ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

An Army element created in the wake of internal scrutiny following Spc. Vanessa Guillen's 2020 disappearance and death outside the former Fort Hood, Texas, is getting a new name—and a sustained mission to help units thrive. 

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.”

In its ongoing effort to build strong, cohesive teams, the Army is launching a new competition focused on groups of soldiers.

The Army’s inaugural Best Squad Competition will kick off in September, Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael Grinston said during the recent Maneuver Warfighter Conference at Fort Benning, Georgia.

“For over two years I’ve talked about the importance of building a cohesive team that is highly trained, disciplined and fit,” Grinston said, according to the Army. “Now it’s time to measure ourselves against that standard.”

Improving small-unit training and giving soldiers more predictable, mission-tailored schedules are just two ways the Army is working to reduce accidents across the force, Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Joseph Martin told a House subcommittee.

“We can never, ever stop our relentless efforts to get after mitigating the risks in our formations,” Martin told the House Armed Services readiness subcommittee during a March 23 hearing on preventing training mishaps. “What we do is very, very difficult. We ask our soldiers in our formations to do a lot.”

The Army is setting the bar high for the next generation of weapons as it aims to improve soldiers’ lethality on the future battlefield.

“Teamwork is the sustaining function, and it’s the foundation of everything we’re achieving,” Maj. Gen. David Hodne, director of the Soldier Lethality Cross-Functional Team and the Army Infantry School commandant, said March 18.