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Social Media Spotlight
USAMU presents:
Reading the Wind
highlights "Shooting USA" which provides a set of videos that offer fundamental information and tips of accuracy when using firearms.
"Apart from gravity, wind has the most pull on the bullet as it travels down range. Being able to accurately read the wind and mirage will greatly enhance your performance on the rifle range. National Champion, Sgt. Sherri Gallagher gives you some of her tips on shooting."
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Maj. Gen. Larry D. Wyche, Combined Arms Support Command and Fort Lee commanding general, presented the Purple Heart medal to Chief Warrant Officer 4 Leonard R. Levy, CASCOM armament capabilities developer, Oct. 12. Levy was joined by his wife Marie as he accepted the award for wounds received in action during Operation Enduring Freedom II.
"The Purple Heart is not something Soldiers desire to receive, but is earned through their actions and commitment to duty," Wyche said. "Today, he bears the scars of war, a testament to his promise kept; to support, defend and faithfully discharge his duties."
Levy, while driving a High Mobility Multi-purpose Wheeled Vehicle near Balad, Iraq, Feb. 13, 2005, encountered a road-side bomb which detonated causing him severe head trauma. During this deployment he served as an armament systems maintenance warrant officer responsible for maintenance activities for four battalions from March 2004 to 2005.
He has also been deployed during Operations Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, Joint Endeavor, Vigilant Warrior, Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
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After World War I, the Army's cryptographic elements were transferred to the Signal Corps at Fort Monmouth. On Oct. 5, 1942, the Cryptographic Division transferred from Fort Monmouth to Vint Hill Farms Station, Va. and became known as the Signal Corps Cryptographic School. It trained both officers and enlisted students in two shifts until new facilities were completed in May 1943. In June 1944, the school became known as the Vint Hill Farms School with a focus on cryptanalysis, traffic analysis and cryptographic equipment maintenance. When the Army Security Agency was created in September 1945, it assumed the mission of the former Signal Intelligence Service. The Vint Hill School was renamed the ASA school Oct. 15, 1946, encompassing both officer and enlisted training. The ASA School moved to Carlisle Barracks, Pa., in 1949 and then to Fort Devens, Mass. in 1951, where it eventually became known as the U.S. Army Security Agency Training Center and School. In October 1976, the USASATC&S became part of the U.S. Army Intelligence Center and School at Fort Huachuca, Ariz., although Signals Intelligence training remained primarily at Fort Devens until 1994, when all MI training was consolidated under USAICS. Today, while the responsibility for all Military Intelligence training falls to the U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence, many of the SIGINT courses are taught offsite, at Goodfellow Air Force Base in San Angelo, Texas, and Corry Station in Pensacola, Fla. "This Week in History" is a feature on the command history office website.
If you have AKO access, you can check out their site here.
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Many topics at the 2012 Association of the U.S. Army Convention that are important to the TRADOC community will be available to view online by visiting the Army'sProfessional Development website.
Live-streamed Institute of Land Warfare Panels Include:
The deadline for submitting questions is Oct. 18, noon EST.
More live-streamed AUSA topics/events are located here: AUSA Livestream Schedule
These TRADOC Army Forums will not be live-streamed, but will be available on the Army's Professional Development Website.
- Doctrine 2015
- Human Aspects of the Operational Environment
- Future Role of Land Power
- One Army School System
- Maneuver Forces for the Future
- Developing Leaders: The Key to Readiness, Sustaining the Profession
- Network Integration Evaluation - Expanding to Joint
- Fires in the Army of 2020
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by Gen. Robert W. Cone, Commander of the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (published in the AUSA Oct 2012 Green Book)
As our Army draws down from more than a decade of war, we at the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command are turning our attention toward the challenges and opportunities the United States faces in the next two decades. Although a decade of combat is ending, the Army's operational tempo will likely remain high.
Our Army will remain engaged in combating terrorism,providing humanitarian assistance, maintaining homeland defense and building the capacity of our international partners.
Simultaneously, the Army's role as part of the Department of Defense's strategy of sustaining U.S. global leadership means we must always stand ready to defeat any state, non-state or hybrid threat to the United States or its vital interests.
TRADOC's mission is ensuring that the Army confronts these challenges with the best-trained and most capable Soldiers in the world while also making certain our Army goes forward with the right structure and appropriate doctrine. In short, when our nation calls, we must be confident that our Army is ready.
This transition will not be easy, as it is taking place during a period of rapid global change and with the full expectation that we face years of constrained resourcing ahead. I am confident, however, that the best Army this nation has ever fielded -- Soldiers who have been victorious on hundreds of battlefields in the past decade - will meet and overcome all future challenges with the same spirit and confidence demonstrated in the trying years behind us. As the only Army organization positioned to integrate every aspect of the Army's transition, TRADOC is looking to the future even as it maintains its top priority of supporting the current fight. By improving our institutional focus on the tenets of the Army Profession and by continuing to redesign training, education and leader development initiatives, TRADOC has already begun moving forward with programs that are shaping the Soldiers of 2020 - the human transition. Moreover, as the "architect of the future," TRADOC is developing and integrating the concepts, organizations and materiel the future force requires-the structural transition. Even as we look to the future, though, a large portion of TRADOC's focus remains fixed on the present. We understand that executing the transition to the Army of 2020 cannot add to the risks confronted by the current force, especially those still engaged in overseas contingency operations. TRADOC is, therefore, developing the capabilities required for the future force, while remaining adaptive and responsive to the nation's and Army's immediate needs. Adaptable and EfficientDuring the last decade, TRADOC repeatedly demonstrated its adaptability and efficiency by reducing military manpower, expanding capacity and reorganizing for greater performance while continuing to innovate. For instance, to help meet the Army's rapid expansion requirements post - 9/11, TRADOC transferred more than 6,000 Soldiers to the operating force, replacing them with civilians. Despite large reductions in military manpower, TRADOC increased its annual training and education load by more than 200,000, while simultaneously meeting significantly increased collective training requirements in support of deploying brigades. Since then, there has been no letup in the operational tempo. In fiscal year 2012, TRADOC trained more than 700,000 Soldiers and deployed 1,312 mobile training teams. For the rest of this story, click here.
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by Lance M. Bacon , Army Times  | |
A Soldier attempts to cross an obstacle with the assistance of his team members during the Leader Reaction Course, Aug. 15, 2012, at Grafenwoehr Training Area in Grafenwoehr, Germany. The team had to get all its members across the obstacle without falling in the water below to successfully complete the exercise. The Warrior Leader Course is conducted by the 7th U.S. Army's Noncommissioned Officer Academy, the U.S. Army's oldest NCO academy, which trains U.S. and multinational junior enlisted soldiers for leadership.
(U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Christopher Bryant)
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The return of land navigation, expanded counseling curriculum and strict fitness guidelines are some of the changes soldiers will see at an improved -- and longer -- Warrior Leader Course to be launched in January. For the rest of this story, click here.
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TRADOC Trivia:
Military installations have been featured in movies and television shows for decades, but do you know the latest TRADOC installation to be featured as a sought-out safety point for a group of zombie-evading survivors?
A. Fort Huachuca, Ariz.
B. Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
C. Fort Benning, Ga.
D. Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.
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by Wallace McBride, Fort Jackson Leader  | |
The computer program Virtual Battlespace 2, screenshot above, is the focus of a 10-week pilot program for Soldiers in Basic Combat Training. (U.S. Army photo)
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Fort Jackson battalion is piloting a new training tool that will look familiar to many new Soldiers. Virtual Battlespace 2, or VBS2, offers battlefield simulations that allow instructors to create new scenarios and engage the simulation from multiple viewpoints. The squad-management system enables participants to issue orders to squad members. In other words, it works like a video game. VBS2 is descended from a game called Operation Flashpoint, which was launched about 10 years ago, said Capt. J.R. Wagner, of the 2nd Battalion, 39th Infantry Regiment. "It was a simulation used by groups of people who could network computers together," Wagner said. "You could move as a member of a team or a squad, and VBS2 is the third iteration. Currently, we're fielding it for Basic Combat Training Soldiers. This is the first fielding I know of for any Basic Combat Training Unit." VBS2 is essentially a video game, but one structured to teach skills new Soldiers learn in BCT. The program includes realistic, customizable settings that walk Soldiers through land navigation exercises, combat scenarios and group strategies. "It's a great tool, and I think it's going to do wonders for our training," said Maj. Damasio Davila, executive officer of the 2-39th. Drill sergeants can set up different scenarios within the virtual training area and can function in administrative roles as Soldiers learn the fundamentals of combat. "The idea is not to replace the drill sergeant with a computer," said Lt. Col. J.C. Glick, battalion commander. "The idea is not to replace going out and doing land navigation with a computer. The idea is that drill sergeants will be able to focus on refining their learning objectives. When new Soldiers go out to the woods, the time they spend there is more productive because they've done the homework and other requirements in a controlled environment." For the rest of this story, click here.
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by Shayna E. Brouker, Installation Management Command
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A Soldier models one of the proposed Improved Physical Fitness Uniforms. (U.S. Army photo)
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It's o-dark-thirty on the day of an Army Physical Fitness Test. The barely lit field is crowded with Soldiers getting ready to break a sweat, and the last thing any of them want is a "uniform malfunction" -- shorts riding up, sweat-soaked uniforms hindering movement -- or worse, chafing.
More than 76,000 Soldiers participated in an online survey earlier this year, recommending improvements in design and function for a new improved physical fitness uniform, and Army leaders listened. The Program Executive Officer, known as PEO, is posting a final online survey to ask troops to choose from the which of the six proposed uniforms -- which include 32 improvements -- they like best. PEO Solider is supporting the chief of staff of the Army and the Sergeant Major of the Army in this effort. The survey was developed by the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command. The survey opened Oct. 9 and will remain online until Oct. 29. To access the survey using a Common Access Card, click here. To access the survey without a Common Access Card, click here. PEO Soldier will continue to hold townhalls at the following garrisons: Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., Oct. 16-18 Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, Oct. 19-26. Soldiers will have a chance to try on the new uniforms, ask questions and give feedback. "The greatest point is that Soldiers at the battalion and company levels are the end users," said PEO Soldier Command Sgt. Maj. Emmett Maunakea. "It's like any piece of equipment PEO Soldiers produces -- this is all coming from Soldiers' feedback so we can produce for them what they want and need." Some of the key findings from the survey were that 76 percent felt the Army should keep or modify the current IPFU. Based on the survey feedback, PEO Soldier made 32 changes to the uniform, including color, quick-drying and antimicrobial properties, moisture wicking, a more modest fit, durability, identification or key pockets, drawstrings and reflectivity. "I wore one of the versions of the uniform yesterday and it is a much better uniform. It really truly is. In reality, these are the type of shorts when I go out and buy on my own," said Maunakea. "I think it will be a great end product for Soldiers." For more information about PEO Soldier, click here.
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Basic Combat Training week eight
by Melissa Buckley, Fort Leonard Wood Guidon
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Pvt. Arturo Chavez, Company C, 1st Battalion, 48th Infantry Regiment, uses a laser sight on his M16 rifle during Advanced Marksmanship Training. The Soldiers in Basic Combat Training go through the course using blank ammunition first before using live ammo. (U.S. Army photo by Melissa Buckley)
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Company C, 1st Battalion, 48th Infantry Regiment started out week eight back on the ranges and ended their week with a crucial physical fitness test.
On Oct. 8, the Soldiers going through Basic Combat Training continued Advanced Rifle Marksmanship training by incorporating firing and movement techniques using the available barriers to provide cover and concealment. "Soldiers learned to use advanced firing positions to negotiate a lane while engaging targets -- a critical skill for Soldiers of all military occupational specialties to master, because combat does not look like the qualification range," said Lt. Col. Erik Anderson, 1-48th Inf. Bn. commander. By Oct. 9, they had transitioned to the Buddy Team Live Fire Exercise. Moving as a member of a two-Soldier buddy team, they negotiated a lane using proper movement techniques and covering their buddy's movement by fire. "This way, they will always have somebody providing security and returning fire at the enemy, so their buddy can move freely," said Staff Sgt. Joshua King, Co. C, 1-48th Inf. Bn. drill sergeant. First, they went through without ammunition to practice their commands. Next, they went through the lanes with blank fire, finally progressing to live fire. "They used everything they practiced in Basic Rifle Marksmanship and Advanced Rifle Marksmanship to now move while firing," King said. "Soldiers have to be able to shoot, move and communicate. This training encompasses all of three." On Oct. 10, Company C did their part to keep Fort Leonard Wood looking good by completing a post detail.
For the rest of this story, click here.
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Forget sequestration. Never mind fiscal 2013. The Army knows it's in for a tough decade, not just a tough year -- but it's already thinking way ahead, past 2020. With the Iraq war over, Afghanistan ( slowly) winding down, and a new strategy that emphasizes Navy and Marine Corps operations in the Pacific, the Army is painfully aware it's going to shrink. The service increasingly focuses on how to make it through the coming long, lean years to the decades beyond. "We're watching the storm of politics around us," Army Undersecretary Joseph Westphal said the morning of Oct. 10 at the National Press Club, at an event moderated by Government Executive editor Tim Clark. His near-term goal, Westphal said, is to navigate the storm "to get to that Army of three to five years [from now] without major disruption because of budgets." But while the post-2017 Army will be smaller, it will not otherwise be very different in weapons, personnel, organization or ideas. Change comes slowly because of the Pentagon's budget planning process and the painfully long lead times to develop new weapons. "The Army of 2020 is pretty much that same Army," said Westphal. "It's when you get beyond that that you start thinking about what this Army is really going to be." Westphal's not the only senior leader saying this. "2020 is not an end point," said a four-star general (whom AOL Defense was asked not to name) at a r ecent conclave of top brass at National Defense University. "I affect POMs [Program Objective Memoranda] through 2020," he went on, but the Army has to look beyond that, to 2025 and 2030. That NDU event wrapped up the Army's 2012 series of seminars and wargames on the future force, called "Unified Quest," and set the groundwork for a new series in 2013. The crucial difference: This year's scenario focused on "the Army of 2020." Next year, the service's Training and Doctrine Command will add a second track exploring the "deep future," 2030 to 2040.
For the rest of this story, click here.
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by Terrance Bell, Installation Management Command
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Sgt. Christopher Dettor, assigned to the Hohenfels Health Clinic, prepares to throw a grappling hook to clear an obstacle in a testing lane during the U.S. Army Europe's Expert Field Medical Badge Competition standardization phase in Grafenwoehr, Germany, Sept. 13, 2012. He will represent the U.S. Army Medical Command during the 2012 Best Warrior Competition. (U.S. Army photo)
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Twenty-four of the Army's finest warriors converged here Oct. 14 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, known as Best Warrior, or BWC for short, 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 test, a board appearance, land navigation and a number of tasks deemed essential for survival on the battlefield, such as casualty evaluation and weapons marksmanship. Fort Lee has hosted the event nine of the 11 years it has been held. Command Sgt. Maj. James K. Sims the acting command sergeant major for Combined Arms Support Command and the installation's ranking Best Warrior official, said the post always looks forward to the competition. "Fort Lee is honored to be able to host the Army's Best Warrior Competition once again," he said. "The BWC is one of the most prestigious competitions in the Army, and Fort Lee is proud to be a part of it." The sergeant major of the Army oversees Best Warrior. In his second year as the noncommissioned officer in charge, Sgt. Maj. of the Army Raymond F. Chandler III has directed a number of changes intended to strengthen the event. First, it has been shortened from five to four days. Secondly, the traditional order of events have been rearranged in an effort to make it more intense, said Sgt. 1st Class Randall Reed, the Fort Lee Best Warrior planning cell NCO in charge. "It will be a high-paced competition that will challenge and surprise the competitors with events we haven't seen in previous years," he said during the planning phases of the event. For the rest of this story, click here.
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 As 2012 draws to a close, the 237-year-old U.S. Army is still at war. Although military operations in Iraq concluded successfully at the end of 2011, the Army continues to enable transition in Afghanistan and to target Al Qaeda and its weakened leadership there and elsewhere. The United States and NATO are committed to our Afghan government partners, continuing to go into harm's way to help stand up Afghan military and police forces through the end of 2014, when NATO forces will turn over combat operations to their Afghan counterparts. Even as these engagements continue, our Army has already entered a period of prolonged transition. Hybrid threats that incorporate regular and irregular warfare, terrorism and criminality continue to emerge. Joint forces today and tomorrow will face the destabilizing effects of global economic downturns, increased competition for strategic resources and new threats in cyberspace. The president has asked our Army to stand ready to fulfill a broader range of missions and to be more globally responsive to regional combatant commander requirements even as it remains engaged worldwide. To endure endure as the trained and ready force that the nation demands, our Army needs to be properly resourced. AUSA remains at the forefront in not only telling the Army's story, but also articulating what resources the Army needs to be ready to conduct decisive action when called. A trained and ready Army needs to be sufficiently staffed in all its uniformed components (650,000 Soldiers on active duty at all times supported by 360,000 Army National Guard and 215,000 Army Reserve Soldiers). It requires a 28 percent share of an overall defense budget no smaller than 5 percent of the nation's gross domestic product. This is an enduring principle that AUSA will continue to champion for our Army and our Soldiers, and I am confident that the U.S. Army will remain ready -- prepared to accomplish all missions -- and will endure as America's force of decisive action. We will win the current fight, provide necessary depth and versatility to the joint force, and develop the force of the future - including new capabilities in the global commons of space and cyberspace - to preserve dominant overmatch against any adversary. We will also take care of our people, sustaining
the unmatched quality of our force while providing the highest level of care and support to our wounded warriors. It is what the American people expect and what our freedom demands.
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Cadet Command has hit its stride
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Cadet Kenneth Aronhalt from Marion Military Institute watches the graduation of the 9th and 10th regiments this summer at the Leader Development and Assessment Course at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., before being commissioned on the parade field. (U.S. Army photo by Jesse Beals)
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The organization responsible for producing most of the Army's officer corps commissioned 5,880 second lieutenants in fiscal year 2012, the second straight year for mission success, according to final totals released this week. The Army-mandated goal was 5,350.
In surpassing the mark in 2011 and 2012, Cadet Command has reversed a several-years drought in which it missed the target.
"We're at the peak of the best quality Cadets we've seen," said Maj. Lucas Wilder, senior analyst for Cadet Command's operations analysis division. Those commissioning represent "the upper crust of the officers we look for."
From a raw numbers standpoint, the FY '12 total was the most commissionees since 1990. Among this year's 5,880 students from across the country who took the oath of office between October 2011 and Sept. 30 were 226 nurses -- a field considered critical and one that has historically teetered on shortages.
The overall mission accomplishment also was a boon to the National Guard and Reserves, which benefited from the overproduction as hundreds of Cadets were designated for service in those forces.
Cadet Command has emphasized science, technology, engineering and math majors in its recent recruitment efforts to meet the needs of an Army that becomes more high-tech. The class of 2012 included 1,163 graduates with those types of degrees, accounting for 19.8 percent of the commissionees. With a continued push, that number could be higher next year, said Lt. Col. Tim Borgerding, chief of Cadet Command's operations analysis division.
For the rest of this story, click here.
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Check out the NEW online home of U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command!
Be sure to check out TRADOC's new look at www.tradoc.army.mil, your link to the latest news throughout U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command. The site provides an overview of TRADOC's top priorities as well as current command initiatives. The new look also provides access to other TRADOC Public Affairs products, including TRADOC This Week and TRADOC Daily News. |
Marine makes Sapper history - twice
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Maneuver Support Center of Excellence Command Sgt. Maj. Robert Wells places the Sapper tab onto Marine Capt. Kathryn Neff's uniform. Neff is the first female Marine to graduate from the Sapper School and the first interservice graduate to win the Sapper Spirit Award. (U.S. Army photo by Melissa Buckley)
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The Sapper Leader Course has been molding superior Army engineer leaders since 1985. Now, Marine Capt. Kathryn Neff has put her mark on the elite school's history -- not once, but twice.
According to Capt. John Chambers, Sapper Leader Course chief of training, Neff is the first female Marine to graduate the course and the first Marine to be the Sapper Spirit Awardee -- the student who obtained the most points during the class, graduating with honors. "To be the honor graduate, you have to be a first time 'go' on everything, and she had the highest points total. She stood out in several events," said Master Sgt. Jeremiah Gan, Sapper Leader Course chief instructor. "She earned her place. She is going to have some bragging rights when she gets to her next unit." Neff was the only Marine in a class of 37. Of them, 31 completed the course and only 14 graduated with five of them going straight through -- meaning those five students passed all of their tests the first time. "It's an honor to be in the premier Army engineer school," Neff said. "My class was filled with exceptional Soldiers; it felt good to do well among my peers. Out of 1,000, points I had the most -- I was shocked," Neff said. "I'm proud to represent the Marine Corps -- not so much as a female, but as a Marine." Females were first allowed in the Sapper Leader Course in 1999. Neff and one other female Soldier graduated Sept. 21, making them the 53rd and 54th females to successfully pass all of the course's tests. Chambers said Marines have been attending the course since 2000, but it officially became part of the Interservice Training Review Organization in 2010. As a combat engineer officer for the Marine Corps, Neff first heard about the Sapper Leader Course earlier this year while attending the U.S. Army Engineer School Captains Career Course at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. "It sounded like a great challenge," Neff said.
For the rest of this story, click here.
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More than 200 Army civilians and leaders with the Maneuver Support Center of Excellence and Fort Leonard Wood participated in the third semiannual Civilian Fun Run/Walk Oct. 12 at Gammon Field.
Rebecca Johnson, MSCoE and Fort Leonard Wood deputy to the commanding general, kicked off the event and said the goal for Fort Leonard Wood is to be the healthiest installation to live, work and play. "The 5K event is designed to enhance morale and provides an opportunity for civilians to enjoy the benefits of working on an Army installation," said Capt. Joseph Bogart, Maneuver Support Center of Excellence Operations Division support operations officer. "We hope that the event will encourage civilian employees to make healthy lifestyle choices all year long," Bogart said. The event is open to Maneuver Support Center of Excellence and Fort Leonard Wood civilian employees who are employed under the General Schedule, Non-appropriated Fund and wage grade system. The Noncommissioned Officer Academy provided cadence callers to keep participants motivated, Bogart said.
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TRADOC Trivia: Answer
The answer is C. In the first season of "The Walking Dead," survivors think U.S. Army Fort Benning would be safer; however, they are later told the installation was overrun. Fort Benning has also been the location for a number of films, including "The Green Berets," "The General's Daughter" and "We Were Soldiers."
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TRADOC This Week is the official newsletter of U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command. Contents of TRADOC This Week are not necessarily the official views of, or endorsed by, the U.S. government or the U.S. Army. The appearance of advertising found on links included in this publication does not constitute endorsement by the U.S. Army.
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