ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

Army Forces Command’s top NCO gave an address about what’s different about “kids these days” that wasn’t what you’d expect of someone celebrating his 53rd birthday.

The keynote speaker on the second day of the Association of the U.S. Army’s 2023 Warfighter Summit and Exposition in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Command Sgt. Maj. Todd Sims said it is important to understand what makes today’s younger soldiers “tick” so leaders can be prepared to lead them and get the most from their service.

Commanders at all levels must take care of soldiers, even when things go wrong, for the Army to successfully navigate challenges at home and abroad, the sergeant major of the Army said.

Good leadership can make all the difference to soldiers, Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael Grinston said during the recent Fires Conference held virtually by the Fires Center of Excellence at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.

An Army pilot program to test a marketplace-style assignment system for enlisted soldiers, like the new system now in use by the officer corps, is set to launch this summer with selected soldiers.

Soldiers and NCOs in armor, military intelligence and quartermaster MOSs will begin testing the Assignment Satisfaction Key-Enlisted Marketplace in June ahead of the planned implementation for the entire enlisted force by January 2021, according to an Army news release.

Carrying through with a promise made earlier this year, the Total Army Sponsorship Program is expanding for relocating soldiers, civilians and accompanying families.

Under the new rules, the receiving unit must assign sponsors to assist enlisted soldiers who are E-6 and below, those who are chief warrant officer 2 and below, and officers who are O-3 and below. First-term soldiers are required to accept a command sponsor, but other soldiers may decline if they wish.

Senior U.S. Army enlisted members caution that increasing reliance on technology may be eroding essential soldiering skills.

At the Association of the U.S. Army-sponsored LANPAC Symposium and Exposition in Honolulu, U.S. command sergeants major warned that the advantages technology is bringing to battlefields in targeting, navigation, automation and communications take time to master, and may leave less time for training on basic soldier tasks.

Spc. Robert Miller has been named the Army’s 2016 Soldier of the Year, and Sgt. 1st Class Joshua Moeller is the 2016 Noncommissioned Officer (NCO) of the Year. The two winners of the Army’s Best Warrior Competition were announced Monday at the Association of the U.S. Army’s Annual Meeting and Exposition.

Miller is an explosive ordnance disposal specialist with the 8th Military Police Brigade at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. Moeller serves as a cavalry scout with the 108th Training Command, U.S. Army Reserve at San Diego.

The Army should make a number of cultural changes in coming years that are just as important as improving weaponry, training, force structure and doctrine, according to the authors of a new think tank report.