"Our profession is built on the bedrock of trust," the Army chief of staff, Gen. Ray Odierno, said."Trust is earned. It is not given," Odierno told attendees at an Institute of Land Warfare Military Forum titled "The Army Profession" Oct. 23 during the Association of the United States Army’s Annual Meeting and Exposition."It is not rank-oriented. It is deeds, not words," he emphasized.Odierno said the Army has learned time and time again all anyone needs to do is listen to the young soldiers who have been in combat to understand what trust between soldiers means, and how much they rely on the...
With 100,000 soldiers expected to leave the military in the next five years, the Army is revamping its Transition Assistance Program to help both departing soldiers and spouses enter the civilian work force, Thomas Lamont, assistant secretary of the Army for manpower and reserve affairs, said Oct. 22 at the Annual Meeting and Exposition of the Association of the United States Army.The Army is about to begin helping soldiers and spouses with such things as finances and a job search a full year before their military obligation ends, rather than the present 90 days.The expanded program, Lamont...
Soldier for Life, a new Army initiative, is a holistic approach to the military life cycle career of a soldier.The U.S. Army takes care of teammates by ensuring soldiers start strong, serve strong and reintegrate strong so they remain Army Strong by serving their communities after they leave the Army.The U.S. Army’s strategic imperative of sustaining the All-Volunteer Army is directly affected by how well the veterans reintegrate back into the nation’s communities.Gen. George Washington said: "The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified...
The Army is undertaking a process of looking at its potential needs 30 years into the future to determine what science and technology (S&T) efforts it needs to invest in today, senior service leaders have said.The Army has developed a Strategic Modernization Planning process, "which combines a detailed analysis of our current and planned investments in S&T and materiel development, linked to our emerging threats and capability gaps across a long-term, 30-year planning period," Heidi Shyu, assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology, said.This process will result...
With the emphasis on blast protection to mitigate the damage inflicted by improvised explosive devices (IEDs), one manufacturer believes it is producing a device that will improve vehicle passengers’ survivability.The Blast Seat Damper can fit into the seats of any tactical and combat vehicles, General Kinetics of Brampton, Ontario, and Manchester, N.H., claims.At the Association of the United States Army Annual Meeting and Exposition, held in Washington, D.C., Oct. 22-24, company officials talked about the damper’s evolution.The device, which resembles a heavy-duty vehicle shock absorber, had...
With the Stryker armored fighting vehicle having proven its track record under the most severe combat conditions since its introduction in 2002, General Dynamics Corp. – the company that designed and built it – is gearing up to broaden its capabilities.At the heart of General Dynamics Land Vehicle Systems Division’s plans for the Stryker are two different courses of action.The company is working to replace the Army’s remaining inventory of flat-hulled Strykers with double-V hulls, much more capable of protecting crews and soldiers from improvised explosive devices (IEDs).General Dynamics also...
The chief of the Army Reserve told a special seminar at the Association of the United States Army’s Annual Meeting and Exposition: "We’re going to do more with less. We’ll set the priorities."Speaking Tuesday, Oct. 23, Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Talley said that two long-running personnel issues – the large number of above-the-line Active/Guard and Reserve and the shortage of midgrade officers and noncommissioned officers – were among his top five priorities."For everyone above the line, they are not in the unit. It’s killing readiness."Adding, "We’ve got to get some of these soldiers back in our...
The opportunities and challenges cyberspace presents have changed not only the way the world operates, but also the Army, officials said Oct. 23 in Washington, D.C.Army leaders addressed the growing arena of cyberspace and the threats it presents during the "Cyber Domain and LandWarNet: Powering the Army" Contemporary Military Forum at the Association of the United States Army Annual Meeting and Exposition."[Cyber] threats are real, growing, sophisticated and evolving," Lt. Gen. Rhett A. Hernandez, commanding general for the Army Cyber Command, who led the panel discussion that addressed the...
The panel of CW5s from the active force and the Army Reserve also urged their fellow warrants to seek more responsibility and remember that they are officers, not just aviators or technicians.
But the speakers at the seminar on Warrant Officer Professional Development also warned that because the Army is getting smaller, after years of...
Emotional pain is real, the Army surgeon general told a group of soldiers, family members and family readiness group leaders in Washington, D.C. Oct. 23.Lt. Gen. Patricia D. Horoho illustrated the point by showing a montage of news clips and photos of ground zero on 9-11.Horoho spoke at a Military Family Forum titled "Army Families: Behavioral Health Challenges and Triumphs" convened at the 2012 Association of the United States Army Annual Meeting and Exposition."What did you just feel?" she asked the audience, after they had viewed the video. "Did you feel anger, sadness, anxiety, or fear...
Under the strain of more than a decade of war, the Army is increasing its focus on the health of soldiers, their families and veterans.It is training commanders at all levels in skills that range from suicide prevention to helping injured troops navigate the bureaucratic maze to veterans’ benefits.Army leaders call it an effort to increase Army resiliency."We’ve asked a lot from our soldiers and their families in the past 11 years and we will continue asking more in the future," Lt. Gen. Howard Bromberg, the Army’s deputy chief of staff for personnel, G-1, said. "But it is clear that repeated...
The Army is undertaking a process of looking at its potential needs 30 years into the future to determine what science and technology (S&T) efforts it needs to invest in today, senior service leaders have said.The Army has developed a Strategic Modernization Planning process, "which combines a detailed analysis of our current and planned investments in S&T and materiel development, linked to our emerging threats and capability gaps across a long-term, 30-year planning period," Heidi Shyu, assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology, said.This process will result...
While laser-based firearms training simulators have long proven their worth for safety and effectiveness, they still are costly and often limited to certain weapons and venues.Laser Ammo USA Inc., the U.S. arm of the Israel-based Laser Devices Inc., believes they have a better solution – its SureStrike Laser Cartridge.In a demonstration at Laser Ammo’s booth at the Association of the United States Army Annual Meeting and Exposition, held Oct. 22-24 in Washington, business development specialist Chen Shoshani demonstrated the cartridge’s versatility and ease of use."You put the cartridge...
Twenty-four of the Army’s finest warriors converged at Fort Lee, Va., to engage in a fast-paced and intense battle against themselves and each other as participants of the premier soldier skills competition.The event, officially called the Department of the Army Soldier and Noncommissioned Officer of the Year Best Warrior Competition (BWC), known as Best Warrior, brings together 12 noncommissioned officers and 12 junior soldiers from the Army’s major commands to demonstrate their proficiencies in skills critical to the success of every soldier.Best Warrior events include a physical training...