Army Orders More Helicopter Pilot Training After Spate of 12 Crashes Kills, Injures Soldiers
The Army will have its helicopter pilots conduct hours of additional training after a rash of a dozen crashes that has killed 10 service members just since October. “We’ve seen a troubling trend with our accident rates, and certainly any loss of life is 100% unacceptable,” Maj. Gen. Walter Rugen, director of Army aviation, told […]
Army Expanding Pre-Basic Training Prep Courses to Bring in More Soldiers and Curb Recruiting Crisis
The Army is again dramatically expanding its pre-basic training courses that were created to get young Americans into compliance with the service’s enlistment standards, as those courses are becoming key to curtailing the ongoing recruiting slump. The Future Soldier Preparatory Course’s capacity will grow from nearly 18,000 to 23,500 this year, according to data provided […]
Boonie Caps Permitted for Soldiers at Fort Bliss But Remain Unauthorized for Rest of Army Bases
In what could be the most significant move on uniforms since black socks for physical training uniforms, the Army’s Fort Bliss in Texas approved the wear of the boonie cap on the installation. The policy — likely celebrated by junior enlisted there to the chagrin of soldiers elsewhere — was approved in October, but the […]
Army Eyes Dramatic Cuts to Key Education Benefits for Soldiers
The Army is eyeing a dramatic cut to the Army Credentialing Assistance program, or Army CA, next year to curb costs in what could be one of the biggest benefit shifts aimed at enlisted troops in years. Army CA was introduced force-wide in 2020 as a complementary benefit to traditional scholarship programs. Instead of being […]
2 Fort Carson Soldiers Injured in Second Apache Helicopter Crash in 48 Hours
Two soldiers were hospitalized with minor injuries after their AH-64 Apache helicopter went down Wednesday evening during a routine training exercise out of Fort Carson, Colorado, base officials confirmed Thursday. The crash is the second in just 48 hours involving an Army Apache; the airframe has seen several other incidents over the last year that […]
Army Unveils Occupational Fields that Need More Soldiers – and Bonuses to Get Them Filled
The Army released a new guidance Friday specifying the military occupational specialties it needs soldiers to move into when reenlisting in order to meet the branch’s retention and restructuring goals for 2024. Referred to as “precision retention,” the program specifically highlights overcrowded occupational specialties, such as cavalry scouts and military police, as well as incentive […]
VIP Health System for Top US Officials Risked Jeopardizing Care for Soldiers
Top U.S. officials in the Washington area have received preferential treatment from a little-known health care program run by the military, potentially jeopardizing care for other patients including active-duty service members, according to Pentagon investigators. White House officials, senior military and other national security leaders, retired military officers, and family members have all benefited. The […]
Soldiers Said Goodbye to Loved Ones as Army Ships Set Sail to Gaza to Build Pier for Aid Delivery
FORT EUSTIS, Virginia — On a small, tucked away pier just off the James River, the sounds of Lee Greenwood and Toby Keith blared over the water as soldiers hugged their kids and spouses and the gantry of a large Army landing ship slowly began to close behind them. The soldiers were all part of […]
10th Mountain Soldiers Honor Legendary WWII Predecessors by Skiing 24 Miles in Their Tracks
Eight decades after 10th Mountain Division soldiers trained at Colorado’s historic Camp Hale for combat in World War II, Army Staff Sgt. Cam Daniels stood on a snow-covered mountainside west of Vail Pass and reflected on the legend they created in the rugged but picturesque landscape between Leadville and Vail. One of them was his […]
National Guard Grounds All of Its Helicopters Following Apache Crash in Mississippi that Killed 2 Soldiers
The Army National Guard has temporarily grounded all of its helicopters after back-to-back AH-64 Apache helicopter crashes this month, one of which was fatal for the two pilots. Last week, an Apache crashed in northern Mississippi, killing its two-soldier crew. In a separate incident Feb. 12, there was another Apache crash near Salt Lake City, […]