ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

Russia’s unprovoked attack on Ukraine has provided a stark reminder that the U.S. and its allies and partners must be prepared for large-scale combat operations and for a regional conflict to have global implications, Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville said.

Speaking Jan. 18 at a Coffee Series event hosted by the Association of the U.S. Army, McConville had recently returned from an 11-nation tour that left him “impressed” with how American soldiers are working with troops from other nations. 

In its quest to help soldiers enhance their physical and mental performance, Army Futures Command brought together experts from the private sector to discuss new technologies and emerging trends.

Over a two-day symposium, the experts from academia and sports and technology companies weighed in on optimizing human performance by focusing on cognition among people with physically demanding jobs, using wearable technology or analog methods to encourage desired outcomes, making healthy choices, and examining the role of data in enabling better health, precision and resilience.

Delays in passing the fiscal 2023 defense policy and funding legislation is adding to the Army’s problems.

The fiscal year began Oct. 1 with the Army and the rest of the federal government operating under a temporary funding resolution that has limited funds and does not allow for new programs to begin or for any major changes in existing programs.

In a long-anticipated demonstration, an unmanned Black Hawk helicopter flew for a prolonged period, navigated varied terrain and performed tasks that helicopter crews would perform on the battlefield.

As part of a Project Convergence 2022 Technology Gateway exercise, the helicopter with no humans aboard carried out a medical resupply mission and a combined mission that involved cargo delivery and casualty evacuation.

A recent Rand Corp. report on diversity in the military focuses heavily on filling the ranks.

The report, “Leveraging Diversity for Military Effectiveness: Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging in the UK and US Armed Forces,” explores manning the future force, something today’s Army is finding difficult because fewer service-aged people meet Army standards, and even fewer of those who meet the basic requirements for intelligence, health and a clean criminal record express any interest in military service. 

The Heritage Foundation’s 2023 Index of U.S. Military Strength ranks the Army as a “marginal” power, which is better than the “weak” Navy and Space Force and the “very weak” Air Force. 

The Oct. 18 document rates the Marine Corps as “strong.” 

The 2022 Heritage rankings also listed the Army as “marginal.”

Addressing climate change and its impact on military installations is critical to the Army’s readiness and warfighting abilities, a top Army climate leader said. 

“The battle starts here,” said Paul Farnan, the Army’s principal deputy assistant secretary for installations, energy and environment. “[Climate change] is going to impede our ability to get our forces to the battlefield, be it a natural disaster or a cyberattack that takes the grid down. Our installations still have to be able to operate.” 

As they observe the brutal Russia-Ukraine war from the sidelines, U.S. Army units in Europe have been making moves to update components, become more combat-effective and better integrate with allies on their “home turf.”

Creating cohesive teams and a healthy command climate are critical to preventing harmful behaviors such as suicide, sexual assault and harassment and substance abuse, the leaders of the Army’s People First Task Force said Oct. 12.

Speaking at the Warriors Corner during the Association of the U.S. Army’s Annual Meeting and Exposition, Maj. Gen. Christopher Norrie, the task force director, said that “cohesive teams—soldiers that are connected to family, unit and friends—are foundational to the Army. This is what ‘People First’ means.”