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Category: Military Interest
Fort Bliss Widens Search for Missing Soldier as Case Details Change
Army officials at Fort Bliss, Texas, are asking the El Paso community for assistance in an expanded search for a soldier who has been missing since late July.
The Army initially listed Pvt. Richard Halliday of the 32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command as Absent Without Leave, or AWOL, when he reportedly fled from his unit on July 24.
But new evidence uncovered by U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command special agents “suggests that Pvt. Halliday may have left Fort Bliss earlier than previously reported,” according to a statement from Lt. Col. Allie Payne, spokeswoman for the 1st Armored Division and Fort Bliss.
“It remains uncertain of how or when Pvt. Halliday departed Fort Bliss,” she added.
Halliday was last seen on July 23 before 6 p.m.
Pentagon sending troops to Syria after clashes between U.S., Russian military
The troops are meant to discourage Russians from crossing into the eastern area where U.S., coalition, and Syrian Democratic Forces operate, say officials.
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon is deploying a small number of U.S. troops to Syria after a series of escalating encounters between the U.S. and Russian militaries, according to three U.S. defense officials.
The troops and vehicles will serve as a show of presence to discourage the Russian military from crossing into the eastern security area where U.S., coalition, and Syrian Democratic Forces operate, the officials said.
The additional troops will include six Bradley Fighting Vehicles and fewer than 100 soldiers operating in northeast Syria on a 90-day deployment.
A U.S. official said, “These actions and reinforcements are a clear signal to Russia to adhere to mutual de-confliction processes and for Russia and other parties to avoid unprofessional, unsafe and provocative actions in northeast Syria.”
While U.S. military and Russian forces have come in contact at checkpoints and along highway M4 in Syria throughout 2020, on Aug. 17 U.S. and Syrian Democratic Forces came under small arms fire after passing through a checkpoint near Tal al-Zahab, Syria. The U.S. and SDF had permission from the pro-Syrian regime forces manning the checkpoint, but then began to take fire from unidentified forces nearby. The U.S. and SDF returned fire and did not suffer any casualties. U.S. officials said the small arms fire likely came from Syrian and Russian forces.
Esper: Air Force, Space Force Leading Charge to New Technologies
New technologies are fundamentally changing the character of war and the two Air Force services are leading that charge, Defense Secretary Dr. Mark T. Esper said at the Air Force Association’s Virtual Air, Space & Cyber Conference today.
In this time of COVID-19, Esper addressed the group virtually.
The secretary stated that America’s air, space and cyber warriors “will be at the forefront of tomorrow’s high-end fight.”
That means confronting near-peer competitors China and Russia. That means shifting the focus from defeating violent extremist groups to deterring great power competitors. It means fighting a high-intensity battle that combines all domains of warfare, he said.
“In this era of great power competition, we cannot take for granted the United States’ long-held advantages,” Esper said.
The Army wants to build a brand new exoskeleton to help soldiers ruck faster and harder
The Army is formally moving ahead with the development and fielding of a powered exoskeleton to help soldiers move faster and carry more while reducing overall fatigue after years of experimentation and testing.
Officials with Army Futures Command are currently in the process of drafting formal requirements for an infantry exoskeleton ahead of a defense industry day sometime in November, said Ted Maciuba, deputy director of the robotic requirements division for Army Futures Command.
Breaking Defense first reported news of the fresh exoskeleton effort.
“For me, it started 50 years ago when I first read Starship Troopers and said, ‘hey wait, we need a powered suit,’” Maciuba told Task & Purpose in a phone interview. “Then, three years ago, [then-Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark] Milley called out exoskeletons as a modernization priority for soldier lethality, and he was really focused on reducing soldier load.”