CONTACT:
FEEDBACK@WEST-POINT.ORG
Provide us the link, and we’ll quickly review the situation!
In The News
Army Captain Arrested, Charged with Murder in the Death of Fellow Fort Bliss Officer
AUSTIN, Texas — An Army captain has been arrested and charged with murder in the death of another captain at Fort Bliss with whom she had a romantic relationship, local police said.
Capt. Clevy Muchette Nelson-Royster, 27, is the second person charged with murder in the death of Capt. Malcom X. Perry, 27, according to the El Paso Police Department.
Perry died about 5:50 a.m. Oct. 11 after the Audi A4 sedan that he was driving was rammed intentionally by a Jeep Wrangler until it flipped and burst into flames on a road in east El Paso. Minutes before the crash, Perry called 911 and told the dispatcher, “I am going to die,” according to a report from the El Paso Times.
The driver of the Jeep, Richard Mustapha Sennessie, 23, was arrested Wednesday morning and also was charged with murder. Nelson-Royster was a passenger in the Jeep, police said.
Nelson-Royster’s bond is set at $500,000 and Sennessie’s is set at $1 million. Both were listed Monday as inmates at the El Paso County Detention Facility, according to online records.
Esper hints that the 2nd Cavalry Regiment could be heading closer to Russia
The Defense Department has been in talks with a handful of Eastern European countries about deploying thousands of soldiers closer to the Russian border, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Tuesday in his prepared remarks in an appearance at the Atlantic Council.
In July, Esper announced that the 2nd Cavalry Regiment would be transferred from its home at U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria, Germany, to a stateside post to be determined, as part of withdrawal of nearly 12,000 troops from that country. He had also proposed deploying its infantry and armor troops back to Europe on a rotational basis, and his remarks Tuesday revealed some groundwork already being laid.
“Indeed, since … the signing of the defense cooperation agreement with Poland, my recent meetings with defense ministers from Romania and Bulgaria, and correspondence received from Baltic states, there is now the real opportunity of keeping the 2nd Cavalry Regiment forward in some of these countries on an enduring basis,” Esper said.
A Pentagon spokesman clarified that Esper was referring to an purely rotational presence.
“… the nearly 4,500 members of the 2nd Cavalry Regiment will return to the United States as other Stryker units begin continuous rotations farther east in the Black Sea region, giving us a more enduring presence to enhance deterrence and reassure allies along NATO’s southeastern flank,” Esper said during the July 29 roll-out of his Europe posture plan.
Secretary of Defense Esper visits West Point
The Secretary of Defense Honorable Mark Esper, U.S. Military Academy Class of 1986, visited USMA to discuss current affairs with Russia, China and U.S.-allied partners, among other things, with the Class of 2021 Cadets at Eisenhower Hall Theatre Oct. 9-10. Establishing a rapport with the cadets, Esper stood before the podium and said, “I have a 44-page speech right here to give you guys.” The Class of 2021 applauded with enthusiasm, ready to be engrossed in Esper’s message.
“You should’ve been booing me when I said that not clapping,” Esper responded as laughter filled the auditorium. “I’m going to set the speech aside.”
The cadets cheered as Esper walked away from the podium toward the edge of the stage to engage them in an impromptu discussion on what’s happening in the Department of Defense.
“Let’s make it a conversation if you will, more than me speaking to you,” Esper said. “I do too much (of delivering speeches) too often, and it’s good to come and talk to you all because you are the future of the United States Army. I know you heard that many times. However, I want to impress upon you how important this moment in time is and how critical it is to the future of the United States Army and, of course, the United States Military.”
Army Wants to Spend Nearly $10 Billion to Revamp its Barracks
The U.S. Army plans to spend nearly $10 billion repairing its barracks over the next decade to improve soldiers’ standard of living, according to its top enlisted leader.
Sergeant Major of the Army Michael Grinston announced the initiative during the Association of the United States Army’s 2020 meeting. The move comes as the service continues reforms to privatized base housing, which were spurred by reports last year about neglected facilities and hazardous living conditions affecting military families.
If barracks are in disarray, falling apart or pose a health hazard, Grinston said, he wants troops to speak up.
“If I was at home and the washer and dryer didn’t work in my house, there would be no way to do my laundry; I would demand that someone [fix it],” he said Tuesday during a virtual town hall.
Army: No requests made for use of troops around election
Army leaders said Tuesday that they have not received any requests to use active-duty or National Guard troops for possible civil unrest surrounding the presidential election next month, but are ready to do so if called on.
Gen. James McConville, chief of the Army, said he’s received no guidance to conduct any specific training to prepare soldiers for potential deployments if election protests become violent. Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy said no government agencies have asked for military troops.
“We don’t police American streets,” McCarthy said, but he added that soldiers will help law enforcement protect federal property.
Their comments come amid worries that frustration with election results, vote-counting delays and other issues could trigger protests and prompt military involvement.
Rep. Elissa Slotkin, a Michigan Democrat and former senior Pentagon official, said in separate remarks to reporters that questions still remain about the potential for street violence on or after Election Day and the possibility that President Donald Trump could order some sort of military intervention.
Army Probe into Helicopters Buzzing DC Protesters Now Under Pentagon Review
The Secretary of the Army today said that the Defense Department is now reviewing the investigation into military helicopters that allegedly flew dangerously low over crowds during a June 1 race protest in Washington D.C.
The Army opened an investigation into reports — including video footage — of Army UH-60 Black Hawk and UH-72 Lakota helicopters with medical markings that flew low enough to kick up debris on demonstrators who were defying the District’s 7 p.m. curfew.
“The Army has completed its portion of the … investigation,” Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy told reporters during a Monday roundtable at the Association of the United States Army’s annual meeting.
Can the military prosecute decades-old rape cases? The Supreme Court will soon decide.
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments on cases today that could open the door for prosecuting decades-old rape allegations that have been previously prohibited due to a five-year time limit placed on prosecuting rapes that may have occurred between 1986 to 2006.
The new court case would not affect current rape cases, but it could impact some older cases that were previously deemed too old for prosecuting, said retired Marine Corps officer and career military attorney Colby Vokey.
“There are probably not very many cases in the system where this applies,” Vokey said in an interview. “But there’s always the potential for someone to make a rape allegation now, from 20 years ago, and all of the sudden for this to be relevant.”
The specific case pending before the U.S. Supreme Court, the United States v. Briggs, is consolidated, or combined with other similar rape cases. The main case involves Air Force Lt. Col. Michael Briggs. Those other cases involve two other Air Force personnel accused of rape — Lt. Col. Humphrey Daniels, who raped a woman in 1998 and Master Sgt. Richard Collins, who raped an airman in 2000.
McMillan: Army seniors race towards finish line in unusual 2020
WEST POINT – With every passing day, the Corps of Cadets at West Point draw closer to graduation, the end of a 47-month journey that will literally transform their lives forever.
You don’t necessarily need a calendar to track the progression, but there are milestone occasions that mark the time.
It starts with R-Day, or Reception Day, when the plebes, or incoming freshmen, arriving at West Point. A-Day, or Acceptance Day, comes at the end of basic training, and Plebe Parent Weekend is the first opportunity for the newest cadets to take a deep breath and reacquaint themselves with family.
The Yearlings, or sophomore class, have a Winter Weekend dedicated to them. The 500th Night banquet marks exactly that, the number of days remaining until graduation for the Cows, or junior class members.
Operation Warp Speed Makes Swift Progress
Unprecedented progress has been made recently on Operation Warp Speed — the effort by the Defense Department, Health and Human Services, other federal agencies and private industry to develop a coronavirus vaccine, an HHS official said today.
In a telephone briefing with reporters, HHS policy deputy chief of staff Paul Mango said, “We’re very, very pleased with where we are.” He was joined on the media conference call by Dr. Janet Woodcock, M.D., the director of the centers for drug evaluation research at the Food and Drug Administration, and Dr. Jay Butler, the deputy director for infectious diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Mango reminded reporters that four of the six vaccine candidates are in phase III clinical trials, and added that the Food and Drug Administration continues to review vaccine safety information on the candidates.
With ‘shark attacks’ a thing of the past, soldiers recall these classic drill sergeant one-liners
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/mco/2KIGZHRANFGP5JLQ7QS7HI5HDA.jpg)
Shark attacks might be a thing of the past, but that doesn’t mean they’ll be forgotten.
The decades-old practice of screaming at trainees as they disembarked the bus on Day 1 of infantry training, a tactic used to establish “psychological dominance,” has indeed been replaced by a new strategy intended to emphasize teamwork and trust, Army Times previously reported.
But before officially bidding farewell to the crowning event for infantry training, soldiers took to Twitter to share some of the best one-liners used by past drill sergeants.
Command Sgt. Maj. Rocky Carr, of Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command, put out a tweet asking soldiers to share some of their favorite (PG) drill sergeant sayings. The responses did not disappoint.
“You better run like you stole something!” wrote Maj. Gen. Tammy Smith.
A tried and true cliché, other drill sergeants offered more nonsensical words of wisdom.
“Keep your mouth shut when you’re talking to me,” replied @StevenBeynon.
Ukraine Is Investigating The Killing Of Micala C. Siler USMA2001, A US Embassy Employee In Kyiv
Ukrainian police are investigating the killing of an American woman who was employed at the US Embassy in Kyiv, a police spokesperson told BuzzFeed News Wednesday.
The woman, who had suffered a large head injury, was found by a passerby on a street near Kyiv’s Nyvky Park outside the city center, Artem Shevchenko, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s Interior Ministry, said. The US Embassy sits on the eastern edge of the park and is only a half-mile away from where the woman was found.
Shevchenko said police were working to track down at least one male suspect they believe to be responsible for what he called a “deliberate murder.”
Shevchenko said the woman, who has not yet been officially identified, was wearing jogging clothes and earbuds when she was found.
Micala C. Siler – USMA2001 – Eulogy page
Pentagon’s top military leaders quarantining after Coast Guard admiral tests positive for COVID-19
Almost all the members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff are quarantining at home after the vice commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard tested positive for COVID-19, according to two U.S. officials.
The decision that the nation’s senior military leaders should quarantine was made after they were advised late Monday night that Adm. Charles Ray, with whom they had met with at a Pentagon meeting last Friday, had tested positive for the virus, said a U.S. official.
All of the people who attended the Pentagon meeting last Friday with Ray have tested negative for the virus and have not shown any symptoms, according to a senior Defense official.
The senior officers quarantining at home as a precautionary move include Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. John Hyten, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the other senior generals and admiral in charge of the Army, Navy, Air Force, National Guard and the Space Force.
