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.

READ MORE…

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.

READ MORE…

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.”

READ MORE…

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.

READ MORE…