While women are not yet allowed to operate under any capacity as a soldier, the Army is taking steps to make service in the military less dependent on gender.
More than 100,000 jobs remain closed to women who wish to become soldiers or progress in their military careers, but the Department of Defense reported Feb. 2 that about 33,000 positions previously closed to women will be opened to willing applicants. The new policy will take effect in April and only exclude designations under Special Operations command.
A serious initiative
The military is still not entirely open to women serving in combat roles, but this policy change represents a step in the right direction, Col. Linda Sheimo believes. Sheimo serves as chief of the Command Programs and Policy Division at the Directorate of Military Personnel Management.
"When we complete congressional notification in April 2014, the Army will have opened approximately 55,000 positions to women, across all three components, since May 2012. " Sheimo told the DOD.
The program also takes a new look at military occupational specialties, or MOSs. Of the 400 MOSs across the Army today, only 14 do not allow women. These specifications, like the 13B Cannon Crewmember that requires the handling of ammunition and operating large artillery, remain restricted to men primarily due to reasons of physical suitability.
But as military officials continue a process or reevaluating all MOSs, Sheimo says it may not be that way for long.
"Ensuring we have clear standards for all soldiers will ensure the best soldiers are assigned to positions, something the Army is calling the 'Soldier of 2020,'" she told the DOD. "What we are trying to do is get the best Solders for the future. The Army's efforts across various spectrums will ensure all soldiers have the opportunity to serve successfully."
March toward progress
With so many options likely opening up for female soldiers in the future, it is no surprise that the percentage of women serving in the Armed Forces has continued to rise. According to data provided on the Army's website, only 9.8 percent of all soldiers in 1983 were women. Ten years later in 1993, that number had jumped to 12.5 percent. In 2012, women represented 15.7 percent of all soldiers.
The collection of women serving in senior positions has also continued to rise over the last few decades, as officer grades, executive civilian position, and DOD appointments are increasingly being filled by women.
It can be difficult for soldiers to determine just what options are available to them after their military careers are done, but the Department of Veterans Affairs has just made that process a lot easier.
Stars and Stripes reported that the VA released the GI Bill Comparison Tool Feb. 5 to make the process of comparing army benefits easier for retired soldiers. The aggregator compiles information from 17 different online sites and three government agencies to not only simplify the process for troops searching for real-world applications of the benefits they earned through military service.
"Before this tool launched, estimating how much beneficiaries may receive under the Post-9/11 GI Bill benefit was challenging," VA Deputy Understudy for the Office of Economic Opportunity Curtis Coy told Stars and Stripes. "The new comparison tool makes it easy to estimate Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits with just one click."
The tool covers more than just financial assistance, as the website also lists assistance for continuing education programs veterans may qualify for. The assistance includes support for tuition, housing and course textbooks.
The VA has given out more than $30 billion in payments to support veterans interested in going back to school, and this new tool will make that process even easier.
Sometimes called the world's first action figure, the perennially popular G.I. Joe line of toys and models celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Introduced back in the early months of 1964 by the now world-famous toy maker Hasbro, G.I. Joe has seen its popularity among children and collectors alike wax and wane as the military-themed action figures grew alongside the U.S.'s various military engagements. With 50 years of history under Joe's well-worn ammunition belt, though, it is safe to say that he will be around for many years to come.
Creating a hero
Don Levine was the head of Hasbro's research and development team throughout the 1960s, and, alongside then-CEO Merrill Hassenfeld, developed the iconic 11.5-inch action figure with 21 movable points, The Associated Press reported. This design allowed for a much wider variety of poses and positions which, considering the active soldier design choice, proved pivotal to its success in the open market.
"Joe stood for everything that was meant to be good: fighting evil, doing what's right for people," Hassenfeld's son, Alan, told the AP.
The military aspect of the figurines – now an indelible part of the G.I. Joe character – may have come about by accident. Created in 1963, Hasbro happened to employ many veterans of World War II and the Korean War, so the decision was made to clothe the models in miniature Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine uniforms with arms and equipment coming later.
Joe was on shelves in time for Christmas 1964. The 11.5 inch figures retailed for only $4.
The times, they are a-changing
The G.I. Joe brand grew well into the '60s, but the advent of U.S. military involvement in Vietnam hurt the public appeal of the toy line. In response, Hasbro executives shrank the figures, to 3.75-inches and diversified Joe's missions; instead of a soldier, he became an adventurer, an explorer and a deep sea diver. This rebranding also gave rise to G.I. Joe's famous "kung fu grip" feature and tagline.
Modern appeal
While Joe aficionados are split over the true value of the vintage 11.5-inch figure and the redesigned 3.75-version, there is no denying that the iconic toy continues to represent something special. G.I. Joe was inducted into the Toy Hall of Fame in 2004 and the fan community is so robust that an annual convention is held – G.I. Joe Con – where collectors can purchase rare figures, meet creators of the brand and dress up as their favorite Joe soldiers.
If Joe can persevere through multiple wars and a variety of strong and weak economies, it is safe to assume that he'll be celebrating a 100 year anniversary in due time.
The deployment of a spouse can be one of the most difficult life events a military family can endure. Aside from the emotional toll that sending a loved one off to a combat zone can take on a family, other practical concerns can cause just as much stress. The financial situation of a family that has just sent a soldier abroad can become less stable when one half of the management of the household is a world away. There are several resources and skills that military families can draw on to make sure that even when separated, the family can function as smoothly as before.
Communication is key
Even though it may seem impossible to stay in any kind of regular contact while your husband or wife is overseas, communicating about issues is the number one key to successfully making it through a deployment.
InCharge.org interviewed Dr. Earl Beale, director of the Family Support Center at Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota, about the most common issues that follow families during a deployment and, more importantly, how to deal with them.
"The number one issue deployed service members worry about is how they'll communicate during the deployment about finances, child care, family decisions, etc.," Beale said. "We have military family members who come in just to use the video phone to discuss a major purchase with their deployed spouse."
For families without the capabilities to communicate on their own, Beale encourages checking with your local military base. Some offer phone cards and computers for email that spouses can use to communicate during a deployment.
Setting and keeping budgetary goals
While communication can help with unseen problems that come up, most issues can be avoided if you and your spouse make sure to set and keep a clear financial plan before deployment. Military.com outlines a few key topics to discuss, such as where your family should be financially when your spouse returns, whether or not you should be paying down any debt during that time or how much to save up for a future purchase.
By discussing these things in addition to any monetary issues prior to your spouse's departure, it can make the entire process much smoother.
Ease into the reunion
InCharge.org spoke to Amy Manglesdorf, who managed her family by herself when her husband deployed. She was better prepared than most, with years of experience as an Army Family Team Builder, the stresses of handling her family finances alone were still difficult to handle. When her husband returned, she saw some problems come up that she never expected.
"Don't plan on any big expenditures that first month after he gets home," Manglesdorf said. It can feel like another honeymoon period, she explained, and the reunited couple may feel like they have to make up for the lost time they spent separated during the deployment with a long trip, multiple fancy dinners and a significant purchase.
Try not to abandon the sound financial plans you made with your spouse before and during the time he or she spent away.
For Manglesdorf, "That's when all the bills start pouring in."
Even though it is only the soldier that may see combat, military life is not easy for all involved. As a spouse leaves to serve his country on a foreign battlefield, preparing for your soldier's safe return can be just as difficult. Take advantage of the time you have together to plan for any expected and unexpected problems that may occur, and remember to reach out and take advantage of any available resources that your local military representative can provide.
The 22nd Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia commence Feb. 7, and while most American citizens will have their eyes glued to their television sets as they watch the opening ceremony, a contingent of Navy sailors on board two state-of-the-art warships have arrived just in time to watch the Games from a different vantage point. Military.com reported that the two warships, a command ship and a frigate, sailed into the Black Sea Feb. 5 to provide extra security assistance to Russian forces if necessary.
Security for seaside Sochi
When Sochi was chosen in 2007 as the site of the 2014 Winter Games by the International Olympic Committee, BostInno.com explains how Russian president Vladimir Putin touted the resort town on the edge of southern Eurasia's inland Black Sea as pefectly situated to captivate a large number of tourists and athletes alike. It's hard to imagine, however, that Putin expected two U.S. Navy warships to be among the visitors to Sochi.
The USS Mount Whitney and the USS Taylor completed their journey several days ago and have already commenced training exercises in the Black Sea. The Mount Whitney is a 620-foot command vessel with .50-caliber machine guns, helicopter-launching capabilities, and Close-In-Weapons-Systems, which Military.com reported are used as an proximity defense weapon. The Taylor is a 435-foot frigate suited for protection and escort missions, as well as anti-submarine objectives.
In addition to combat readiness, the ship can also supply an evacuation population of 3,000 people and generates 100,000 gallons of fresh water a day. Sailors on both ships have been trained for emergency preparedness for their deployment at the Olympics.
Always vigilant
With only hours remaining before the Sochi Games officially begin, concerns over the comprehensive security expected at international events of its caliber continue to mount. The Los Angeles Times reported that the Department of Homeland Security has issued a warning to all airlines flying to Sochi to be wary of explosive materials smuggled inside toothpaste tubes or cosmetic containers.
"If we should receive information in the coming days and weeks that changes our assessment of whether people should travel to Sochi, we will make that information public," National Security Council spokeswoman Laura Magnuson said in a press release.
This latest warning over security at the Olympics joins several other indications of instability in the Caucasus region in Russia. In January, a suicide bomber attacked a train station in the city of Volgograd, only 500 miles away from Sochi, and NBC News recently reported that even powering up a laptop or a mobile device and connecting to the Internet while at the Olympics could automatically infect your system with viruses.
Making the journey
While only one of the ships traveled all the way across the Atlantic on its way to Sochi – the USS Mount Whitney was already stationed in Italy – some family members and fans of U.S. Olympians will be making the lengthy trip despite the security concerns.
Mark Caldwell told the Washington Post that he intends to be one of those Americans in attendance. His daughter, two-time Olympian Ashley Caldwell, will compete in Freestyle Skiing Aerials.
"I've stood at the top of the Deer Valley aerials hill and looked down on the 60-foot jump into space without any landing in site," the elder Caldwell the Washington Post. "My daughter [confronts] that fear daily, repeatedly. Of course we are concerned about the terror prospects in Sochi, but the Olympics are a once-in-a-lifetime event. And for us, twice now."
If Caldwell was at ease over the security in Sochi before, the presence of U.S. Navy soldiers in the Black Sea is sure to put his mind even more at rest.
It was called the end of an era when the U.S. removed the last of its tanks from European soil where they had been a continuous presence since World War II, but after a new fleet of tanks landed at American bases in Germany, a new chapter in history has begun.
Military.com reported that 29 M1A2 SEPv2 Abrams tanks were delivered to the Grafenwöhr training facilities in Germany Jan. 31. Less than a year ago, the U.S. recalled 22 M1A1 Abrams tanks from the base, making this new fleet an upgrade of modernization. The new tanks will join the European Activity Set (EAS) under the authority of the Joint Multinational Training Command (JMTC).
"The EAS is a pre-positioned, battalion-plus-size equipment set with headquarters pieces and command-and-control elements," said Col. Thomas Matsel, an operations officer within the JMTC. ""We have the best light infantry training facilities, the best medium training area with the Strykers. The only thing missing was the heavy piece."
The M1A2 tanks complement a collection of Strykers, the Army's newest troop transport vehicle, and M2/M3 Bradley Fighting Vehicles, which can be optimized for transport or combat, according to GoArmy.com. The M1A2 tanks represent an impressive upgrade in military capabilities in their ability to protect troops from nuclear, biological or chemical attacks.
The U.S. military could soon be one step closer to making "Mission Impossible" a reality
The Pentagon and the Defense Advance Projects Agency announced in January that they have chosen technology firm IBM to produce processes that would render the mobile technologies used by soldiers in the field useless after the operational length of missions – or if they fell into the wrong hands, Military.com reported. Modern troops use mobile technologies in a wide variety of applications, such as GPS devices, smartphones and health monitoring devices. DARPA has titled the initiative the "Vanishing Programmable Resources" program.
"These electronics have become necessary for operations, but it is almost impossible to track and recover every device," DARPA officials said in a statement. "At the end of operations, these electronics are often found scattered across the battlefield and might be captured by the enemy and repurposed or studied to compromise DOD's strategic technological advantage."
The exact manner of how the electronics would be destroyed is still indeterminate, but DARPA's website lists a number of ways in which technology firms could go about it. Whether the device components are ecoresorbable (naturally decomposing into the environment) or implanted health devices that are bioresorbable (reintegration into the body) remains to be seen.
IBM was awarded $3.4 million for the VAPR contract.
While the families of soldiers may never see combat, they fight a battle of their own.
Previously available to soldiers, their spouses and civilians involved in military operations, the military's resilience training program is now available to teenage children of servicemembers, the Army reported. After requests for the service to be broadened to include teenagers, the Army has accepted the new participants into courses at bases in Kentucky, Texas and Hawaii, with a fourth base about to begin the new program as well.
"Resilience is something that can be taught and the sooner you learn it, the better you are throughout your life in managing adversity," said Julie Broad, a key civilian member of the new teen program.
The soldier-centric curriculum – the largest and longest running portion of the program – has stratified lessons for every soldier in the service. The training educates soldiers on how to best adapt to the stresses of combat situations as well as the general pressures of life in the military. The program is staggered so soldiers receive relevant training at certain stages of their careers.
"This is a way that the Army is really using the knowledge it has accrued to do good within the community and further strengthen the Army family," Broad said.
Before Andrew Pike turned 20 years old, his ability to enjoy his favorite pastimes of hunting and fishing were taken away after a wartime injury in Iraq. But with the help of a few Idaho volunteers, companies and a high-tech wheelchair, Pike can once again enjoy the outdoors with as much freedom as before.
A belated Christmas gift
KTVB Boise reported that Pike, now a 28-year-old Army veteran, was honored at the Idaho Statehouse Jan. 22. After a speech on his behalf by Governor C.L. Otter, Pike was presented with a specialized all-terrain wheelchair – complete with a gun rack – that will allow the paralyzed serviceman to hunt and fish again.
The motorized wheelchair has special treads that can move through the difficult terrain normally encountered on a day of trekking through the woods. Most importantly, though, is an automatic system that moves Pike from a seated to a standing position, making it much easier for him to spot game and aim steady. For ease of use, it also features hand-held controls and a flashlight.
Line of fire
Pike enlisted in the Army right after high school and was in Iraq as a Specialist with the 82nd Airborne Division on his first ever deployment. He was patrolling the northern city of Baiji when a sniper's bullet paralyzed him for life from the waist down.
It was during his recovery at Walter Reed Army Medical Center that Pike was introduced to the Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA), an organization that not only assures that soldiers receive their military benefits in a timely manner, but also supports medical research for spinal cord injuries.
Cooperative support
While Pike's path toward regaining his mobility began with the PVA, it took a few more organizations full of dedicated volunteers to help it along.
The wheelchair was created and donated by Higher Ground, an Idaho-based firm focused on adaptive recreation. Through therapy or mechanical assistance, Higher Ground seeks to "enhance quality of life through inclusive therapeutic recreation and education for people of all abilities," according to the company's website.
The funds for the wheelchair were raised in tandem by the PVA and The Independence Fund, a non-profit organization that supplements the normal aid and support available to wounded servicemembers through veterans benefits programs.
Sitting in his new wheelchair, Pike can't help but be hopeful.
"The only thing you can do is look to what's in the future, look to what you can do, and take those things and build on them, and if somebody says you can't, then find a way to do it," he told KTVB
For military retirees and those soon to leave active duty, the fight continues against budget cuts to the cost of living adjustments in veterans benefits packages.
Representatives from the Pentagon met again with congressmen Jan. 28 to resist cuts to veterans' pension plans. In addition to opposing the cuts outright, acting Deputy Secretary of Defense Christine Fox and Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Adm. James Winnefeld proposed a plan to exempt current retirees and soldiers soon to leave the service from the proposed cuts, Military Times reported. They also argued to the Senate Armed Services Committee that any proposed cuts should only come after an exploratory group within the military had a chance to review the numbers and any effects that may result from proposed cuts.
"Because of the complex nature of military retirement benefits, we recommend that the Congress not make any additional changes in this area until the commission provides its report," Fox said.
The current round of proposed cuts has its roots in a 2011 report by the Defense Business Board that argued the current system of veterans benefits for retired soldiers was too expensive and would eventually hamper the Pentagon's ability to fund military operations.
If not amended, the cuts will go into effect Dec. 1, 2015.