Category: MIL-OSI

Source: United States Army

CAMP DARBY, Italy – The Army Community Service hosted a class at the on-post coffee bar March 30 to teach the basics of making Italian espresso.

Barista Ursula Muscillo explained that the quality of the drink usually comes down to the grind of the beans. She pointed to a cup where the coffee looked thin and bubbly.

“If it looks watery like this, the water is moving through the beans too fast,” she said. “That means the grind is too coarse. You need to grind the coffee finer to slow it down.”

On the other hand, she warned about coffee that drips out too slowly or looks dark and oily.

“If the espresso tastes too strong or burnt, the grind is likely too fine,” she said. “The beans need to be ground more coarsely to let the flavor balance out.”

After the espresso lesson, Ursula moved on to the milk. She showed how to perfectly froth a pitcher for a cappuccino, positioning the steam wand just below the surface to create a smooth, velvety foam rather than large bubbles. She explained that the goal is a creamy texture that blends into the coffee.

“The hardest part of the class for me was learning how to froth the milk,” said Kristen Cockman. “I had to learn the type of milk to use, how to position the pitcher, and how to listen for the ‘right’ sound. After three or four tries, I am a lot more comfortable with the process.”

Throughout the session, Ursula watched the machine closely, adjusting the settings to show how small changes affect the final drink. By the time the lesson ended, the focus was on the consistency needed to make a professional-grade cup of Italian coffee.

For those looking to master the local culture, the class proved that with the right grind and a bit of practice, a perfect Italian morning is only 30 seconds away.

Source: United States Army

GREENVILLE, Ky. – Soldiers with the 103rd Brigade Support Battalion strengthened combat readiness March 20-21 at Wendell H. Ford Regional Training Center, qualifying on weapons systems and refining the logistical capabilities essential to sustaining operations in any environment.

The battalion focused on maintaining overall readiness through a series of demanding exercises.

“This weekend we had our Soldiers qualify on their rifles, pistols, and crew-served weapons,” said U.S. Army 1st Lt. Emily O’Conner, the battalion’s personnel officer. “Staying qualified and skilled at shooting is a basic soldiering task that improves our unit readiness.”

Sixty-seven Soldiers qualified on the M4 carbine, M17 pistol and crew-served weapons throughout the weekend. Weapons qualification remains a fundamental soldiering task critical to ensuring operational effectiveness and lethality.

“We completed our officer evaluation reports, as well as our non-commissioned officer evaluation reports this weekend, which let us evaluate leaders in the organization and guide their development,” she said.

The training also tested the battalion’s logistical capabilities, with Soldiers successfully managing supply, maintenance and distribution operations under demanding conditions.

“It’s this behind-the-scenes work that truly enables the rest of the units we train to support focus on warfighting tasks,” said O’Conner. “I’m grateful for the hard work of our Soldiers; their dedication to mastering these essential support roles is the foundation of our success.”

The training reinforced that mastering the fundamentals is the foundation of readiness. The successful execution of logistics, maintenance and range operations reflected a shared commitment to excellence from every Soldier. That dedication to the basics ensures the 103rd BSB remains a ready, lethal and prepared force capable of meeting missions at home and abroad.

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Source: United States Army

PRESIDIO OF MONTEREY, Calif. (Apr 1, 2026) – The Presidio of Monterey Chaplain Family Life Center recently expanded its counseling services to include neurofeedback brain optimization therapy. The noninvasive brain-training approach supports service members and their families facing stress, trauma and high performance demands.

Neurofeedback therapy uses real-time monitoring of brain activity to help regulate brainwave patterns associated with focus, sleep, stress and emotional regulation. The therapy is offered through the Chaplain Family Life Center, a professional counseling center within the Religious Support Office that provides confidential, non-medical support to service members and their families.

Maj. Daniel Melin, PoM’s family life chaplain and a licensed marriage and family therapist, said the decision to pursue neurofeedback training grew out of his professional education and research on trauma and neurodivergence while attending the Chaplain Family Life Training Center. Neurofeedback rose to the top as a tool that could help address challenges commonly faced by military members and families in high-stress environments.

“Neurofeedback gives us another way to support people whose brains are working overtime,” Melin said. “Many of the challenges we see in a military environment like sleep disruption, chronic stress and difficulty concentrating, are tied to how the brain is functioning, not a lack of effort or motivation.”

At the Presidio of Monterey, home to the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center, service members face academically rigorous training and sustained performance demands. Neurofeedback therapy complements existing counseling services by supporting cognitive performance and emotional regulation, contributing to increased readiness and resilience within the military community.

Participants who engaged in twice-weekly sessions for several weeks reported benefits such as improved focus, reduced stress and increased daily confidence.

“When I first started neurofeedback training, I felt defeated, like my brain and life were fundamentally broken,” said one foreign area officer language student. “Neurofeedback training gave me hope that I could change the narrative. By trusting the system and working with Chaplain Melin, I have regained my footing and rediscovered the confidence I feared was lost.”

One DLIFLC faculty member reported being surprised with how much neurofeedback helped improve her chronic headaches and lower her anxiety and stress levels.

“I would strongly encourage other students or faculty in similar situations dealing with headaches, attention difficulties, stress, anxiety, or sleep issues to give neurofeedback a try,” she said. “It has been a valuable and supportive tool for both well-being and performance.”

Neurofeedback therapy aligns with the chaplain mission to provide holistic support for spiritual, emotional and relational well-being. Army Regulation 165-1 authorizes family life chaplains to provide clinical counseling interventions in support of Soldier and family readiness. Melin said the long-term goal is to continue expanding the capability to keep up with the demands of the Monterey military community, including military spouses.

“I consider the neurofeedback program to be a great blessing to our whole family,” said one military spouse. “Getting into the neurofeedback program has helped me navigate the challenges of military life with much more calmness and focus and it has improved my relationship with my family.”

Another military spouse credited neurofeedback with regaining her confidence and sense of regulation.

“For anyone considering neurofeedback, I would want them to understand that functioning well under pressure is not an absence of emotion, but the absence of dis-regulation. There is no substitute for learning to self-regulate; thankfully, there is hope and a faster way to feel better with neuroscience.”

Service members and families interested in learning more about neurofeedback brain optimization therapy, individual, marriage and family counseling, EMDR trauma therapy or trauma releasing exercises can contact the Chaplain Family Life Center for additional information. All CFLC counseling services are available for DoD cardholders and dependents. For contact information, visit https://home.army.mil/monterey/my-fort/all-services/chaplains-1

Source: United States Army

FORT POLK, La. — Soldiers from the Florida Army National Guard’s 3rd Battalion, 265th Air Defense Artillery Regiment trained alongside the 82nd Airborne Division during a combat training center rotation 15-20 March, marking the first time a Guard unit has integrated into an active-duty rotation under the National Guard’s new Minuteman Rotation concept.

The Minuteman concept aligns National Guard annual training with combat training center rotations, allowing units to meet their 15-day requirement while operating alongside active-duty formations. Leaders said the approach increases readiness and interoperability across the total force.

Senior Army National Guard leaders visited the rotation March 19-20, including Director of the Army National Guard, Lt. Gen. Jon M. Stubbs and Command Sgt. Maj. James (Brian) Kendrick, along with Florida Adjutant General, Maj. Gen. John D. Haas and Command Sgt. Maj. Robert F. Sweat. The visit highlighted the integration of Guard forces into active-duty training and the expansion of opportunities for Guard units to train in high-intensity environments.

“This is about building a total force that can close with and destroy the enemy,” Stubbs said during the visit. “What we are seeing here is a National Guard battalion fully integrated with an active-duty brigade, delivering a capability that is critical on today’s battlefield.”

At JRTC, often referred to as “the box,” units contend with a near-peer opposing force, limited resources and extended operations. The environment tests a unit’s ability to operate under stress while maintaining command and control across dispersed terrain.

The Florida battalion provided short-range air defense capabilities during the rotation, focusing on countering unmanned aircraft systems and low-altitude threats. Soldiers employed Sentinel radar and Avenger air defense systems while repositioning with maneuver elements to protect command posts, logistics nodes and key terrain.

A live battery moved with the brigade throughout the exercise, while the battalion headquarters operated as a division-level air defense element in a simulated environment. Leaders said the integration allowed the unit to train as it would fight in a real-world conflict.

Army Lt. Col. Adam Bailey, commander of 3rd Battalion, 265th Air Defense Artillery, said the unit prepared for the rotation through multiple command post exercises with the 82nd Airborne Division before arriving at JRTC.

“Coming to JRTC, we rapidly integrated into division’s scheme of maneuver and protection plan. That enabled us to execute a true Short Range Air Defense (SHORAD) mission in support of a division,” he added.

The Panther Brigade’s dispersed operations increased exposure to aerial threats, particularly small drones capable of disrupting command and control or target sustainment operations.

Army Col. Daniel Leard, commander of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, said the Army Guard unit filed a critical capability gap.

“Air defense is a critical enabler – we could not have executed our mission without them,” Leard said. “The Soldiers of 3-265 ADA integrated with our team on the fly. They were experts on their systems and that made an immediate impact.”

The Army National Guard’s Minuteman Rotation aligns annual training with combat training center rotations, enabling units to build readiness in a high-intensity environment alongside active-duty forces.

Kendrick, who previously served as the command sergeant major of the Florida National Guard, said the training reflects how the force will operate in future conflicts.

“This is exactly where our Soldiers need to be,” Kendrick said. “Training at this level, with this kind of realism, ensures they are ready to deploy and fight as part of a larger team.”

The approach does not replace traditional Army National Guard rotations but expands access to high-end training while supporting Soldiers’ civilian careers, education and communities. Stubbs said the goal is to integrate a Guard element into every combat training center rotation.

For junior soldiers, the experience highlighted the pace and complexity of modern warfare.

Army Sgt. Jason Dumervile, Headquarter and Headquarters Battery, said the experience changed how he views his role.

“You see how everything connects,” he said. “We are not just protecting ourselves — we are protecting the whole brigade so they can accomplish their mission.”

Florida leaders said the battalion’s performance demonstrated the value of integrating Guard units into active-duty training environments as the Army adapts to evolving threats.

“I’m incredibly proud of our Florida Guardsmen,” said Haas. “They’re highly disciplined and have benefitted from great leadership to ensure they’re trained and ready.”

Related Links

The Official Website of the National Guard | NationalGuard.mil

State Partnership Program | NationalGuard.mil

The National Guard on Facebook | Facebook.com/TheNationalGuard

The National Guard on Flickr | Flickr.com/TheNationalGuard

The National Guard on Instagram | Instagram.com/us.nationalguard

The National Guard on X | X.com/USNationalGuard

The National Guard on YouTube | YouTube.com/TheNationalGuard