The Army’s 75th Ranger Regiment is already reaping the benefits of advanced encryption tools for their Rifleman Radios in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, as a direct result of successful participation in the Network Integration Evaluation 12.1.This Network Integration Evaluation, or NIE, process enabled the Army to field these capabilities much faster than normal acquisition cycles would have allowed."Our efforts to support the 75th Ranger Regiment by updating our existing systems were based upon the positive soldier feedback we got from NIE 12.1," Chris Manning, project director...
There are three special events scheduled for retirees and veterans at the 2012 Association of the United States Army Meeting and Exposition Oct. 22 – 24 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.Retiree SeminarThe Retiree Seminar will provide information from OPM on the Federal Veterans Employment Initiative.Additionally, John Radke, Army G-1 Retirement Services, will provide an update to include support of the National Guard and Army Reserve, as well as other issues of interest that retirees and veterans have an interest.The seminar will take place from 2 to 4 p.m., Monday, Oct. 22, in...
"Reintegration" and "Resilience" are the terms resonating through Army family program support in 2012.With the end of operations in Iraq and the reduced number of troops in Afghanistan, many Army families are happily reuniting with their soldiers without the burden of redeployment hanging over their heads.However, reintegration does not come without its own amount of stress.Changes in the soldier and spouse and children, false expectations, behavioral health concerns, and isolation can all play a role during this period of time.It is with this focus that the AUSA will conduct its Military...
In the harsh desert and mountains of the southwestern United States, soldiers relied on transportable headquarters operation centers to extend mission command capabilities to the edge of the battlefield during the Army’s Network Integration Evaluation 12.2.These command post, or CP, capabilities, previously found only at battalion and above echelons, enable commanders at the company level to exchange critical information, increasing the speed of decision-making and providing an advantage over the enemy."A command post is like a scope on a rifle; it magnifies the battlefield for a commander so...
AUSA, in its signature event on Capitol Hill, recognized Rep. Howard P. "Buck" McKeon, R-Calif., and Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., as the Association’s 2012 Outstanding Legislators at a ceremony in the Rayburn House Office Building July 25.McKeon, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, received the award based on his long-time and strong support for the Army as a member and now leader of this committee.In presenting the award, AUSA President Gen. Gordon R. Sullivan, USA, Ret., said McKeon "is known as one of the most knowledgeable members on defense issues and is an advocate for a strong...
After this year, the Army will no longer sponsor a NASCAR team as part of its national branding and accession efforts.But, the service will continue other programs to attract new soldiers and keep itself in the public eye."We do a wide array of traditional advertising, and we also do a whole bunch of digital outreach through web platforms and social media," John Myers, director, marketing support element, Army Marketing and Research Group, said.Adding, "We are in every state and every major market, with other marketing and advertising assets, motorsports, particularly NASCAR, is only one...
As he maneuvered his squad across the desert, securing objectives in villages along the way, Staff Sgt. Jesus Vasquez tracked his squad’s movements not with a note pad or map, but with an Army-issued handheld device.Flipping open the smartphone-like device worn on the front of his uniform, Vasquez tapped the screen to record what he saw – information that quickly traveled over the Army network to the rest of his platoon."We can plot anything from enemy positions to friendly positions to IEDs [improvised explosive devices]," Vasquez said.Adding, "It’s just like a phone – everybody these days...
Highly specialized military network technology experts, Network Operations warrant officers, played a key role in keeping the network strong as its capabilities were stressed and evaluated during the major operational test of the second generation of the Army’s tactical communications network backbone."One of the biggest things that we tested during the operational test was the on-the-move capability, which can be monitored in real time," said Warrant Officer 1 Eric Bache, Signal Corps Network Operations, or NetOps, for the 2nd Brigade, 1st Armored Division.Adding, "We tested the capabilities...
You can’t make this stuff up! "The truth of the matter is the spiraling cost of health care requires us to adjust some fees and co-pays – fees and co-pays that really have not been adjusted since the TRICARE program was put into place in 1994."That is what Dr. Jonathan Woodson, assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs said about the Defense Department’s plan to raise TRICARE fees.However, a recent reprogramming request from DoD to Congress tells a different story.The request included an appeal to reprogram $708 million in excess funds from the Defense Health Program to "higher...
Experts from U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) discussed the Network Integration Evaluations and Agile Process during the Virginia Peninsula Gen. Douglas MacArthur Chapter of the Association of the United States Army professional development forum in Williamsburg.NIE’s are semi-annual evaluations by the Brigade Modernization Command (BMC) at Fort Bliss, Texas, and are a part of Agile Process, the Army’s new quick-reaction acquisition method to address distinct capability gaps and insert new technologies into the overall network at a lower cost."We are trying to do things...
The secretary of the Army, John McHugh, spoke to soldiers of the 2nd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, during a walkthrough of the 1st Battalion, 35th Armored Regiment’s tactical assembly area at Fort Bliss, Texas.The 2nd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, under the guidance of the Brigade Modernization Command, is currently undergoing the third in a series of soldier-led, capabilities assessments and integration called the network integration evaluation, or NIE 12.2, during which they will provide feedback on network and non-network capabilities in order to...
Stretched across vast distances and punishing terrain, the Army’s new tactical communications network showed its promise as a combat enabler during the service’s Network Integration Evaluation 12.2, soldiers and leaders said.With the 3,800 soldiers of the 2nd Brigade, 1st Armored Division (2/1 AD) conducting a rigorous, intelligence-driven operational scenario against a battalion-sized opposing force, the network allowed them to rapidly pass information across echelons – from the brigade tactical operations center down to the individual soldier.The integrated package of radios, satellite...
The Department of Defense identified four units to deploy as part of the upcoming rotation of forces operating in Afghanistan.The scheduled rotation, released June 7, involves one brigade combat team with more than 3,000 personnel to rotate in late Spring 2012; one brigade combat team with more than 2,950 personnel and one combat aviation brigade with more than 2,580 to rotate in late Fall 2012; and one combat aviation brigade with more than 2,500 personnel to rotate in early Winter 2012.The deploying units include:4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan. (deploys in...
On the morning of the Army’s 237th birthday, the air bordered on chilly at Arlington National Cemetery.
Starting May 15, unemployed veterans between the ages of 35 and 60 can now apply for new benefits to cover education costs for up to one year through a joint Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Labor (DoL) program that focuses on retraining 99,000 veterans for high-demand jobs."This important tool will help those who served our country receive the education and training they need to find meaningful employment in a high-demand field," Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki said."Our veterans have made this nation stronger through their service, and they deserve our...