Tag: U.S. Army

As long as the US military keeps a robust air and naval presence in and around Korea I think this should stop North Korea from miscalculating.  However, it doesn’t change the fact that cutting down to 420,000 soldiers for the US Army will be devastating:

United States Army Chief of Staff General Raymond Odierno has warned that reductions in U.S. forces could lead to a misjudgment by North Korea.

Odierno, who is retiring next month, said on Friday in a meeting with reporters that if the United States sends a wrong signal to its potential enemies, it could lead to their misjudgment.

He expressed concern that reductions in U.S. troops would spread the perception that Washington’s response capabilities will weaken.

Odierno said that he considers Russia as the biggest threat to the United States, saying that what Russia says and acts shows the Cold War did not end in the right direction.  [KBS World Radio]

Considering how much of the Army soldiers in USFK are now rotational it is not surprising there were not force cuts in USFK:

America’s commitment to the Pacific pivot and unease about a more assertive Russia appear to be driving the Army’s decision not to reduce troop numbers in Japan, South Korea and Europe.

The Army plans to cut 40,000 soldiers and 17,000 civilian jobs over two years, but details released Thursday show the plan affects only the Pacific on the western side, with U.S. Army Pacific saying Hawaii and Alaska will lose 3,800 soldiers. None of the cuts will affect units in Europe.

Officials have yet to determine which Army civilian personnel will lose their jobs, and they warned that there will likely be further troop reductions if Congress and the White House can’t avert another round of defense budget cuts. Those opposed to the cuts question their wisdom amid a number of troubling developments: Cold War-style tension with Russia, Chinese aggression in the South China Sea, North Korea’s nuclear weapons and missile programs, and the rise of the Islamic State in the Middle East.

If there are further cuts, the Army — which will shrink from 490,000 to 450,000 active-duty soldiers — will be “incapable of meeting current deployment requirements and responding to overseas contingency requirements,” U.S. Army Pacific said in a statement.  [Stars & Stripes]

You can read more at the link.

It is one thing to be a toxic leader, but to be fat and demand others cover up for you being fat is even worse:

An Army colonel fired from her job in April tried to intimidate subordinates to bend the rules after a tape test found her to be overweight, according to an Army investigation.

The investigation also found that Col. Glenda Lock, commander of McDonald Army Health Center, fostered a “toxic” work environment. Her own command sergeant major described her as a “dictator,” according to the investigation obtained by Army Times through the Freedom of Information Act.

Though Lock did have some supporters, many of the dozens of witnesses in the report portrayed Lock as an authoritarian leader and sometimes-abusive “bully” who decimated morale, citing several specific examples including belittling of subordinates and retaliatory reassignments.

Army Times reached Lock by email, but she declined comment.

“I will again hold my comments for now. Thank you for the opportunity to provide my perspective on this action,” Lock’s email said.  [Army Times]

You can read more at the link, but I have seen some senior leaders that don’t pass the eyeball test in regards to weight and in this case a First Sergeant stuck to enforcing the standard despite the threats from Colonel Lock.

This is just another example of someone thinking the entire US is like the South:

Army officials are investigating a diversity training briefing at Fort Gordon, Ga., in which a slide about “white privilege” was inappropriately shown to soldiers, according to an Army spokeswoman.

The Equal Opportunity briefing took place Thursday for about 400 soldiers of the 67th Signal Battalion, Capt. Lindsay Roman, an Army spokeswoman, said Friday. The slide titled “The Luxury of Obliviousness” has bullet-point items about “white privilege.”

One item reads, “Race privilege gives whites little reason to pay a lot of attention to African Americans or to how white privilege affects them. ‘To be white in America means not having to think about it.’ ”  [USA Today]

You can read the rest at the link, but when I was growing up and since then living in various majority Hispanic communities I was very aware of being white.

I wonder how long it will be before someone cries racism/sexism or whatever other -isms there are out there to get this policy revised like we saw with the hair policy:

If you want to go out in public on Fort Leonard Wood you better ditch the tank top, pull up your saggy drawers and shave that scruff.

Maj. Gen. Leslie Smith, the Missouri post’s commanding general, issued new appearance standards in a Nov. 10 policy update.
The rules not only crack down on sloppy dress, but skimpy outfits as well: No short skirts, exposed midriffs and revealing undergarments.
The rules fall under the post’s Command Policy 18, which used to be called “Wear and Appearance of Uniforms.” Now it’s called “Wear and Appearance of Uniforms and Civilian Attire,” which really brings into focus the expansion of the policy to include not only soldiers in civilian clothes, but also spouses, kids, guests – anyone who comes on post. (Army Times)

You can read more at the link.

I get it that this guy is a criminal, but how stupid are these soldiers for giving him the money for safekeeping in the first place?

WACO, Texas — A Texas man who faked being a Fort Hood soldier has been sentenced to two years in federal prison in a bank scam targeting new Army enlistees.
Daniel Lee Rosales of Killeen was sentenced Wednesday in Waco. The 21-year-old Rosales in September pleaded guilty to making a false statement on a loan or credit application.

Investigators say Rosales in 2013 posed as a sergeant to befriend new enlistees and encourage them to apply for signature loans at banks to build up their credit. Rosales instructed the enlistees to provide false residential and marital information to obtain bigger loans.

Prosecutors say the real soldiers, after getting the funds, turned over most of the money to Rosales for what he called “safekeeping.”
Rosales must repay the victims more than $28,000. (Army Times)

It will be interesting to see how this turns out:

After almost seven hours of testimony Monday, the Article 32 hearing for a senior Army National Guard officer charged with knowingly exposing a woman to HIV by having unprotected sex will continue into Tuesday.

Col. Jeffrey Pounding, a Special Forces officer who is currently assigned as the deputy director of the National Guard Bureau’s strategic plans and policy directorate (J-5), faces one charge each of assault, adultery and conduct unbecoming an officer.
The woman who is accusing Pounding of exposing her to HIV said their relationship began when they were both at Texas A&M University, where he was an Army fellow. ( Army Times)

You can read more at the link, but if it is proven this Colonel knowingly gave her HIV I would hope that would lead to jail time.

Breaking promises like this was bound to happen with all the officers being kicked out of the Army:

About 40 officers selected for involuntary separation this spring will be ineligible to attend graduate school on the Army’s dime, as initially promised.

Early in their careers, these officers signed contracts agreeing to serve three additional years on active duty in exchange for the Army paying for their master’s degree. As part of the program, called the graduate school option, or GRADSO, soldiers are eligible to attend school while still on active duty and still receiving pay and benefits. After graduating, they are required to serve three days for every one day enrolled in school.
About 40 officers who signed the contracts now find themselves among 1,100 captains selected for involuntary separation as part of an ongoing Army drawdown to reach an end-strength of 490,000 by Sept. 30, 2015.
One of these captains, who asked that his name be withheld for fear it would hurt his civilian career, said he will have served 34 of the 36-month-service obligation that should have enabled him to cash in with an Army-paid-for degree. (Army Times)

You can read more at the link, but the argument can probably be made these officers did not keep their side of the bargain by not being high performers that would have prevented them from being cut. Bottom line is that expect more situations like this if the Army due to sequestration continues to make cuts.

I hope there is more to this story that we don’t know about because there is no way this guy should be punished the way he is for enforcing appropriate dining out conduct:

The Army is moving to discharge a decorated combat pilot who intervened to stop two lesbian officers from showing what he considered inappropriate affection on the dance floor during a full-dress formal ball at Fort Drum, New York, in 2012.

Lt. Col. Christopher Downey, who was once assigned to the White House and completed tours in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, ended up being convicted administratively of assaulting a soldier trying to videotape the kissing and grabbing. Col. Downey’s attorney, Richard Thompson, says his client merely pushed down the camera to prevent photos and video that could end up on social media.

Mr. Thompson said Col. Downey’s commanding officer also convicted him of violating the directive that ended the ban on gays openly serving in the military.

“It’s political correctness run wild,” Mr. Thompson said. “Military rules do not apply to lesbian officers because of political correctness.” (Washington Times)

You can read more at the link, but to me it is amazing how many careers I have seen ruined by dining outs.

Having spent a few years in 1st Brigade it is a bit sad to see it go:

SEOUL, South Korea — A decades-old 2nd Infantry Division unit stationed near the tense South-North Korea border will deactivate and be replaced by a U.S.-based rotational brigade combat team, according to the Pentagon.

The 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team will be deactivated in June 2015 and will be immediately replaced by approximately 4,600 soldiers from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, the Defense Department announced Thursday.

Troops are typically stationed in South Korea on one- or two-year tours, leading to frequent turnover within units. The deactivation and switch to nine-month rotational deployments is part of a U.S. Army rotational plan that calls for similarly sized and capable units from the United States to train and deploy together.

“There’s no loss in capability. Some would argue that the capability might even be slightly higher because it’s a trained unit that arrives there in Korea prepared to act,” Pentagon spokesman Col. Steve Warren told reporters. “We believe that any loss to continuity with familiarity to the terrain will be made up by a single cohesive unit that is familiar with working with each other.”
(Stars and Stripes)

You can read more at the link, but the problem you have with rotational units is that everyone is the new person all at the same time.