Whether someone absorbs a hit by an improvised explosive device (IED) or a charging linebacker, the effect can be devastating on the human brain.Knowing that, researchers from the Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center, Natick, Mass., are examining technology developed at the University of Southern Mississippi for football helmets that could one day also help protect soldiers.A liner system designed at the Southern Mississippi polymer science laboratory, with assistance from the school’s sports medicine department, has been used in the Neuro Responsive Gear, or NRG, helmet...
The Army is looking to improve its professionalism, specifically through defining clear parameters for standards and discipline, according to Sgt. Maj. David Stewart.Stewart, who spoke Oct. 23 during the Sergeant Major of the Army’s Professional Development Forum at the Association of the United States Army’s Annual Meeting and Exposition, quizzed and discussed with various soldiers the true definition of terms like "professionalism," "discipline," and "standards."Stewart introduced soldiers to the Center for the Army Profession and Ethic (CAPE) and its goal to "provide senior leaders with...
The U.S. military is a learning and growing entity, and young officers must be flexible enough to lead their organizations, the commander of U.S. Africa Command told ROTC cadets Oct. 22.Gen. Carter F. Ham spoke at the Association of the U.S. Army’s ROTC luncheon at the Renaissance Hotel in Washington during the AUSA Annual Meeting and Exposition .Ham, who is the senior ROTC graduate in the Army today and a member of the first Green-to-Gold ROTC class, compared what he faced when he entered the Army in 1974 with what today’s ROTC graduates will face.He noted that when he entered the Army, the...
The Army has no intention of returning to "tiered readiness" as it winds down operations in Afghanistan and looks to its future, the commanding general of the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command told Association of the United States Army chapter leaders at their dinner Oct. 21.Gen. Robert Cone, speaking in Washington before the official opening of the Association’s Annual Meeting and Exposition the next day, said the Army Force Generation Model, used to supply units to Afghanistan and Iraq over the last 11 years, is about to release volumes of new doctrine on how it fights, trains...
The vaunted U.S. government "pivot" to Asia is in fact a return to normal for the Army, with its long history in the region, Lt. Gen. Francis J. Wiercinski, the commanding general of U.S. Army Pacific (USARPAC), said.Although the nation and the military have been focused on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan over the past decade, "we never left [Asia]," Wiercinski said.Adding, "It’s not what we're getting, it’s what we’re getting back."Wiercinski spoke at an Association of the United States Army Institute of Land Warfare Contemporary Military Forum titled "Army and Asia – Pacific Engagement Re...
With over 30,000 registered runners, the 28th Army Ten-Miler took place Oct. 22 at the Pentagon, the day before the 2012 Association of the United States Army Annual Meeting and Exposition.The first male runner to cross the finish line, Tesfaye Senedeku-Alemyehu, completed the run in 47:48. He also won the race in 2011.Second place went to Spc. Augustus Maiyo, from the Army World Class Athlete Program, Fort Carson, Colo., and a member of the All Army Team, with a time of 47:54. Maiyo finished third in 2011.The first female finisher with a time of 56:09 was Kerri Gallagher; second place went to...
Spc. Saral Shrestha and Staff Sgt. Matthew Senna were selected as the 2012 Soldier of the Year and Noncommissioned Officer of the Year, respectively, after competing in a grueling Army-wide Best Warrior Competition.The winners were announced on Monday, Oct. 22, during the Sergeant Major of the Army Luncheon at the Association of the United States Army’s Annual Meeting and Exposition.Shrestha, a 91D10, power generation equipment repairer to the Group Service Support Company, Group Support Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group, United States Army Special Forces Command, Fort Bragg, N.C., has...
In a town hall meeting with Army spouses, the Army chief of staff, Gen. Ray Odierno reiterated the Army’s commitment financially to do everything possible to find the right programs to help families deal with the complexities of soldier life."We’re still going to invest a lot of money in our family programs – it’s a high priority – that’s not going to change, but we need to do better and be more efficient in the dollars that we have," he said to the predominantly female audience at an AUSA Family Forum convened at the Association of the United States Army’s Annual Meeting and Exposition Oct...
Preparing soldiers for the Army of 2020 means restructuring a critical link in the Noncommissioned Officer Education System.
The Army civilian workforce grew by about 50,000 since the terrorist attacks of 2001, and like their uniformed colleagues, the workforce faces cuts.Speaking Oct. 24, Jay Aronowitz, director of civilian personnel in the Army’s Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, Personnel,G-1, said the active component is being cut by 14 percent over the next eight years, and there will be cuts in the Army’s 300,000 member civilian workforce – but likely not that much.He told attendees at a special civilian seminar at the Association of the United States Annual Meeting and Exposition that the Army will...
Sgt. Maj. of the Army Raymond F. Chandler III said he believes the Army has drifted away from educating soldiers about energy conservation.Chandler spoke Oct. 23 at the "Enhancing Mission Effectiveness Through Power and Energy Advancements" Contemporary Military Forum at the Association of the United States Army’s Annual Meeting and Exposition.Chandler said he believes conservation is of strategic importance to the nation, and one person can make a difference that can change the country."That’s our challenge," he said. "That’s my challenge as sergeant major of the Army, is to make our soldiers...
The hard-won experience the Army gained over the past decade in Iraq and Afghanistan will help the service adapt to the new security environment of the upcoming decades, Ashton Carter, deputy secretary of defense, said.Carter noted that the Army has played a key role in United States wars over the past decade, and today, of the roughly 68,000 U.S. forces in Afghanistan, about 60,000 are soldiers, Carter said, speaking at the Sustaining Member Luncheon Oct. 24 at the Association of the United States Army’s Annual Meeting and Exposition."Now, those lessons learned, that new capability built...
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...
The Army must continue to address challenges abroad and internally, according to the Army vice chief of staff, Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III.Speaking Oct. 22 during the Sergeant Major of the Army Awards Luncheon at the Association of the United States Army’s Annual Meeting and Exposition, Austin emphasized the importance of properly completing and supporting our remaining missions abroad."Today our top priority continues to be the fight ongoing in Afghanistan," Austin said.Adding, the Army will "make sure [soldiers] will receive our full support" in the mission until our last soldier leaves the...
AUSA’s Institute of Land Warfare has recently released two new publications.The first, "Capability Set Production and Fielding: Enhancing the U.S. Army’s Combat Effectiveness" (Torchbearer Issue Paper, October 2012), explores the iterative process that allows the Army to incrementally modernize over time and successfully incorporate new technologies as they mature.The Capability Set Management construct allows the Army to modernize its information systems far more rapidly and at far better total value than ever before.In October 2012, the Army began to equip deploying brigade combat teams...