Several changes to U.S. Forces ... belligerence and missile launches, how-
Transcription
Several changes to U.S. Forces ... belligerence and missile launches, how-
News Call Changes on the Way for U.S. Forces Korea belligerence and missile launches, however, South Korea is negotiating with the U.S. to postpone the transfer of wartime operational control scheduled for December 2015. Some reports say South Korea wants to delay the transfer by as many as eight years. Misconduct in Alaska Prompts Calls for Change The resignation of Alaska’s adjutant general over a scandal involving sexual assault and fraud allegations in the Alaska National Guard is the latest symbol of the Army’s move to get tough on investigating complaints. Maj. Gen. Thomas H. Katkus resigned at the request of Gov. Sean Parnell following a federal investigation demanded by Alaska’s two U.S. senators after they heard continued complaints. The National Guard Bureau’s Office of Complex Investigations determined there were more than 200 cases of discrimination and sexual harassment in the Alaska National Guard in 2013 and that problems could have gone on for several years. Alaska Public Media has reported that a National Guard chaplain tried in 2012 to get the state to investigate delays in sexual assault cases and other problems. The scathing report by the Office of Complex Investigations found misconduct, favoritism, inadequate investigation of allegations and fear of reprisal created a situation eroding trust in Guard leaders, especially from alleged victims who believe their mistreatment was not being taken seriously. The Guard Bureau report substantiated complaints against at least one officer, though action was never taken, and found 35 percent of those surveyed would not report discrimination for fear of reprisal. Parnell apologized, saying Alaska Guard members “deserve better,” and he defended himself from complaints by saying he had been reassured by Alaska Guard officials that nothing was awry. Sen. Mark Begich (D-AK) introduced legislation requiring annual reports to U.S. Army/Jonathan Koester Several changes to U.S. Forces Korea are designed to increase readiness, strengthen the alliance and deter provocations by the increasingly volatile North Korea. The first rotational deployment to Korea began last February with troops from the 12th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team (BCT), 1st Cavalry Division. Those soldiers are being replaced with about 800 soldiers from the 8th Cavalry Regiment who also are part of the 3rd BCT; they are to deploy in October for nine months. The new troops will use the equipment brought to the peninsula by their predecessors, including M1A2 Abrams tanks and Bradley Fighting Vehicles. They will be stationed near the North Korean border. South Korean defense officials announced that early next year, the U.S. and Korea will form a combined division with equal numbers of soldiers from each country. It will be commanded by an American, and a South Korean will serve as deputy. The brigade will first be located in Uijeongbu, north of Seoul, and will move south to Pyeongtaek with other American troops by the end of 2016. Meanwhile, the U.S. is pushing to retain its artillery brigade stationed north of Seoul at its current location, the South Korean Yonhap News Agency reported in September. The 210th Field Artillery Brigade of the 2nd Infantry Division is stationed near the Demilitarized Zone. The U.S. agreed in 2002 to relocate American forces south by 2016, but U.S. Forces Korea commander Gen. Curtis M. Scaparrotti has previously stated some troops may need to stay as a deterrent to North Korea. Other officials have said some troops may be needed there “temporarily.” South Korea is in an awkward position. The country has repeatedly insisted and promised its residents that no American forces will remain north of Seoul. Intimidated by North Korea’s Drill Sergeants of the Year Staff Sgt. Jonathan Miller, left, of the 787th Military Police Battalion, 14th Military Police Brigade, Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., won 2014 Drill Sergeant of the Year, and Staff Sgt. Christopher Croslin of the 95th Training Division, U.S. Army Reserve, Norman, Okla., won 2014 Army Reserve Drill Sergeant of the Year after a grueling five-day competition at Fort Jackson, S.C., in September. November 2014 ■ ARMY 9 Congress on the status of sexual assault investigations in every state. Called the National Guard Investigations Transparency and Improvement Act, this would give the Guard Bureau the ability to order its own investigations without being invited by a state and requires an annual report on the number of sexual assault investigations in each state and their status. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) has a slightly different approach. She wants the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress, to investigate how National Guard units handle sexual assault, harassment and discrimination complaints, and to consider whether the Uniform Code of Military Justice would be applied to the National Guard in every state. Some states, like Alaska, have depended on state law rather than federal law for offenses not related to federal duties. New Agreement Reached In Afghanistan Under new leadership in Afghanistan, a bilateral security agreement has been signed that allows nearly 10,000 COMMAND SERGEANTS MAJOR and SERGEANTS MAJOR CHANGES* *Command sergeants major and sergeants major positions assigned to general officer commands. Command Sgt. Maj. A.M. Bryant from JMC, RIA, Ill., to ASC, RIA. Sgt. Maj. L.D. Culbreath from HRC, Chief, Sgt. Maj. Branch, Fort Knox, Ky., to IMCOM, JB San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas. Command Sgt. Maj. A. Delgado from 82nd Sustainment Brigade, Fort Bragg, N.C., to Sergeant Major, AMC G-3/4, RA, Ala. Command Sgt. Maj. S.R. Dooley from 14th Military Police Brigade, Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., to IMCOM-Central, JB San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston. Command Sgt. Maj. K.A. McKeller from 598th Transportation Brigade, Sembach, Germany, to SDDC, Scott AFB, Ill. Sgt. Maj. R.J. Dore from G1 Sgt. Maj., III Corps, Fort Hood, Texas, to Adjutant General Sgt. Maj., HRC, Fort Knox. Command Sgt. Maj. W.R. Hambrick Jr. from Brigade Modernization Cmd., Fort Bliss, Texas, to USCENTCOM Joint Operations Sgt. Maj., USCENTCOM, MacDill AFB, Fla. Command Sgt. Maj. M.L. Hatfield from Fort Leonard Wood Garrison to IMCOM G9, Family, Morale, Welfare and Recreation Sgt. Maj., JB San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston. Command Sgt. Maj. T.D. Hockenberry from 31st Air Defense Artillery Bde., Fort Sill, Okla., to IMCOMPacific, Fort Shafter, Hawaii. Sgt. Maj. K.L. Jackson from Adjutant General Sgt. Maj., HRC, Fort Knox, to AMC G1, RA, Ala. Command Sgt. Maj. R.L. Malloy from USASMA, Fort Bliss, to Sgt. Maj., OASA (ALT), Pentagon, Arlington, Va. Command Sgt. Maj. L.A. Parks from 15th Sustainment Brigade, Fort Bliss, to ECC, RA. Command Sgt. Maj. J.P. Snyder from 3rd Combat Aviation Bde., Hunter Army Airfield, Ga., to RDECOM, APG, Md. Sgt. Maj. J.L. Tyson from HRC, Personnel Information Systems Directorate, Fort Knox, to USNORTHCOM J6, Peterson AFB, Colo. Command Sgt. Maj. G. Vela from 166th Aviation Bde., Fort Hood, to AMCOM, RA. Command Sgt. Maj. R.A Velarde from 44th Medical Bde., Fort Bragg, N.C., to NRMC, Fort Belvoir, Va. Command Sgt. Maj. R.D. Ward from Transatlantic Div., USACE, Winchester, Va., to MSCoE, Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. Photographs unavailable: Command Sgt. Maj. G.F. Nowak Jr. from 1st Armored Bde. Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Div., Camp Hovey, South Korea, to 101st Airborne Div. (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; Command Sgt. Maj. W. Thetford from JSOC, Fort Bragg, to USSOCOM, MacDill AFB, Tampa, Fla. ■ AFB—Air Force Base; AMC—U.S. Army Materiel Cmd.; AMCOM—U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Cmd.; APG—Aberdeen Proving Ground; ASC—U.S. Army Sustainment Cmd.; ECC—U.S. Army Expeditionary Contracting Cmd.; HRC—U.S. Army Human Resources Cmd.; IMCOM—U.S. Army Installation Management Cmd.; JB—Joint Base; JMC—Joint Munitions Cmd.; JSOC—Joint Special Ops. Cmd.; MEDCOM—U.S. Army Medical Cmd.; MSCoE—Maneuver Support Center of Excellence; NRMC—Northern Regional Medical Cmd.; OASA (ALT)—Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology); RA—Redstone Arsenal; RDECOM—U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Cmd.; RIA—Rock Island Arsenal; SDDC—U.S. Army Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Cmd.; USACE—U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; USASMA—U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy; USCENTCOM—U.S. Central Cmd.; USNORTHCOM—U.S. Northern Cmd.; USSOCOM—U.S. Special Operations Cmd. 10 ARMY ■ November 2014 Army Casualties in Afghanistan The following U.S. Army soldiers were reported killed supporting Operation Enduring Freedom between Aug. 1–Sept. 30, 2014. All names have been released through DoD; families have been notified. Spc. Brian K. Arsenault, 28 Maj. Michael J. Donahue, 41 Staff Sgt. Girard D. Gass Jr., 33 Maj. Gen. Harold J. Greene, 55 Sgt. 1st Class Samuel C. Hairston, 35 Sgt. 1st Class Matthew I. Leggett, 39 Sgt. Christopher W. Mulalley, 26 U.S. troops to stay in the country after combat operations end on Dec. 31. A new president, Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai, was finally named and inaugurated, and he agreed on a power-sharing agreement with his ex-rival, Abdullah Abdullah, who was named chief execu- tive (similar to prime minister). “We are tired of war,” Ahmadzai said after his September swearing in. “Our message is peace.” The agreement means Afghanistan can call on the U.S. and NATO if threatened, he said, but he also requested that foreigners resist interfering in Afghan internal affairs. The agreement, almost a year overdue, ensures that U.S. troops are exempt from prosecution in Afghanistan. Without it, all U.S. troops would leave the country at the end of this year just as they exited Iraq in 2010. Army Chief of Staff Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, who commanded those troops in Iraq, has said for months that U.S. soldiers need to stay in Afghanistan. “[T]heir institutions are not yet mature enough to sustain this over the long time,” he said early this year. The threat in Afghanistan “is that the Taliban would come back and try to take the government back.” The follow-on to Operation Enduring Freedom is called Resolute Support, a mission to continue to train and equip Afghan security forces as well as help provide general security. The agreement also allows the U.S. to retain some bases in Afghanistan. Officials expect about 9,800 U.S. troops will be in Afghanistan by the beginning of 2015, and half that number will remain by the end of that year. By 2017, only 1,000 U.S. troops, embassy personnel and security assistance personnel should be in-country. Afghanistan also signed a status of forces agreement with NATO that allows some international advisory troops to stay. Big Red One HQ Deploys to Iraq The Pentagon announced the October deployment to Iraq of about 500 soldiers from 1st Infantry Division headquarters in Fort Riley, Kan. Approximately 200 soldiers, the first major group of 475 personnel President Barack Obama announced he would send, deployed to Iraq. The rest went to another site in U.S. Central Command’s purview, which DoD declined to name. In Baghdad, 138 soldiers are staffing the joint operations center and direct- November 2014 ■ ARMY 11 ing U.S. troops who are advising and assisting Iraqi soldiers. Sixty-eight are in the Kurdish capital of Erbil, performing the same functions for U.S. troops advising Kurdish fighters known as the Peshmerga. Ten more soldiers are working out of the Ministry of Justice, also in Baghdad. According to 1st ID commanders, the soldiers will also conduct intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance flights. Maj. Gen. Paul E. Funk, 1st ID commanding general, will lead them. Funk will succeed Maj. Gen. Dana J.H. Pittard, deputy commanding general of operations for U.S. Army Central. Army Cyber Grows In Strength and Size The activation of a new brigade, the hiring and professional training of more troops, and talk of a new cyber branch testify to the growing capability and influence of Army Cyber Command. In September, the command activated a cyber protection brigade at Fort Gordon, Ga. The first unit of its kind, the brigade reflects the Army’s commitment to expanding its cyberspace capabilities. The 7th Signal Command activated the new brigade, which will consist of 20 cyber protection teams. Each will contain about 40 people, a mix of soldiers and civilians, and will conduct defensive operations for joint and Army operations. Soldiers will train for the new MOS—25D, or cyber network defender—which is open to staff sergeants through sergeants major. The Army is also strengthening the capabilities of its cyber force by doubling the number of soldiers in the cyber career field within the next couple of years. Specific training for cyber workers will be provided in a career management field known for now as Career Field 17. Those soldiers, some 5,000–6,000 of them, will be professional cyber-trained forces. The 17 series MOS will be only cyber and will blend military intelligence and signals intelligence skills. At first, many of the soldiers will come from those backgrounds. Command Sgt. Maj. Rodney D. Harris of Army Cyber Command com12 ARMY ■ November 2014 mented during the September activation that the Army has been discussing the establishment of another cyber branch, but he did not provide an exact date. Linked Exercises Underway in Pacific Under Pacific Pathways, a new strategy developed by U.S. Army Pacific at GENERAL OFFICER CHANGES* Maj. Gen. C.K.K. Chinn from Sr. Cmdr. for Fort Bragg, N.C., to Dep. CG, USASOC, Fort Bragg. Maj. Gen. S.G. Fogarty from CG, INSCOM, Fort Belvoir, Va., to CG, Cyber COE and Fort Gordon, Ga. Maj. Gen. J.O. Keenan from CG, SRMC; Market Mgr., SAMHS; and Chief, ANC, JB San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas, to Dep. CG (Ops.); Chief, ANC, MEDCOM, JB San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston. Maj. Gen. C.M. Nichols from Dep. CG for Operations and CoS, IMCOM, JB San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, to Dir., Business Ops., OBT, OUSA, Washington, D.C. Maj. Gen. L.V. Patterson from CG, Cyber COE and Fort Gordon, to Dep. CG for Ops./CoS, IMCOM, JB San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston. Maj. Gen. J.A. Smith from Dep. CoS, Ops., ISAF, Afghanistan, to Dep. CG, XVIII Airborne Corps, Fort Bragg. Maj. Gen. R.L. Stevens from Dep. CG for Military and International Ops., USACE, Washington, D.C., to Dep. Chief of Engineers and Dep. CG, USACE, Washington, D.C. Maj. Gen. J.F. Wharton from CG, ASC, Rock Island Arsenal, Ill., to CG, RDECOM, APG, Md. Brigadier Generals: D.D. Doyle from CG, PRMC; USARPAC Surgeon; Sr. Market Mgr., Hawaii eMSM; Chief, MSC, Honolulu, to Dep. CoS for Ops., MEDCOM; and Chief, MSC, Falls Church, Va.; R.L. Fontes from Student, DIA, Washington, D.C., to Defense Attaché-India, U.S. DAO, India; B.R. Holcomb from Cmd. Surgeon, FORSCOM, Fort Bragg, N.C., to CG, SRMC; Market Mgr., SAMHS, JB San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas; M.S. Inch from Cmdr., CJIATF 435, OEF, Afghanistan, to provost marshal general and CG, CID and ACC, Washington, D.C.; P.A. Ostrowski(P) from PEO, PEO-Soldier, Fort Belvoir, to Dep. for Acquisition and Systems Mgmt., OASA (ALT), Washington D.C.; P.D. Sargent from Dep. CoS for Ops., MEDCOM, Falls Church, to CG, PRMC; USARPAC Surgeon; Sr. Market Mgr., Hawaii eMSM, Honolulu; K.L. Sonntag from Dep. CG, USASOC, Fort Bragg, to Cmdr., SOCSOUTH, SOUTHCOM, Homestead Air Reserve Base, Fla.; K.F. Vollmecke from Dep. for Acquisition and Systems Mgmt., OASA (ALT), Washington, D.C., to Dep. CG, CSTC-A, OEF, Afghanistan. ■ ACC—Army Corrections Cmd.; ANC—U.S. Army Nurse Corps; APG—Aberdeen Proving Ground; ASC—U.S. Army Sustainment Cmd.; CG—Commanding General; CID—U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Cmd.; CJIATF—Combined Joint Interagency Task Force; COE—Center of Excellence; CoS— Chief of Staff; CSTC-A—Combined Security Transition Cmd.-Afghanistan; DAO—Defense Attaché Office; DIA—Defense Intelligence Agency; eMSM—Enhanced Multi-Service Market; FORSCOM— U.S. Army Forces Cmd.; IMCOM—U.S. Army Installation Management Cmd.; INSCOM—U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Cmd.; ISAF—International Security Assistance Force; JB—Joint Base; MEDCOM—U.S. Army Medical Cmd.; MSC—U.S. Army Medical Service Corps; OASA (ALT)—Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Acquisition, Logistics and Technology); OBT—Office of Business Transformation; OEF—Operation Enduring Freedom; Ops.—Operations; OUSA—Office of the Under Secretary of the Army; PEO—Program Executive Office(r); PRMC—Pacific Regional Medical Cmd.; RDECOM—U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Cmd.; SAMHS—San Antonio Military Health System; SOCSOUTH—Special Operations Cmd. South; SOUTHCOM—U.S. Southern Cmd.; SRMC—Southern Regional Medical Cmd.; USACE—U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; USARPAC—U.S. Army Pacific; USASOC—U.S. Army Special Operations Cmd. *Assignments to general officer slots announced by the General Officer Management Office, Department of the Army. Some officers are listed at the grade to which they are nominated, promotable or eligible to be frocked. The reporting dates for some officers may not yet be determined. Fort Shafter, Hawaii, soldiers will deploy for multiple linked exercises in Pacific nations and stay in the area longer. The new concept has several advantages over the former strategy of a unit training for a few weeks and then returning to base. It allows the U.S. to develop closer relationships with area nations, reinforcing the pivot to the Pacific, and it enhances Army readiness. It is also cost-effective in a time of shrinking budgets. In the first Pacific Pathways deploy- ment, more than 800 soldiers with the 2nd Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (ID), plus supporting soldiers, deployed for three months to participate in three different exercises. Several hundred, with nine Stryker vehicles and eight helicopters, participated in Garuda Shield in Malaysia in September. They were accompanied by soldiers from the 110th Chemical Battalion (Technical Escort), Joint Base LewisMcChord, Wash., part of the 48th Chemical Brigade and 20th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Ex- plosives Command. Several hundred other 2nd Stryker Brigade soldiers, with 11 Stryker vehicles and three helicopters, participated in the annual Keris Strike exercise in Malaysia, which also began in September. The 2nd ID soldiers will train together during exercise Orient Shield in Japan from late October into November. In the down time between exercises, the troops will take part in port operations and cultural-awareness training. —Stories by Toni Eugene SENIOR EXECUTIVE SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS B.A. Sisson, Tier 3, to Asst. Chief of the Army Reserve, Washington, D.C. P.D. Cramer, Tier 2, to DASA (Installations and Housing), OASA (IE&E), Pentagon, Arlington, Va. J.C. Dalton, Tier 2, to Chief, Engineering and Construction Community of Practice, USACE, Washington, D.C. G.R. DeFilippi, Tier 2, from DASA, Force Mgmt./Dir. CSLMO, to DASA Civilian Personnel/Dir. CSLMO. R.K. Diaz, Tier 2, from Dep. Dir. of Resources (J1/J8), AFRICOM, Stuttgart, Germany, to Dir., Civilian Human Resources Agency, ODCS, G-1, APG, Md. K.L. DurhamAguilera, Tier 2, from Chief, Homeland Security Office, USACE, to Dir., Contingency Ops., Chief Homeland Security Office, USACE, Washington, D.C. L.N. Jankovich, Tier 2, from Dep. CoS, G-8, HQ, USAREUR and Seventh Army, USAREUR, Wiesbaden, Germany, to DASA (Financial Ops.) OASA (FM&C), Washington, D.C. J.B. Lackey, Tier 2, from Dir. for Engineering, AMRDEC, to Dir., AMRDEC, both in RDECOM, RA, Ala. E.B. Miller, Tier 2, from Dir., HQ Air Force Information Mgmt., OAA to the Secretary of the Air Force, Washington, D.C., to Dir., Cybersecurity, Office of the CIO/G-6, Washington, D.C. D.A. Ormond, Tier 2, from Dir., RDECOM, APG, Md., to DASA (Plans and Resources), OASA (M&RA), Washington, D.C. A.J. Stamilio, Tier 2, from DASA (Civilian Personnel/Quality of Life) to DASA (Military Personnel/Quality of Life), Washington, D.C. S.G. West, Tier 2, to Asst. Dep. CoS, G-4, Fort Bragg, N.C. E.V. Hansen, Tier 2, to DASA (Mgmt. and Budget), OASA (Civil Works), Pentagon. Tier 2 photographs unavailable: G.R. Hust from Dir. of Policy for the Dep. Under Secretary of the Air Force for International Affairs, Arlington, to Dir., Defense Plans and Ops. Div., NATO, Brussels; R.W. Pontius from Principal Dir. for the DASD for C3 & Cyber and Dir., Command and Control, OUSD (AT&L), Arlington, to Dep. to the CG, ARCYBER, Fort Belvoir, Va. Tier 1: S.L. Hoehne from Principal Dep. CoPA/Dir., Soldiers Media Center, to Dir., F&MWR Directorate, G-9, JB San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas; T.A. Holden to Regional Business Dir. (Miss. Valley Div.), USACE, Vicksburg, Miss.; W.E. Jenkins to Dep. Auditor General Acquisition & Logistics, Fort Belvoir; J.E. Lechner to Superintendent, Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington; A.B. Raulerson to Dir., Logistics Information Mgmt., Washington, D.C.; D.A. Reago Jr. to Dir., Night Vision & Electronics Sensors Directorate, CERDEC, RDECOM, AMC, Fort Belvoir; V.F. Stewart III to Dir., Military Personnel and Facilities, OASA (FM&C), Washington, D.C. ■ AFRICOM—U.S. Africa Cmd.; AMC—U.S. Army Materiel Cmd.; AMRDEC—U.S. Army Missile Research, Development and Engineering Ctr.; APG— Aberdeen Proving Ground; ARCYBER—U.S. Army Cyber Cmd.; C3—Communications, Command and Control; CERDEC—U.S. Army CommunicationsElectronics Research, Development and Engineering Ctr.; CG—Commanding General; CIO—Chief Information Officer; CoPA—Chief of Public Affairs; CoS—Chief of Staff; CSLMO—Civilian Senior Leadership Mgmt. Office; DASA—Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army; DASD—Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense; FM&C—Financial Mgmt. and Comptroller; F&MWR—Family and Morale, Welfare, and Recreation; HQ—Headquarters; IE&E— Installations, Energy and Environment; JB—Joint Base; M&RA—Manpower & Reserve Affairs; NATO—North Atlantic Treaty Organization; OAA—Office of the Administrative Assistant; OASA—Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army; ODCS—Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff; OUSD (AT&L)—Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Acquisition, Technology and Logistics); RA—Redstone Arsenal; RDECOM—U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Cmd.; USACE—U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; USAREUR—U.S. Army Europe. November 2014 ■ ARMY 13