Category: MIL-OSI

Source: United States Army

BRUNSSUM, the Netherlands – Victory is earned through preparation, resilience and the determination to keep pushing through the toughest conditions. Spc. Ethan Rieck, U.S. Army Garrison (USAG) Benelux in Brunssum military policeman, was ready for victory before he competed and won the Army Materiel Command (AMC) Soldier of the Year.

Stepping into the competition, Rieck knew the challenge ahead would be unlike any he had faced before. He focused his preparation on physical training and sharpening his knowledge in anticipation of the boards and evaluations, knowing the mental preparation was just as important as the physical.

Rieck competed against highly capable Soldiers and to succeed, he knew he would need both physical and mental toughness.

“I was nervous,” Rieck admitted. “There were some really solid competitors out there. It was definitely the stiffest competition I’ve faced so far.”

Despite the pressure, Reick found confidence in the events that tested the skills he knows best. Expert Soldier Badge (ESP) lanes, Warrior Tasks and Battle Drills were where he felt most at home, allowing him to showcase the proficiency and experience he had worked hard to develop.

The biggest challenge wasn’t the tasks themselves; it was the weather. Relentless heat pushed competitors to their limits throughout the event.

“The heat was miserable,” Rieck said. “It was so hot. That was definitely the worst part.”

Rieck had one memorable moment that has stuck with him during an overnight field event. After several changes to the packing list, competitors arrived at the site only to realize no sleep gear had been authorized. Armed with little more than a poncho, he spent the night in the woods making the best of the situation; a reminder that adaptability is often just as important as preparation.

When the competition concluded, he felt confident he had done enough to secure a spot on the team. The top four specialists would advance and he believed he earned that opportunity. However, he expected to finish second behind another strong competitor.

The results told a different story.

“When I found out I came in first, it was awesome,” Rieck said. “At IMCOM-E, I placed second and lost by a very small number of points. This felt like getting my get-back.”

The victory was more than a first-place finish. It was a validation of months of preparation, perseverance through difficult conditions and growth from previous setbacks. Now, with momentum on his side, he is focused on the next challenge and eager to represent his team at the next level.

Source: United States Army

TAHITI, French Polynesia — Soldiers assigned to the 1st Theater Information Advantage
Detachment — U.S. Army Pacific’s newest information advantage organization and the first unit of its kind in the theater — participated in the Marara Cyber Challenge for the first time during Exercise Marara 26. Working alongside military, government and civilian cyber professionals from across the Indo-Pacific, the 1st TIAD helped strengthen cyber readiness and build multinational partnerships.

Marara 26, a multinational exercise led by the French Armed Forces in French Polynesia, brings together partner nations from across the Pacific to improve interoperability, enhance collective readiness, and strengthen regional security cooperation. This year’s exercise expanded into the cyber domain with the addition of the Marara Cyber Challenge, providing participants an opportunity to tackle realistic cyber threats while sharing expertise with international partners.

The challenge brought together participants from the United States, France, the Pacific Response Group — a regional multinational emergency response organization — and other partner organizations to solve cyber defense problems in a collaborative environment designed to test technical skills, communication and teamwork.

“The Marara Cyber Challenge is a capture-the-flag event,” said U.S. Army Capt. Noah Demoes, a cyber capabilities developer assigned to the 1st TIAD. “We work together as a joint team to integrate our tactics, techniques, and procedures to identify vulnerabilities.”

While the challenge focused on cybersecurity, participants said its greatest value was the opportunity to learn from international partners and gain exposure to different approaches to cyber operations.

“It helps us understand different points of view and ways of completing the task at hand,” said U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Lawrence Cook, a cyber operations specialist assigned to the 1st TIAD.

Throughout the event, multinational teams worked together to defend networks, solve technical challenges, and share expertise. Participants exchanged knowledge and gained a better understanding of how partner nations approach cyber defense.

“Their level of knowledge on cyber operations,” said U.S. Army Capt. Jermell Chester, an
electromagnetic warfare officer assigned to the 1st TIAD. “They have an immense amount of knowledge, and they’ve been able to shed light on things for us as well.”

French Army Sgt. Erwan, assigned to the Army Forces in French Polynesia, said the cyber component reflects the growing importance of cybersecurity across the region.

“Cyber has become more and more important,” Erwan said. “Seeing how nations work on a capture-the-flag challenge can improve each other’s knowledge.”

Participants also worked through language barriers and differing approaches to cyber operations, challenges they said ultimately strengthened communication and teamwork.

“We learn how other people work, and sometimes we discover new ways of seeing things,” Erwan said.

As teams progressed through the challenge, collaboration consistently proved to be the key to success.

“The more that we collaborated, the more efficient we were at achieving the end state,” Demoes said. “We each bring a unique background, and usually that background helps at one piece of the puzzle.”

Beyond technical training, participants built professional relationships that they said will continue after the exercise concludes.

“We know these people now,” Cook said. “We have their contacts, and we can always schedule different times to train. Being that it’s cyber, we don’t have to come here to do it. We can do it online.”

Those relationships support one of the primary objectives of multinational exercises throughout the Indo-Pacific: building trust and strengthening partnerships before real-world challenges emerge.

“I think participation in this exercise is something that I would advocate for moving forward,” Demoes said. “Not just for the experience and gaining more technical experience but building that rapport and trust among different nations.”

As cyber threats continue to evolve, the Marara Cyber Challenge demonstrated that effective cyber defense depends not only on technical expertise, but also on strong partnerships. Through collaboration and shared learning, Soldiers from the 1st TIAD and their multinational partners strengthened both their cyber readiness and their ability to operate together across the Indo-Pacific.

Source: United States Army

TAHITI, French Polynesia — Soldiers assigned to the 1st Theater Information Advantage
Detachment (TIAD), U.S. Army Pacific’s newest information advantage organization and the first unit of its kind in the theater, participated in the Marara Cyber Challenge for the first time during Exercise Marara 26, working alongside military, government, and civilian cyber professionals from across the Indo-Pacific to strengthen cyber readiness and build multinational partnerships.

Marara 26, a multinational exercise led by the French Armed Forces in French Polynesia, brings together partner nations from across the Pacific to improve interoperability, enhance collective readiness, and strengthen regional security cooperation. This year’s exercise expanded into the cyber domain with the addition of the Marara Cyber Challenge, providing participants an opportunity to tackle realistic cyber threats while sharing expertise with international partners.

The challenge brought together participants from the United States, France, the Pacific Response Group (PRG), a regional multinational emergency response organization, and other partner organizations to solve cyber defense problems in a collaborative environment designed to test technical skills, communication, and teamwork.

“The Marara Cyber Challenge is a capture-the-flag event,” said U.S. Army Capt. Noah Demoes, a cyber capabilities developer assigned to the 1st TIAD. “We work together as a joint team to integrate our tactics, techniques, and procedures to identify vulnerabilities.”

While the challenge focused on cybersecurity, participants said its greatest value was the opportunity to learn from international partners and gain exposure to different approaches to cyber operations.

“It helps us understand different points of view and ways of completing the task at hand,” said U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Lawrence Cook, a cyber operations specialist assigned to the 1st TIAD.

Throughout the event, multinational teams worked together to defend networks, solve technical challenges, and share expertise. Participants exchanged knowledge and gained a better understanding of how partner nations approach cyber defense.

“Their level of knowledge on cyber operations,” said U.S. Army Capt. Jermell Chester, an
electromagnetic warfare officer assigned to the 1st TIAD. “They have an immense amount of knowledge, and they’ve been able to shed light on things for us as well.”

French Army Sgt. Erwan, assigned to the Army Forces in French Polynesia, said the cyber component reflects the growing importance of cybersecurity across the region.

“Cyber has become more and more important,” Erwan said. “Seeing how nations work on a capture-the-flag challenge can improve each other’s knowledge.”

Participants also worked through language barriers and differing approaches to cyber operations, challenges they said ultimately strengthened communication and teamwork.

“We learn how other people work, and sometimes we discover new ways of seeing things,” Erwan said.

As teams progressed through the challenge, collaboration consistently proved to be the key to success.

“The more that we collaborated, the more efficient we were at achieving the end state,” Demoes said. “We each bring a unique background, and usually that background helps at one piece of the puzzle.”

Beyond technical training, participants built professional relationships that they said will continue after the exercise concludes.

“We know these people now,” Cook said. “We have their contacts, and we can always schedule different times to train. Being that it’s cyber, we don’t have to come here to do it. We can do it online.”

Those relationships support one of the primary objectives of multinational exercises throughout the Indo-Pacific: building trust and strengthening partnerships before real-world challenges emerge.

“I think participation in this exercise is something that I would advocate for moving forward,” Demoes said. “Not just for the experience and gaining more technical experience but building that rapport and trust among different nations.”

As cyber threats continue to evolve, the Marara Cyber Challenge demonstrated that effective cyber defense depends not only on technical expertise, but also on strong partnerships. Through collaboration and shared learning, Soldiers from the 1st TIAD and their multinational partners strengthened both their cyber readiness and their ability to operate together across the Indo-Pacific.

Source: United States Army

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173rd Mobile Brigade Combat Team (Airborne)

NORMANDY, France – For U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Andrew Torrance, standing on the historic grounds of Normandy isn’t just a professional milestone. It is a moment that connects his service to the legacy of his family members who fought here during World War II.

Torrance, the fire support noncommissioned officer for “Attack Company,” 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade, traveled to France to participate in D‑Day 82 commemorations. But his reasons run deeper than unit pride or historical interest.

“I am participating in the Normandy commemorations to honor my family’s legacy,” Torrance said. “My grandfather and his brother were both part of the liberation of France during World War II. My great uncle landed on Utah Beach during D‑Day as a medic.”

His great uncle, U.S. Navy Petty Officer William J. Mundy, served as a hospital corpsman aboard LST‑496, a tank landing ship that spent a week supporting operations off the coast of Normandy. On June 11, 1944, the ship struck a mine, killing three crew members and sending the vessel to the bottom. Mundy survived the blast and was evacuated to a naval recovery facility in England.

Torrance’s grandfather, U.S. Army Cpl. Charles Mundy, entered the European theater shortly afterward. In a twist of fate that became a treasured family story, the brothers unexpectedly reunited in England after two years apart. A 1944 newspaper article captured the moment, which was a rare coincidence amid the massive mobilization of Allied forces.

“There were tens of thousands of personnel moving through the theater,” Torrance said. “The fact that they found each other again is incredible.”

Eighty‑two years later, Torrance walked the same coastline where his great uncle risked his life to save others. Though he had visited Normandy before as an amateur historian, this was his first time attending official D‑Day remembrance events.

“Being in Normandy during D‑Day festivities hits different,” he said. “This is an incredibly powerful area to be in. You can feel it in the air, the presence of those who fought here and the battles that took place.”

For Torrance, wearing the 173rd Airborne Brigade patch in this setting adds another layer of meaning.

The brigade’s lineage traces back to the storied airborne operations of World War II, primarily in the Pacific theater, then again in Vietnam and Afghanistan, where the brigade’s paratroopers received multiple Congressional Medals of Honor.

“It really is something special, and it’s a major honor to be here while wearing the 173rd Airborne patch,” he said. “It’s one of the biggest honors of my life. I feel extremely humbled to be walking on these grounds.”

His family shares that pride.

Torrance said relatives, including his great uncle’s sister, who is still alive, have been sending him photos, newspaper clippings and wartime documents as he retraces the footsteps of the Mundy brothers.

“They told me I’m bringing incredible honor back to my family for coming here,” he said. “It makes it even more significant that I get to be here in Normandy while representing the 173rd Airborne.”

As thousands gather across northern France to mark the 82nd anniversary of the largest amphibious invasion in history, Torrance stands among them not only as a Sky Soldier, but as a grandson and great nephew carrying forward a legacy forged on these same beaches.

“It’s humbling,” he said. “And it’s something I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life.”

Source: United States Army

CAMP HUMPHREYS, Republic of South Korea – Sixteen Iowa Army National Guard Soldiers assigned to the 135th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment, based out of Johnston, Iowa, recently traveled to the Republic of Korea (ROK) to support Operation Freedom Shield 2026. Freedom Shield is an annual, defense-focused exercise conducted under the framework of the 1953 Mutual Defense Treaty. The exercise integrates ground, air, maritime, space, cyber and information capabilities to enhance the U.S.-ROK alliance’s ability to respond to a range of security challenges while reinforcing deterrence and stability on the Korean Peninsula.

Throughout the exercise, U.S., ROK and United Nations Command forces executed a series of live, virtual and constructive training events, including noncombatant evacuation operations, reception, staging, onward movement and integration, and counter–weapons of mass destruction scenarios. These events are designed to replicate realistic conditions and improve combined warfighting effectiveness.

While large-scale maneuver and operational training remained central to the exercise, the information environment played a critical role in shaping understanding, maintaining transparency and supporting command decision-making. The 135th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment contributed to this effort across multiple operational elements, demonstrating the full spectrum of MPAD capabilities.

“The Soldiers of the 135th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment continue to demonstrate why they are such a critical asset to the readiness and success of the Iowa National Guard and our nation’s military,” said Maj. Gen. Stephen Osborn, Adjutant General, Iowa National Guard. “Exercises like Freedom Shield provide invaluable opportunities to train alongside our allies, strengthen partnerships, and operate in complex, real-world environments. Public affairs professionals play a vital role in modern military operations by ensuring commanders, service members, partners, and the public receive accurate, timely information.”

Assigned across several commands, Soldiers with the 135th MPAD provided direct support to senior leaders, operational units and simulation environments. At Eighth Army headquarters based at Camp Humphreys – about 40 miles south of Seoul, the nation’s capital – MPAD leadership supported noncombatant evacuation operations working groups. They collaborated with staff sections to ensure timely, accurate and coordinated communication during simulated large-scale evacuations. These efforts underscored the role of public affairs in synchronizing messaging during complex operations.

“In large-scale operations like Freedom Shield, communication elements are what turn complexity into coordination,” said Maj. Melanie Sharp, commander of the 135th MPAD. “This type of operation takes synchronization across joint forces, multinational partners and multiple warfighting functions. Communication isn’t just simply passing on information, it’s how the entire operation functions as one force.”

Those assigned to Eighth Army headquarters integrated into the staff to deliver daily assessments of the information environment and provide messaging guidance to commanders. The team developed a range of products in response to evolving scenarios, including press releases, media responses, social media content and crisis communication plans.

In addition to command-level integration, 135th MPAD Soldiers embedded with operational units to capture and produce multimedia content highlighting combined training. Soldiers were assigned to the 2nd Infantry Division to document tactical movements, live-fire exercises, key leader engagements, and produce photo and video products for distribution to military and civilian audiences.

These multimedia products supported transparency and reinforced the strength of the U.S.-ROK alliance by showcasing combined training and readiness efforts. Across the exercise, 135th MPAD products contributed to a broader communication effort that generated thousands of views, engagements and shares across official platforms.

Another element of the 135th MPAD operated within the Korea Battle Simulation Center as opposing force (OPFOR) media, replicating a realistic information environment. This team produced articles, conducted simulated press engagements and generated social media activity to challenge the training audience and test response strategies.

“Being connected with the United States Forces Korea during Operation Freedom Shield allowed me to see wartime public affairs through a different lens as I portrayed opposing media,” said Sgt. Matthew Tudor, exercise OPFOR with the 135th MPAD. “The multinational level of the exercise opened my eyes to the gravity of how media impacts the landscape of a wartime environment.”

This role highlighted the evolving nature of modern military operations, where information is a critical domain alongside traditional warfighting functions. By introducing realistic media pressure and narrative challenges, the OPFOR team helped train leaders to operate effectively in contested information environments.

Master Sgt. Nicole Leidholm, American Forces Network, Yokota Air Base, Japan, served as an exercise controller public affairs officer, emphasizing the collaborative nature of the mission.

“The people were what made this experience stand out,” Leidholm said. “Working alongside our Republic of Korea counterparts and other information professionals provided an opportunity to share knowledge and build lasting relationships.”

Additional 135th MPAD personnel supported sustainment and military police operations in the southern half of the Korean Peninsula, covering logistics, base defense and detainee operations, as well as key leader visits. These efforts ensured comprehensive documentation of the exercise and supported operational messaging across multiple commands.

Freedom Shield 2026 reaffirmed the enduring partnership between the United States and the Republic of Korea and demonstrated the alliance’s commitment to maintaining readiness and regional security. The integration of public affairs into every level of the exercise highlighted the capacity of MPADs to provide commanders with communication support, operational awareness and strategic messaging. From senior-level advising to frontline documentation and information operations, the 135th MPAD enabled commanders to communicate effectively in a complex environment.