Big Bonuses, Relaxed Policies, New Slogan: None of It Saved the Military from a Recruiting Crisis in 2023
Despite a barrage of hefty bonuses, loosened and more progressive enlistment requirements, and even the creation of innovative pre-boot camp programs, the U.S. military mostly fell short in efforts to bring more Americans into the services over the past year — and it’s unclear how or when that will change. Of the five Defense Department […]
The Army’s New Enlisted Leader Is All About Discipline. He Wants an App for That in Every Soldier’s Pocket.
Sergeant Major of the Army Michael Weimer took the service’s top enlisted job two months ago. While he’s still trying to figure out how best to serve as the enlisted voice in the room during big meetings with the Army secretary, Congress and other key stakeholders, he’s already started to roll out a single-word message […]
Ride of the Valkyries: The Army Is Getting the US Military’s Most Powerful Laser Weapons Yet
The Army has inked a contract with defense giant Lockheed Martin for a platoon’s worth of what would be the U.S. military’s most powerful laser weapon system to date, the company announced Tuesday. Developed under the Army’s Indirect Fire Protection Capability-High Energy Laser (IFPC-HEL) prototype program and dubbed “Valkyrie,” the system can generate lasers at […]
The 5 Top Concerns of Army Families – and What the Service Plans to Do About Them
Health care, housing, permanent change-of-station moves, child care and spouse employment were cited as the top five concerns of Army personnel and family members at the service’s annual meeting and exposition Wednesday in Washington, D.C. Roughly 500 soldiers, family members and Army civilian employees said the issues, along with operational tempo, were problematic enough to […]
Boise Was His Home, But Ukraine Became His Cause. Idaho Army Veteran Died ‘Hero’s Death’
For more than three decades, they referred to each other as brothers, even though they weren’t — at least not by blood. When they started out, one was a doctor from Virginia establishing himself in his new community of Boise, and the other a scrawny, redheaded 11-year-old boy who never met his father and was […]
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 […]
US Begins Delivering Munitions to Israel as American Death Toll Rises to 11 in Hamas Attacks
WASHINGTON — The U.S. has already begun delivering critically needed munitions and military equipment to Israel, and the Pentagon is reviewing inventories to see what else can be sent quickly to boost its ally in the three-day-old war with Hamas, a senior Defense Department official said Monday. Planes have already taken off, said the official, […]
Kentucky Leaders Celebrate End of Army’s Chemical Weapons Destruction Program
RICHMOND, Ky. — After decades of living in the shadow of chemical weapons, a Kentucky community on Wednesday celebrated the final destruction of the arsenal — culminating what Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell called a “once seemed unimaginable” achievement marking a new era in U.S. defense policy. The milestone was reached in July, when workers […]
A Black Medic Wounded on D-Day Will Be Honored for Treating Dozens of Troops Under Enemy Fire
WASHINGTON — An African American combat medic who was wounded while landing on Omaha Beach during the D-Day invasion but went on to tend to dozens of troops will be posthumously honored Wednesday in a ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery. His family and supporters continue to push for an even higher recognition they believe his […]
The Army Is Working Toward Better Physical Training and Mental Health Care for Its Dogs
The Army revamped its health and wellness program for soldiers in 2020, dubbing it “Holistic Health and Fitness,” or H2F. There, the service got into doctrine on how soldiers should take care of themselves, including proper sleep, nutrition, exercise and mental health. Now, the Army is doing the same for its working dogs, a force […]