New Acting Secretary of Defense Mark Esper's 1st Message to the Troops
Acting U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark T. Esper arrives at the Pentagon as Acting Defense Chief, Washington, D.C., June 24, 2019. (DoD/Lisa Ferdinando)
June 25, 2019--- Military.com | By Oriana Pawlyk
In his 1st hours on the job, new Acting Defense Secretary has published a message to the Defense Department highlighting his priorities and reaffirming a path forward. Despite turnover, he exhorted his people to stay focused on the mission. Esper, who assumed the position at 12:01 a.m. Monday, June 24, 2019 said the National Defense Strategy would continue to be "our guiding document," in "everything we do." The message outlines his 3 objectives to maintain the Pentagon's competitive edge.
"We will continue to expand the competitive space through 3 mutually reinforcing lines of effort," Esper said. Those are: build a more lethal force; strengthen alliances and attract new partners; and reform the department for greater performance and affordability.
Esper, who served 10 years as an Army infantry officer and later became Vice President of government relations at defense contractor Raytheon, has served as Army Secretary since late 2017. A Gulf War veteran, his awards include the Legion of Merit and Bronze Star. Esper said he also understands the sacrifices troops and their families make by choosing to serve. "This is why I am committed to taking care of families and ensuring they have the resources they need to thrive," he said in his message.
Esper, alongside Army Chief of Staff General Mark Milley and Sergeant Major of the Army Dan Dailey, announced that the service would begin stepping up inspections of base housing and hold town halls for soldiers and families living in more than 87,000 homes plagued by unlivable conditions. The 3 officials met the same month with the heads of 7 companies to discuss how to solve problems, including peeling paint and mold, faulty wiring, rodent and bug infestations and more.
Esper also toured housing at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to speak with families on March 1. "I'd said the problems are unconscionable. There's no reason our soldiers and their families should live in the conditions they've lived in," Esper said at a news conference that followed a town hall meeting at the base.
Last week, Trump announced his intent to nominate Esper for Secretary of Defense. The news came after Trump announced that Shanahan would not continue to pursue the nomination, following reports of an FBI investigation into 2 domestic incidents in 2010 and 2011. The Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998 prohibits a secretary nominee from serving in the role in an acting capacity. The position of acting Defense Secretary would default to Navy Secretary Richard Spencer until Esper is confirmed unless Trump chooses another individual to fill the role.
Esper's 1st assignment will be to represent the U.S. at the NATO Defense Ministerial in Brussels, Belgium beginning Tuesday. In his memo, Esper said he values accountability. He stressed a greater commitment, especially from leaders, to keeping the "character and integrity of the Armed Forces that the American people admire."
"Stay focused on your mission, remain steadfast in your pursuit of excellence and always do the right thing," he said. "Together we will remain the most ready and capable military force in the world, which is what our Nation expects and deserves."
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Seattle Will Be Home Port for New Class of Icebreakers
Members of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star participate in various activities on the ice about 13 miles from McMurdo Station, Antarctica, January 26, 2018. (U.S. Coast Guard photo/John Pelzel)
June 19, 2019--- Seattle Times | By Hal Bernton
Seattle will continue to be the home port for the Coast Guard's heavy icebreakers in the next decade as shipyards build a new class of "Polar Security" cutters. "The Pacific Northwest has been the home of our icebreaking fleet since 1976, and I am confident that the Seattle area will continue to carry out our critical operations in the polar regions," Admiral Karl Schultz, U.S. Coast Guard Commandant, wrote announcing the decision.
The first of the new class of vessels is projected to be delivered from the VT Halter Marine shipyard in Mississippi by 2024, and the contract award includes options to build two more. The overall costs for the 3 vessels would be about $2.95 billion, including shipyard contracts and other expenses, according to a Congressional Research Service report.
The Coast Guard statement said the new U.S. heavy icebreakers "will support the United States' ability to conduct national missions, respond to critical events, and project American presence in the high latitudes." The Coast Guard currently has 2 polar icebreakers in Seattle: The Polar Star, considered capable of breaking heavy ice, and the Healy, considered a medium polar icebreaker.
The Polar Star is well beyond its 30-year service life and has suffered from a series of serious breakdowns and other problems. "This is the only heavy icebreaker the United States has. We're the ones that have to do the mission." said Lieutenant Commander Karen Kutkiewicz, who steered the ship through the ice on a trip earlier this year to resupply Antarctica's McMurdo Station and was interviewed as the vessel returned to Seattle in March. "This is 43 years old. This takes a lot of TLC."
On February 10, 2019 in waters off McMurdo Station, a fire broke out on the Polar Star, which resulted in damage to an incinerator, several electrical systems and shipboard insulation. During that cruise, the 150 crew members also had to contend with a leaking shaft that drives a propeller and a 9-hour failure in the power system.
The Polar Star may be retired in 2022. So, at least through 2024, when the first of the new heavy icebreakers arrives, there would not be an increase in icebreakers based in Seattle. But that could change over time. The Coast Guard also has concluded that "based on operational and logistical needs," Seattle is the "appropriate" home port for the next two heavy icebreakers as they are completed, according to the statement released by Schultz.
The U.S. icebreaking capacity is dwarfed by that of the Russian government. The Russian government icebreaker fleet, as of 2017, totaled more than 25 vessels of varying capacities, according to the Congressional Research Service report. U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (Washington State) has pushed for years to secure funding for new icebreakers in a century when climate change is forecast to greatly increase vessel traffic in Arctic waters.
"This is great news," Cantwell said Monday in a statement about the port decision. "The Puget Sound region supports a cutting-edge maritime workforce, which is poised to meet the needs of these new world-class vessels. The Coast Guard also plans to build 3 medium icebreakers. It has not been determined where they would be homeported.
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Congress Takes 1st Step in Forcing Marines to Make Boot Camp Coed
Drill instructors with Kilo Company set the tone for their new recruits during "Forming Day” one at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, SC January 26, 2019. Kilo Company will spend "Forming Day” learning the rules and regulations of recruit training, regarding everything from how to act in the squad bay to how to speak to drill instructors. (Dana Beesley/Marine Corps)
June 13, 2019--- Military.com | By Gina Harkins
The Commandant of the Marine Corps will have 5 years to stop separating men and women at the service's oldest boot camp, if a new amendment added to the 2020 defense authorization bill survives to ratification. U.S. Representative Jackie Speier, a California Democrat and Chair of the House Armed Services Military Personnel subcommittee, proposed the amendment, which would prohibit gender-segregated training at the Marine Corps recruit depots.
"Training at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, South Carolina, may not be segregated based on gender," the measure states. "The Commandant of the Marine Corps shall carry out this subsection not later than 5 years after the date of the enactment of this Act." All female Marine recruits currently complete their entry-level training at Parris Island. No women attend the Marine Corps' West Coast training depot for new enlistees.
Speier wants that to change, too. The Commandant would have 8 years to make training fully coed. The measure was passed by the House Armed Services Committee by a vote of 31 to 26. Next it must be approved by the full House before moving onto the Senate, where it could face opposition from the Republican majority.
Almost every operational role and training course in the military is gender integrated, except for Marine Corps boot camp. "Fully integrating women is not only the right thing to do, it makes our military stronger," she said. "The women Marines serving in recently opened combat positions that I have met are immeasurably brave, tough, and inspiring. Each of them have had to prove themselves, repeatedly, to male peers and superiors."
That problem can be solved, she said, by having all recruits train together at the start of their Marine Corps careers, regardless of gender. "If platoons are transformational units, women should be in them," Speier added. "Having men and women work together from day one shows that they are all Marines."
Related content:
Marines' Boot Camp Units Could Officially Be Going Coed, Next Commandant Says
Marine Corps Commandant: Boot Camp Will Never Be Completely Coed
Marine Corps Ordered to Make Boot Camp Coed, Remove 'Man' from Titles
Teresa Ovalle, Marine Corps Combat Development Command, which oversees the service's recruit training battalion, said Speier's amendment was "new information." "We'll know more once this information has worked its way through appropriate channels," she said.
This is not the first time the Marine Corps has been told it needs to make its entry-level training fully gender integrated. In 2016, former Navy Secretary Ray Mabus gave the Marine Corps 2 weeks to submit a plan for coed boot camp. Ultimately, Mabus allowed the Marine Corps to find ways to further integrate training at boot camp. And it has, Commandant General Robert Neller told Military.com.
Male and female recruits spend 65% of boot camp training together, Neller said. That includes time at the rifle range, in the field and in the squad bay. "I think this idea that we're trying to disadvantage women is inaccurate," Neller said. "I think what we're trying to do is give all recruits every advantage to have the best opportunity to earn the title of Marine."
A Longstanding Debate
The Marine Corps has been pushed toward ending its long-held tradition of separating male and female recruits at entry-level training for years. That has been the case as leaders have grappled with ending mistreatment toward women, stamping out sexual assault, and opening all ground combat specialties to female Marines despite requests for exemptions.
In 2015, the Lieutenant Colonel Kate Germano, the officer overseeing the Marine Corps' female recruit battalion, was fired after she said she pushed for better training for women. Marine officials said she was relieved because she was a toxic leader. Germano's case, and later a book she cowrote with longtime military reporter Kelly Kennedy, offered a glimpse into what she said were uneven training standards at Parris Island.
This year, the Marine Corps' first-ever coed company graduated from Parris Island. The Marines trained with the typically all-male 3rd Recruit Training Battalion's India Company. The company included 5 male platoons and 1 female platoon. The recruits lived in different squad bays, but otherwise completed much of their training together.
And in some cases, Neller said they performed better than all-male companies. That's often the case for companies training at Parris Island, said Captain Bryan McDonnell, a spokesman for the recruit depot. But the differences typically aren't significant since drill instructors always follow the same training model, he said.
"India Company scored higher than the overall Recruit Training Regiment average in marksmanship," he said, "but lower in water survival training." McDonnell stressed that the evaluations can help officials adjust training when required, but they "are not, and should not be, used to assess the 'success' or 'failure' of a training company." "Within a company, and within each platoon, Depot training staff ensure that all Marines graduating recruit training meet the rigorous standards for a basically qualified Marine," he added.
Lieutenant General David Berger, who will soon replace Neller as the Marine Corps' Commandant, told lawmakers that having the men and women train together at Parris Island went great. "We have to look at this for perhaps next year, Berger said.
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'The Right Thing To Do:' Unclaimed Remains of 19 Veterans Laid to Rest
Jeff Thelusme visits a friend's grave on Veterans Day at South Florida National Cemetery. They served in Afghanistan together. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)
June 12, 2019--- Sun Sentinel | By Wayne K. Roustan
Some veterans are missing in action (MIA) while others are missing from inaction -- their cremated remains languishing unclaimed in urns, on shelves, in closets of funeral homes across the country. The Missing in America Project interred the remains of 19 veterans and 6 military spouses at the South Florida National Cemetery in Lake Worth.
One veteran's remains had gone unclaimed since 1973, said ceremony co-organizer Kathy Church. "Nobody should be sitting on a funeral home shelf, let alone a veteran or spouse of a veteran or a child," she said. "And there are many others left sitting."
The organization seeks out unclaimed remains and then works to gather documents to verify their military service so they and their spouses can be interred with full military honors. To date, 300 veterans have been found and given the military burials they deserve. Vietnam veteran Paul Markonni is a South Florida team leader for the Missing in America Project, and he's organized at least a dozen such ceremonies across the state.
"It's become very personally satisfying for me to do this," he said. "Like our motto says, 'It's the right thing to do.'" More than 100 civilian volunteers and active military personnel showed up in place of the families who did not. U.S. Army veteran Floyd Chin, 72, of West Palm Beach, fought in Vietnam, but this was the first time he attended a service like this.
"It's so nice that they honored these veterans even though they don't know who they are," he said. Those interred included 15 Army veterans, 2 Marines, 2 Navy veterans and 1 Air Force corporal; they fought in World War I, World War II, Korea and Vietnam. "Some of these folks have been in these boxes and bins or crypts and closets of funeral homes for decades," Markonni said. "It's not right."
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Fallujah Vet Will Be First Living Medal of Honor Recipient from Iraq War
Staff Sergeant David Bellavia. (Screenshot via DVIDs)
June 10, 2019 --- Military.com | By Hope Hodge Seck
A former Army Staff Sergeant who took on enemy fighters at close range, first with an M249 light machine gun and then with a knife, will be the 1st living veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom to receive the Medal of Honor.
David S. Bellavia, 43, of Batavia, New York, will have his Silver Star upgraded to the highest military award for valor in a June 25, 2019 ceremony at the White House. The White House is expected to announce the award next week.
Bellavia's Silver Star citation, for heroism on November 10, 2004, in Fallujah, Iraq, reads like the script of an action movie. An infantryman with Company A, Task Force 2-2, 1st Infantry Division, Bellavia was ordered with his platoon to clear a 12-building block in which "jihadists" were taking shelter in order to fire on American troops.
After clearing the first 9 buildings and finding only weapons caches, Bellavia and 4 other soldiers entered the 10th building and found themselves under fire from insurgents. As more soldiers rushed in to reinforce them, the close-quarters combat became hot and intense, and troops began to go down with injuries due to small-arms fire and debris.
"At this point, Sergeant Bellavia, armed with an M249 SAW gun, entered the room where the insurgents were located and sprayed the room with gunfire, forcing the Jihadists to take cover and allowing the squad to move out into the street."
In the street, the soldiers came under fire from enemy fighters shooting from the building's roof. As they took cover in an adjacent building, Bellavia went back into the street to call in a Bradley fighting vehicle to shell the structures. He then went back into the 1st building to see whether any insurgents remained alive.
He would find himself one man pitted against a house full of armed enemy fighters. "I wanted that revenge. I wanted to be that leader that I promised I would be," Bellavia later said about the fight, according to a 2016 Army release. "A light switch went off."
He first encountered an insurgent with a rocket-propelled grenade launcher and gunned him down. "A second Jihadist began firing as the soldier ran toward the kitchen, and Bellavia fired back, wounding him in the shoulder,." A third Jihadist began yelling from the 2nd floor. Sergeant Bellavia then entered the uncleared master bedroom and emptied gunfire into all the corners, at which point the wounded insurgent entered the room, yelling and firing his weapon. Sergeant Bellavia fired back, killing the man."
Bellavia continued fighting, killing the insurgent upstairs. Then, another insurgent jumped out of the wardrobe in the bedroom where he was hiding and began "firing wildly around the room and knocking over the wardrobe."
The insurgent was shot and wounded by Bellavia but got away. As Bellavia tried to pursue him into the 2nd floor of the building, the soldier slipped on stairs slick with blood. Regaining his footing and climbing the stairs, he threw a fragmentary grenade into the upper room, flushing the insurgent onto the roof.
"Hearing 2 other insurgents screaming from the 3rd story of the building, Sergeant Bellavia put a choke hold on the wounded insurgent to keep him from giving away their position," the citation reads. "The wounded Jihadist then bit Sergeant Bellavia on the arm and smacked him in the face with the butt of his AK-47. In the wild scuffle that followed, Sergeant Bellavia took out his knife and slit the Jihadist's throat." He would continue to fight and fell insurgents until he was joined by 5 other members of the platoon.
Bellavia left the Army in 2005 after 6 years of service and would go on to co-found the political advocacy organization "Vets for Freedom”. He documented his military experiences in "House to House: An Epic Memoir of War," co-written with John R. Bruning and published in 2007.
The long-awaited and historic Medal of Honor comes as the Pentagon concludes a wide-ranging review of valor awards from the conflicts following Sept. 11, 2001. Bellavia's Medal of Honor upgrade will be the 3rd for the Army and the 5th overall as a result of the review.
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West Point to graduate 34 African-American women, the most ever from the same class
West Point will graduate 34 African-American
women this year, the highest number, from one class, in West Point's 217-year-old history. (Hallie Pound)
May 19, 2019 by Theresa Braine --- New York Daily News |
A record 34 African-American women are set to graduate from West Point next week. This will be the largest number of African-American women, from the same class, to graduate together, in West Point’s 217-year history.
They are part of a cadet cadre that is increasing annually, school spokesman Frank Demaro told CNN. Last year there were 27 African-American female cadets, he said, "and the expectation is next year’s class will be even larger than this year’s class.
It was only last year (2018) that Lieutenant General Darryl A. Williams was appointed as the first African-American officer ever in command of the United States Military Academy (aka West Point). And just a year earlier (2017), Simone Askew became the first African-American woman to lead West Point’s Corps of Cadets.
"My hope when young Black girls see these photos is that they understand that regardless of what life presents you, you have the ability and fortitude to be a force to be reckoned with,” cadet Tiffany Welch-Baker told Because of Them We Can, a website that focuses on issues and achievements central to African-Americans.
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