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The U.S. Army is developing a more intensive fitness test tailored to combat situations following complaints from commanders of insufficient troop readiness. Top members of Army brass told The Associated Press that the existing physical fitness tests employed by the Army during basic training do not adequately prepare soldiers for the physical challenges of the battlefield. A new test that is described by the military as far more physically intensive “may be harder, but it is necessary,” Gen. Stephen Townsend, head of U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, told the AP. “We needed to change the culture of fitness in...

By CW4 Michael W. Carr (Retired) – “Hey, you guys want to haul some ammo and gear out to San Clemente Island for us?” asked the SEAL officer. “Sure”, said the Army Warrant Officer, without really thinking about what his agreement might entail. For the Army Marine Warrant almost any reason to get his 174 ft. LCU underway on a mission was a good idea. Underway was always better than sitting tied to the dock. “Sweet”, the SEAL said. “Here’s what we need you to do,” and he began explaining the process of loading gear and ammo at the...

(Washington, D.C.) – U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, issued the following statement in response to today’s Supreme Court decision allowing President Trump’s order banning transgender individuals from military service to take effect.

"U.S. Army Maritime capabilities will be radically reduced this year as the service deactivates and divests itself of numerous vessels, watercraft equipment, watercraft systems, Soldiers, and Units. At least eighteen (18) of its 35 Landing Craft Utility (LCU) will be sold off or transferred to the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Office (DRMO). Landing Craft Utility (LCU), a versatile 174- foot landing craft capable of carrying 500 tons of cargo, personnel and containers, is the workhorse of the Army Watercraft field."

Germany’s Armed Forces are most likely to stay underequipped for the next decade or so, the German Defense Chief has admitted. Meanwhile, the units are stuck with sharing gear and vehicles. At least nine brigades in the German Armed Forces, known as Bundeswehr, lack the necessary equipment and arms, the military Inspector General Eberhard Zorn said, adding that they are expected to be “fully equipped” no sooner than in 13 years – by 2031. The lack of spare parts for the military equipment also remains one of the major concerns. At the same time, he was pretty confident that Germany...

Soldiers in Gabon have attempted a coup, announcing the establishment of a "restoration council" after taking over the national radio station. There were reports of shots being fired in the capital Libreville on Monday. Reading out a statement, the military officers condemned President Ali Bongo who addressed his compatriots last week from Morocco for the first time since reportedly suffering a stroke in Octo

President Donald Trump responded to media complaints on Thursday because he signed Make America Great Again hats for the troops overseas. CNN & others within the Fake News Universe were going wild about my signing MAGA hats for our military in Iraq and Germany. If these brave young people ask me to sign their hat, I will sign. Can you imagine my saying NO? We brought or gave NO hats as the Fake News first reported!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 27, 2018

During his surprise trip to Iraq this week, President Trump shook hands with an Army soldier who said he went back into the military for the president. “And I’m here because of you, so we have something in common,” Trump said with gratitude at the dining hall at al-Asad Air Base, Iraq, on Wednesday. “Keep America great,” the soldier said to Trump, while taking a selfie with the president. The soldier serves with the Brave Rifles, the 3rd Cavalry Regiment, formerly the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, currently stationed at Fort Hood. Addressing troops at the airbase in western Iraq late...

Army general inspector Eberhard Zorn said the forces had to "look in all directions in times of a lack of qualified personnel", such as doctors and IT specialists. The armed forces have been beset by years of under-investment. Germany aims to increase its military by 21,000 personnel by 2025. It has also pledged to raise its defence budget from 1.2% to to 1.5% of its gross domestic product by 2024, in the face of criticism from President Donald Trump that it does not meet the Nato target of 2% of GDP. Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen said in an...

When I was a youth, in the 1960’s and 1970’s, one of the biggest treats that my father would give us would be a trip to one of the nearby “Army and Navy” stores. We would hop in the car, and then ride for a spell (depending on the direction) from a half an hour to an hour and a half drive. We would stop along the way to get a soft-serve cone at Dairy Queen, and then spend an hour or so in the store. They all looked pretty much the same no matter where you went. The nearest...

The French officers who denounced the Marrakesh deal have exposed themselves to disciplinary sanctions by the military. Paris: The international conference on the Global Compact for Migration was held on 10 and 11 December 2018 in the Moroccan city of Marrakech, but top level military figures denounced it as treason in an open letter the head of state. Contacted by L’Opinion, the Ministry of the Armed Forces called the move “inadmissible and unworthy”. The open letter was sent by 13 officers opposed to France signing the Compact. The Minister of the Armies, Florence Parly dismissed the remarks contained in the...

When the Army West Point Black Knights and the Navy Midshipmen take the field for the 119th Army-Navy Game on Saturday, fans from around the globe will have a number of options to follow the action live. CBS will carry Saturday's game live, with Brad Nessler (play-by-play), Gary Danielson (color analyst) and Jamie Erdahl (sideline) on the call. Check your local listings for channel information. Prior to the competition, fans will be able to watch Army and Navy on ESPN's College Gameday, live from Lincoln Financial Field from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Pregame coverage will begin on CBS Sports...

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis was livid last month when he summoned top military officials to a video conference at the Pentagon to press them about an investigation into a 2017 ambush in Niger that killed four Americans on a Green Beret team. His anger, Pentagon officials said, came from seeing news reports that junior officers were being reprimanded for the botched Niger mission while the officers directly above them were not. Days later, a senior officer who had largely escaped punishment was told he would be reprimanded. Another senior officer’s actions before and around the time of the mission were...

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump will tap Gen. Mark Milley as his next top military adviser, choosing a battle-hardened commander who has served as chief of the Army for the last three years, U.S. officials said Friday. If confirmed by the Senate, Milley would succeed Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the pinnacle of a military career. Dunford, a former commandant of the Marine Corps and commander of coalition troops in Afghanistan, is expected to serve out his term as Joint Chiefs chairman, which ends next Oct. 1. Milley, who commanded troops during...

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After more than a year of discussion, the U.S. Army announced Sunday that it has adopted a version of the World War II pinks and greens uniform as the service's new everyday dress uniform. By 2028, the "Army Greens" will become the "everyday business-wear uniform for all soldiers," according to a Veterans Day Army news release. "This is the uniform worn by America's 'Greatest Generation' in World War II," the release states. Sergeant Major of the Army Daniel Dailey unveiled the first prototypes of the two-tone uniform in October 2017 at the Association of the United States Army's annual meeting....

Former fighter pilot Lang Sias, the Republican pick for Colorado lieutenant governor, called out Jared Polis Friday over a televised misstatement about the National Guard. On KUSA-9News’ Next with Kyle Clark program Thursday, the Democratic nominee for governor said he wouldn’t give President Trump access to Colorado Army National Guard troops to send to the U.S.-Mexico border if he thinks it’s politically motivated. “You could use the same rational to not allow someone to fight in Afghanistan or Iraq,” Clark said to Polis. “Is that dangerous?” Polis replied: “Well, it wouldn’t be Colorado National Guard units going to Afghanistan or...

Germany's Defense Ministry said on Wednesday that only 39 percent of large items, such as tanks and helicopters, delivered to the Bundeswehr in 2017 did not require improvement before deployment. The quality of items delivered was "still improvable," said Parliamentary State Secretary Peter Tauber, who until February was general secretary of Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative Christian Democratic (CDU) party. The admission, which came in response to an inquiry from Left party parliamentarian Matthias Höhn, coincides with German troop involvement in a major NATO exercise in Norway and follows calls for improved readiness from defense officials, including Defense Minister Ursula von...

President Trump said Wednesday he could send up to 15,000 troops to the U.S.-Mexico border, which would surpass the number of soldiers currently stationed in Afghanistan. Speaking to reporters as he left the White House for a campaign rally Wednesday night in Florida, Trump said the number of military personnel on the border "will go up to anywhere between 10,000 and 15,000 military personnel on top of the Border Patrol, ICE, and everybody else at the border." The current number of troops deployed to the border is 5,239, the head of Northern Command, Gen. Terence O'Shaughnessy, said on Tuesday. He...

“Right now, the feedback looks like we are going to a 6.8 caliber round,” Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley said recently. The service has a list of its top six modernization priorities and “soldier lethality” is one of the items. The most high-profile program in that category is the squad automatic rifle. Army Secretary Mark Esper at the Association of the United States Army annual conference — while promising the service is speeding up the way it does acquisition — singled out the program as one that would see prototypes in the near future. “The bottom line is...