to hire 500,000 veterans and military spouses by the end of 2014.So far, some 800 businesses of all sizes have pledged to hire 182,000 veterans and military spouses...
Initial findings from the Army’s latest Network Integration Evaluation (NIE) show steady progress toward improved, user-friendly tactical communications systems.
Testers, soldiers, engineers and combat developers completed the fourth iteration of a series of semi-annual field exercises, called Network Integration Evaluations, at Fort Bliss, Texas, and White Sands Missile Range, N. M., just in time to get everyone home for the holidays.Managed by the Network Integration Evaluation, or NIE, "TRIAD" – Army Test and Evaluation Command (ATEC); System of Systems Integration Directorate; and the Brigade Modernization Command (BMC) – NIE 13.1 included several program tests for record, additional tests for record from distributed sites and less formal...
Leadership, innovation, technology, vision citedDefense News has published a feature article titled "100 Most Influential People: U.S. Defense," that listed Association of the United States Army officials, AUSA members and former employees, along with current and former Army leaders as the most influential and knowledgeable Americans in the national defense arena.Gen. Gordon R. Sullivan, USA, Ret., president of the Association of the United States Army and the 32nd Army chief of staff, was cited as the "chairman of the board of the United State Army," who for more than 17 years after retiring...
Command Sergeant Major Jimmie W. Spencer, USA, Ret.Director, Noncommissioned Officer and Soldier Programs Army Chief of Staff’s Professional Reading List "This reading list is an important element in the professional development of all leaders in the Army. We can never spend too much time reading and thinking about the Army profession and its interaction with the world at large."These readings will deepen our understanding of the history of armies, the critical role of leadership in combat, and the strategic environment of today and the future."There is simply no better way to prepare for the...
Command Sergeant Major Jimmie W. Spencer, USA, Ret.Director, Noncommissioned Officer and Soldier Programs Army Chief of Staff’s Professional Reading List "This reading list is an important element in the professional development of all leaders in the Army. We can never spend too much time reading and thinking about the Army profession and its interaction with the world at large."These readings will deepen our understanding of the history of armies, the critical role of leadership in combat, and the strategic environment of today and the future."There is simply no better way to prepare for the...
Many of us have made a New Year’s resolution to get out of debt and become more financially healthy.Although a wonderful goal is not always attainable, especially in today’s economic climate, we asked Brenda Linnington, director of the Better Business Bureau Military Line and a friend of AUSA’s Family Programs, to comment on how to make the goal of financial readiness a reality.We appreciate the article she submitted. ****** Brenda LinningtonDirectorBetter Business Bureau Military Line The Better Business Bureau’s (BBB) Military Line®, www.bbb.org/military, has partnered with The McGraw-Hill...