‘Combat Con Artists’ of World War II Who Hoodwinked Nazis Get Long Overdue Top Honor from Congress
All warfare is based on deception, Chinese strategist Sun Tzu once said. The battlefield flimflam practiced by the Army’s top-secret 23rd Headquarters Special Troops unit during World War II took that ancient advice to another level as the “Ghost Army” in the drive to liberate Europe. From D-Day to the crossing of the Rhine, the […]
The Army’s Sergeant Major Is About to Face Congress on Quality-of-Life Issues. He May Have a Lot to Answer For.
Sergeant Major of the Army Michael Weimer will make his Capitol Hill debut next week as senior enlisted leaders from each service are set to testify on quality-of-life issues for troops, and he will likely have his work cut out for him. The testimony comes at a time when the Army is beset with growing […]
Congress Tells Army to Set Higher Fitness Standards for Combat Arms Soldiers
Congress is set to direct the Army to boost fitness standards for most combat-arms jobs through a compromise defense policy bill unveiled Wednesday. The must-pass National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, which sets funding and policy priorities for the Pentagon, directs the service to increase the baseline standards in the Army Combat Fitness Test, or […]
Army Warns Recruiting Efforts Could Take a Hit if Congress Doesn’t Pass Ukraine and Israel Funding
SIMI VALLEY, Calif. — If Congress does not approve extra funding to cover the bulked-up U.S. troop presence in Europe and the Middle East, the Army could have to dip into funding meant for recruitment to cover costs of the deployments, a top service official warned this weekend. Speaking at the annual Reagan National Defense […]
Pulling Close-Air Support Airmen from Army Bases Would Increase Risk on the Battlefield, Republicans in Congress Say
An Air Force plan to relocate squadrons of elite close-air support airmen on Army bases, consolidating from eight locations down to just two, is alarming GOP lawmakers, who claim the move will harm military readiness and are pressing the service for more details. Tactical Air Control Party airmen are part of a special warfare job […]
Secretary Wormuth Wants the Army Combat Fitness Test to Stay as Congress Debates Its Fate
As the Army tangles with Congress over the fate of the Army Combat Fitness Test, or ACFT, the service’s top civilian leader says it needs to stay. Army Secretary Christine Wormuth took a stand for the test in an exclusive interview with Military.com on Wednesday at the annual Association of the United States Army conference […]
Veterans in Congress Press for Bowe Bergdahl to Be Retried After Sentenced Was Dismissed
Five military veterans in Congress have written Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Attorney General Merrick Garland asking they review options for retrying former Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl after his verdict was vacated last week by a civilian court. Reps. Mike Waltz, R-Fla.; Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas; Jake Ellzey, R-Texas; Ryan Zinke, R-Mont.; and Guy Reschenthaler, R-Pa., […]
Gender Neutral Standards, Return to Old Fitness Test: Congress’ Dueling Ideas for the Army
Both chambers of Congress have competing ideas to reinvent the Army’s new fitness test, an ongoing effort by legislators to alter fitness standards for the service that only last year received their first major update in decades. As part of the draft of the must-pass National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, which directs policy and […]
Congress’ Move to Scrap the ACFT Sparks Outcry from Army Leadership
If the Army were a TV show, this would be the end-of-season cliffhanger. Congress is seeking to kill the Army Combat Fitness Test, or ACFT, and revert to the service’s previous fitness test. A move that, if successful, would surely draw the ire of senior leadership and confusion across the rank and file. On Friday, […]