Latest news with #TheArmy
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Yahoo
Fort Benning upgrades range to accommodate new sniper rifle
The Army is upgrading a multipurpose sniper training range at Fort Benning, Georgia to handle new weapons that can shoot farther than the current range allows. The improvements are part of a series of modernization efforts scheduled over the next seven years, according to an Army release. As part of the modernization initiative, Burroughs Range was upgraded to extend a section of the range from 800 meters to 1,100 meters. A future upgrade includes some target areas being expanded to distances of up to 1,200 meters, offering improved training opportunities for soldiers using the range. 'The current sniper rifle system used by the Army has an effective range of about 1,000 meters,' said Shane Duncanson, Fort Benning range planner. Newest sniper rifle for soldiers, Marines takes on final hurdle before fielding The Army's newest sniper rifle, the Mk22, can strike targets as far as 1,500 to 1,800 meters, Duncanson said. The Mk22 is a multi-caliber, bolt-action rifle that replaces the M2010, M110 and M107 sniper rifles. 'The requirements for changes to the training ranges came from new weapons systems being introduced,' said John Nolt, acting director of Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization & Security at Fort Benning. Completed in 1976, Burroughs Range was initially designed as a heavy sniper training facility, with armored targets placed throughout the training area, according to the release. Additionally, a two-meter tall, 225-meter-long, 21-meter-deep berm, complete with a moving target rail system to its rear, is located on the west side of the range at 800 meters from the shooting positions. 'As the battlefield changes, our training ranges have to change, too,' said Jason Olive, Fort Benning range officer. 'As Burroughs Range transitions to the Army's newest Multipurpose Sniper Range, the requirement for a moving armored target was eliminated, which required the removal of the berm and tracks behind it, allowing additional line of sight and an area to incorporate the Army's newest trackless moving target technology.' The construction work at Burroughs Range involved leveling the berm, demolishing the obsolete rail system — which featured a 44-centimeter concrete base and a 20-centimeter rebar barrier extending along the entire 225-meter length — gradually leveling the land behind the berm, removing trees and clearing debris throughout the range. 'Burroughs Range was built back in a day when 1,000 meters was the farthest someone could shoot, and typically a solider would train at 600-800 meters,' Duncanson said. 'We're in the process of doing small incremental improvements so that we can use the new weapon systems and rounds at 1,200 meters.' Personnel from Fort Benning, as well as the Georgia Army National Guard's 177th Engineer Support Company, 878th Engineer Battalion out of Augusta, Georgia, and the Army Reserve's 718th Engineer Company, 926th Engineer Battalion out of Birmingham, Alabama all contributed to modifying the range. 'This type of training allows us to meet directly on the job site with our active duty and Reserve counterparts,' said Warrant Officer James Jarrett, a construction officer with 177th Engineer Support Company. The ongoing modernization of training ranges across Fort Benning is focused on improving soldiers' training, readiness and operational capabilities, according to the release.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Army releases new primer on organization, purpose for leaders
The Army has released a primer for leaders to better understand the Army, how it's organized and their purpose within the ranks. Field Manual 1, 'The Army: A Primer to Our Profession of Arms,' was released in mid-May and is available for download from the Army's website. The slim volume — 10 chapters in 74 pages — was written in plain language and avoids jargon to better communicate the Army's message. 'Focus is on junior leaders — lieutenants and sergeants — with the intent of explaining in clear language what the Army expects of them and what they can expect of the Army,' Rich Creed Jr., director of the Combined Arms Doctrine Directorate, recently told Army Times. 'It does so with historical vignettes pertaining to leadership during the types of operations junior leaders should be prepared to experience, and an uncomplicated explanation of what makes up the Army and how it is organized.' Beyond those ranks, the book is expected to be a touchstone for leaders as they progress through the ranks. As individuals rise into leadership positions, they can refer to the book to see how it reflects their responsibilities at every level. 'At higher levels of professional military education, you may have a block of time to discuss the material from different perspectives. Rather than learning the material in the book, you might think through, 'How am I taking the material in FM 1 and making it real in my unit?' Or 'How is FM 1 serving as the foundation for how I coach, counsel and mentor?'' Creed said. The primer is a companion piece to Army Doctrine Publication 1, 'The Army,' a denser description of the service written for more experienced individuals. The directorate is shipping print copies of the primer to Cadet Command, Basic Officer Leader Courses and Officer Candidate Schools for the graduating classes of 2025 and 2026, Creed said. But anyone can download an electronic copy from the Army Publication Directorate website. The 10 chapters are divided into three main sections. The first section discusses the importance of a warrior mindset and preparing all soldiers for battle. 'We are all part of a team and need to have certain basic skills and attitudes, regardless of where we happen to serve,' Creed said. 'We do so as a member of the profession of arms, which is different than the ancient idea of warriors fighting as individuals for themselves and personal glory.' The section ends with a discussion on leadership and understanding the responsibilities of being a leader and a good follower. The second section lays out what the Army is for, what the Army does and what it's composed of in terms of organizations and people. The final section discusses soldiers' obligations as members of the joint force and when they operate with allies and partners. It ends with what the Army owes its civilian leadership and fellow American citizens, Creed said.
American Military News
31-05-2025
- American Military News
Video: Fmr. Delta Force operator shares dangerous hostage rescue story
Larry Vickers, a U.S. Army veteran and a former Delta Force operator, shared an account on Thursday of the Delta Force's Operation Acid Gambit hostage rescue of Kurt Muse from a prison in Panama in December of 1989. During a Thursday interview with podcaster Shawn Ryan, Vickers explained that Muse's rescue as part of Operation Acid Gambit was a dangerous hostage rescue attempt due to a prison guard threatening to kill the hostage if the United States attempted to rescue him from Panama's La Comandancia prison. According to The Army's website, Muse was imprisoned in Panama for leading opposition against Manuel Noriega, the former dictator of Panama. 'There was a guard that had told Kurt if there was a rescue attempt, he was going to kill him,' Vickers said. 'Because Kurt, I think, asked him, 'Hey, if there's a rescue attempt for me, what are you going to do?' And he goes, 'I'll kill you.'' 'This guy was in the room right across from Kurt,' Vickers added. 'So the priority was to get down to Kurt as soon as possible to beat this guy. You know, before this guy gets a situational awareness, figures out what's going on, goes over to Kurt's cell, and kills him.' READ MORE: Video/Pic: Last living American hostage released by Hamas During Thursday's podcast interview, Vickers shared details about how he was almost killed by his team's own 'C6 charge,' how the Delta Force Team entered the building after snipers disabled the prison's power, and how the team encountered one of the prison guards before reaching Muse's location. 'He was in a room across, and the G team went in and killed him. Yep, he's armed with a pistol,' Vickers told Ryan. 'I think the guy, I think he was in a shower, if memory serves me correct. G team found him in the shower. I think the guy went for his pistol, already had a pistol in his hand. They killed him.' 'Yep, they got Muse out. They brought in a little, you know, kit, aviator kit bag, and had body armor and a helmet, you know, a body armor and a Kevlar helmet. Peeled him out. I remember seeing him go up the stairs,' Vickers added. 'Couple things. We get up. We tell him, 'Hey, you know, PC secure to get the extraction birds out.' The reason the book's called 'Six Minutes To Freedom' was because from when we touched down to when we called, you know, PC secure, called for EXO was six minutes.'
Time of India
22-05-2025
- Time of India
Encounter in J&K: Soldier killed, 3 terrorists trapped
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel The Army on Thursday said that one soldier was killed and another injured in an ongoing operation in Chatru area of Kishtwar in Jammu and White Knight Corps of the Indian Army informed that contact was established with the infiltrators in the forest area of Singhpora of Chatru on Thursday morning and the operation continued till late evening. The officials said two to three infiltrators were trapped in the cordon the armed forces had laid in the forest area between Shari and Mandral Dhok. "Additional troops have been inducted, and operations are ongoing to neutralise the terrorists," read the official statement of the White Knight a few hours of the operation, they said fierce gunfight was continuing. "One of our bravehearts sustained grievous injuries in the exchange of fire and has succumbed despite best medical efforts. Operation is in progress," they said. The officials informed that another army man was also injured in the initial exchange of April 12, three foreign infiltrators were killed in the same area and the army informed that an AK rifle, an M4 Rifle and other equipment were recovered from the spot. The officials claimed that a top Jaish-e-Muhammad commander was killed in that encounter."We had recovered seven backpacks from the encounter spot and three were killed on April 12. It seems that this group is part of that larger group whose backpacks we had recovered. We have been following the leads regarding this group since then," a senior army official said.
Boston Globe
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
Here's what to expect at the Army's 250th anniversary parade on Trump's birthday
It will include concerts, fireworks, NFL players, fitness competitions and displays all over the National Mall for daylong festivities. The Army expects as many as 200,000 people could attend and that putting on the celebration will cost an estimated $25 million to $45 million. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Here's what to expect during the all-day festival and 6 p.m. parade: Advertisement The tanks and armored vehicles The Army was putting 28 M1 Abrams main battle tanks onto rail cars at Fort Cavazos in Texas on Wednesday. The tanks weigh more than 60 tons apiece and will take about nine or 10 days to travel by rail to Maryland, where they will be loaded onto trucks to be driven into Washington, D.C. and offloaded at a staging area near the Lincoln Memorial. On the day of the parade, those tanks as well as 28 tracked Bradley Fighting Vehicles, 28 wheeled Stryker combat vehicles, four tracked M-109 Paladin self-propelled howitzers and other towed artillery will maneuver to the start of the parade route just off the National Mall. They will travel toward the White House, driving over thick metal plating to protect the streets at some parade points where the vehicles make a sharp turn. Advertisement The Army said it's also planning some additional asphalt work and putting new rubber padding on the tanks' metal tracks to try to minimize street damage. The influx of soldiers More than 6,700 soldiers will travel from bases around the country to participate in the parade and festival and spend June 11-15 housed in two nearby federal buildings, sleeping on cots and having packaged military meals ready-to-eat, or MREs, for breakfast and lunch. They will get a hot meal for dinner and a $69 per diem to buy additional food as they want, Army spokesman Steve Warren said. They will be forming units that represent each of the nation's major conflicts, starting with the Revolutionary War. For each conflict, 60 soldiers will wear period uniforms supplied by an event company representing that war and be followed by 400 soldiers from their same base in present-day uniforms. Not all of the soldiers participating will be in the parade — or even on the ground. For instance, Col. Anne McClain, an Army astronaut currently serving on the International Space Station, will participate. At the end of the parade, the Army's Golden Knights parachute team will jump over the White House, landing near Trump to present him with a folded flag, and 250 new recruits or reenlisting service members will be sworn in to the Army by Trump. The aircraft and helicopters buzzing overhead More than 50 helicopters and aircraft representing different wars will fly over the city — pairing up with the units on the ground as they pass the president. Advertisement For example, as units marching in World War II uniforms pass Trump, a P-51 Mustang fighter aircraft and a B-25 Mitchell bomber aircraft are expected to fly overhead. As units representing more recent conflicts pass, Army H-1 Huey, AH-1 Cobra, AH-64 Apache and CH-47 Chinook helicopters will appear in the sky. The helicopters are flying at a time when sharing D.C.'s airspace is still a sensitive issue after a January collision between an Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines regional jet killed 67. Warren said the Army has worked closely with the Federal Aviation Administration on routes, and the helicopters will take off from Andrews Air Force Base to fly toward the Capitol. It's likely D.C.'s airspace may be temporarily closed to airline traffic as the sky parade occurs, the Army said.
