Category: Security

Source: United States Army

FORT HOOD, Texas — Fort Hood held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the brand new Barrack 101 on May 19, the latest addition to the improvements to housing and quality of life for Soldiers at The Great Place.

The barrack is part of a project authorized and funded by Congress in fiscal year 2022. Congress appropriated $80 million, but the barrack was completed under budget at $65.5 million.

“It’s incredibly rewarding to deliver this first-class facility for the Soldiers of 69th Air Defense Artillery Brigade,” said Brian Dosa, director of the Directorate of Public Works. “We had about 50 Soldiers in formation at the ceremony. When complete, they all made a beeline for the barracks, kind of like kids on Christmas morning! Their excitement and appreciation were evident and that’s why we serve. We now have 101 barracks on post, and this is the very best one.”

Sgt. Ramiro Soto Gomez, narrator for the ceremony and Soldier assigned to 69th ADA Bde., thanked the partners who assisted in the construction of the barrack during his remarks.

“We appreciate the hard work and dedication of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Cerris Builders, Dominion Energy and American Water to deliver this new facility for our Soldiers, on time and below budget,” he said.

The new barrack will house Soldiers assigned to 69th ADA Bde. It can house 248 Soldiers in 124 rooms. Each room features two separate bedrooms with their own walk-in closets, and a shared bathroom and kitchenette. The kitchenette features a convection microwave, along with an electric stovetop with two burners.

There are three floors, each with its own laundry rooms and communal lounge rooms. Additionally, the first floor features a pool table, foosball table and a fully equipped fitness room while the second and third floors offer balconies.

In addition to the new barrack, there are also seven covered areas nearby complete with a grill and an outdoor fitness area for Soldiers to use.

Command Sgt. Maj. Javier Casanova, command sergeant major of 1st Battalion, 44th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 69th ADA Bde., noted Soldiers have expressed significant satisfaction regarding the transition into Barrack 101. Pfc. Kiresten Smith, 69th ADA Bde., agreed.

“It makes me feel more comfortable mentally,” she said of the updated rooms. “It puts me in a better space because I can make this more of my home space.”

The amenities provide a variety of new opportunities, convenience and boost morale, Smith expressed.

“It gives us the opportunity to meet other people and to talk to other people in the lounge room,” she said. “Then I like the built-in weight room; that’s nice. It saves us time, gas, money from going to the gym. We could just go downstairs and work out.”

The upgraded amenities significantly improve support for unaccompanied Soldiers’ quality of life, Casanova said.

“The completion of the new barrack facility has driven an immediate increase in morale across 1-44 ADAR, positively impacting both the Soldiers residing in the building and unit leadership,” Casanova, said. “Furthermore, its placement within the Lightning Brigade’s footprint facilitates greater leader presence and enables more effective barracks oversight.”

Barrack 101 is far from the last of the improvements to housing for Soldiers. Dosa said the next project is a 224-bed barrack planned in the 10000 block, near the 1st Cavalry Division Artillery Headquarters.

Source: United States Army

ANSBACH, Germany — U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach offered an in-depth overview of the U.S. Army’s approach to family support for representatives of the German Federal Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) Family Care Organization during a community outreach event at the garrison’s Storck Barracks in May 2026.

The visiting group included 55 directors and staff from the Bundeswehr, which operates 32 full-time Family Care Centers and up to 50 part-time Family Care Points throughout Germany.

This event introduced the U.S. Army Family Support System to its German counterparts, fostering mutual understanding and collaboration in supporting military families.

German Lt. Col. Danila Dubrau, head of the Lead Family Care Center at the Bundeswehr Operations Command, pointed out that while there are things the two militaries may do differently, taking care of Soldiers and families is the same.

“We have the same goal: to take care of our families, and by doing that, we make sure their Soldier is able to concentrate on the mission,” Dubrau said.

Family assistance remains a major focus for the German army, particularly as it establishes garrison-style bases in Eastern Europe.

The Lithuania Brigade, a panzer brigade officially commissioned in April 2025 in Lithuania, represents a permanent Bundeswehr combat unit of about 5,000 personnel, strengthening NATO’s defense posture in Eastern Europe.

With the unit’s formation, Germany now maintains a permanently deployed brigade, increasing the likelihood of more troops serving abroad.

The establishment of Armored Brigade 45, the official designation of the Lithuania Brigade, is a top priority for the German government, according to Dr. Jörg Krämer of the Office of the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Armed Forces, who said this applies “not only to military matters but also to issues concerning family support.”

The delegation from the German family care organizations visited USAG Ansbach to learn from and exchange best practices with the garrison’s family care experts.

Those experts have more than 80 years of institutional experience supporting Soldiers families in Europe.

The U.S. Army is committed to continuously enhancing the quality and reach of services that support its families and, by extension, its Soldiers.

“It’s about how we take care of our Soldiers and their families when the soldiers are on extended training missions or deployed,” said Bruce Griggs, USAG Ansbach Deputy to the Garrison Commander.

The orientation tour and exchange with the Bundeswehr’s family care organization underscore the importance of international cooperation in supporting military families.

Source: United States Army

CENTENNIAL, Colo. — After a winter marked by record-low snowpack and persistent drought, the Colorado Army National Guard is shifting its focus from seasonal support to a year-round mission to help fight the state’s growing wildfire threat.

During a March 30 press conference held by Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, state officials said the past winter’s lack of moisture left Colorado’s forests and grasslands dangerously dry and ready to burn much earlier than usual.

Mike Morgan, director of the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control, said these conditions are no longer rare.

“These are conditions that we used to think were unprecedented or anomalies, and the reality of it is it’s happening every year,” Morgan said during a recent state press briefing. “It is not unprecedented. It is our new normal.”

To prepare for that reality, the Colorado Army National Guard recently joined the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control, the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the city of Longmont and local fire teams from Boulder for the annual Colorado Fire Aviation Summit. The Guard’s firefighting program is fully certified by the Forest Service, providing federally validated skills to support the state’s emergency response.

A major focus of the training involved using helicopters to drop water on simulated active fire lines. The difference in aircraft capability is significant: A heavy-lift CH-47 Chinook helicopter can carry 2,000 gallons of water, while a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter can carry 660 gallons.

To support upcoming missions, the Colorado Army National Guard will prioritize a team of two Chinooks and a mobile refueling team. While Black Hawk helicopters are available for short-term in-state fire response, their primary mission is high-altitude search and rescue.

Lighter UH-72 Lakota helicopters are also on standby to direct aerial traffic in and around restricted areas during large fires and move crews and equipment for up to a week at a time.

“Our collaborative aerial firefighting training with civilian and interstate partners is designed to ensure our air and ground crews are prepared to protect our communities from wildfires,” said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Muriel Missler, director of aviation and safety. “This rigorous training not only enables safe and effective operations in Colorado’s challenging environments but also enhances our combat aviation skills and planning capabilities.”

The Colorado Army National Guard is prepared to sustain potential high-intensity operations for about two weeks at a time. If a fire lasts longer, backup support may be requested from other states to ensure there are no gaps in coverage.

The urgency of that coordination was highlighted by Polis, who said state-managed aircraft had already dropped nearly 200,000 gallons of fire suppressant in the first four months of the year.

“We talked about the increase in the number of fire events that are likely,” Polis said during the briefing. “It makes a big difference whether there’s 4,000 or whether there’s 8,000 in a given year. This year looks like it could be closer to 8,000.”

In the event of a wildfire, the Colorado Army National Guard’s ability to integrate with local, state and federal partners is a critical advantage for Coloradans. As the state moves deeper into the year, this collaborative, year-round approach helps ensure Colorado’s aerial firefighting capabilities are ready to respond when the next fire ignites.

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

Source: United States Army

WASHINGTON — To support Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s “peace through strength” priorities, at a recent AUSA coffee series speaking event, an Army leader outlined how the service built its $253 billion budget request for fiscal year 2027, which includes investments in housing, training and recruiting.

Army Maj. Gen. Rebecca McElwain, the service’s budget director, said the proposal centers on three lines of effort:

• Modernizing through the continuous transformation initiative, expediting how the service fights, equips and trains, while getting new technologies into the hands of Soldiers.
• Delivering combat-ready forces, including investments in next-generation weapons systems.
• Strengthening the profession, investing in quality-of-life improvements for Soldiers and their Families.

To deliver combat-ready forces while aligning with the War Department’s priority to rebuild the military, the Army’s proposal includes $7.3 billion for munitions expansion, $3.8 billion for its organic industrial base and $1.3 billion for warfighter end-strength growth.

Army vehicles currently in development include the XM-30 Mechanized Infantry Combat Vehicle, the Army’s replacement for the Bradley Fighting Vehicle and the M1E3 Abrams, and the service’s next-generation battle tank.

Lisa Salazar, who attended the event from the office of the assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology, said the next steps for the XM-30 and M1E3 will be to finish the prototype stage and begin fielding pilot programs. The Army recently revealed its first M1E3 prototype at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit earlier this year.

McElwain noted that technology is changing exponentially faster than ever before.

“We can’t control the pace of which that’s happening, but we can try to keep up,” she said. “So, as we deliver combat-ready forces, we’re trying to make sure the budget ensures that units are properly equipped and trained.”

The Army plans to add 18,300 Soldiers, raising its total personnel by 5.3%. The increase includes 15,000 active-duty troops and another 3,300 National Guard members. The service also proposed a 5 to 7% pay raise for Soldiers, earmarked $2.5 billion for recruiting and retention efforts and requested a 9.6% increase for operations and maintenance.

The Army proposed spending $295 million for increased essential combat unit training and $432 million for critical repair parts.

McElwain said improving housing for Soldiers aligns with the War Department’s priority of restoring the warrior ethos by allowing Soldiers to focus on the mission.

The service will invest $4 billion in family housing, child development centers and quality-of-life improvements, and an additional $2.9 billion will go toward barracks upgrades.

“Investment in Soldiers also means investment in families,” McElwain said, adding that the foundation of the Soldiers starts with ensuring their families are cared for.

One significant funding increase is 12.9% toward research, development, test and transformation, including the development of the Army’s next-generation command and control. McElwain said NGC2 will provide layers of technology, including data, infrastructure, applications and transport — giving commanders a wider view of multiple platforms and domains.

Finally, regarding the War Department’s priority of reestablishing deterrence, the Army plans to spend $1.1 billion to defend the southern border, $1.9 billion on counter-unmanned aircraft systems, and invest in a nuclear energy resilience program.

“It really is a budget that strategically balances present readiness with what we need for future dominance,” McElwain said.

Source: United States Army

FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kansas — Understanding the military justice system can be daunting for both service members and the general public. To bridge this knowledge gap, members of the 4th Circuit Army Office of Special Trial Counsel and the Fort Leavenworth Office of the Staff Judge Advocate provided a transparent, step-by-step look into the military justice process during a mock-trial May 21, 2026, in DePuy Auditorium at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

The mock trial simulated a realistic and all too common scenario, an alcohol-facilitated sexual assault between two soldiers.

The educational exercise began at the very inception of a military criminal case: the “preferral” of charges. During this phase, the audience learned how charges are sworn and how a commander formally notifies a soldier of the accusations against him/her.

The simulation then guided attendees through the subsequent phases, including the Article 32 preliminary hearing, a crucial step to determine if there is sufficient evidence to proceed, and the formal “referral” of charges to a court-martial.

Following the pre-trial procedures, volunteer participants acted out a condensed version of an actual court-martial. The audience watched the legal teams navigate Voir Dire, the process of questioning and selecting impartial panel members, which is a jury in the civilian legal system.

The mock trial then proceeded through opening statements, the direct and cross-examination of both the victim and the accused, and concluded with brief closing arguments.

Tackling a grave topic like sexual assault in this format underscored the gravity of the proceedings and the meticulous nature of evidence examination in military courts. Additionally, this condensed version of a trial allowed the public to see all aspects of the process in a short period.

The event culminated in an interactive question-and-answer session, allowing the audience to engage directly with legal experts about the intricacies of the justice process.

This mock trial served as an essential educational tool. It not only clarified the distinct phases of a court-martial but also reinforced the system’s commitment to fairness, accountability and the rule of law. By making these complex legal procedures accessible, such exercises build institutional trust and ensure personnel are fully aware of how justice is administered within the ranks.

The event was a collaboration between the Fort Leavenworth SHARP program, the Fort Leavenworth Office of the SJA and the Army OSTC.

Source: United States Army

FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kansas — The day before their graduation, School of Advanced Military Studies students were offered the opportunity to shoot skeet using shotguns to simulate battling enemy drones, led by an analyst who has been bringing back lessons learned from the frontlines of the war in Ukraine.

The SAMS students joined analyst and Air Force veteran Paul Schwennesen, director of Global Strategy Decisions Group, May 20, 2026, at Brunner Range at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, to familiarize themselves with this rudimentary but effective method for eliminating a drone threat using regular 12-gauge shotguns, like those a hunter would use, as well as a drone-modified shotgun with a longer barrel to improve distance accuracy and capacity to hold more ammunition. Schwennesen said shotguns are used as a counter-drone weapon, rather than a single-shot pistol, for their firepower.

“It’s a cloud of lead,” he said of the shotgun’s blast of pellets. “Whereas, if you’re trying to shoot that same target … with one single bullet, it is next to impossible,” he said. “A moving target in the air is a very, very difficult thing to hit, and so shotguns give you that cloud of knockdown power.”

Schwennesen said Global Strategy Decisions Group has been covering the war in Ukraine since the full-scale invasion in 2022. He said he has been sharing lessons learned about the ongoing conflict to try to help improve the United States’ “security posture in the face of the new drone threat.”

“Over the past few months, our team has done a deep dive into the shotgun counter-drone option, particularly in light of the rise of fiber-optic, (electronic warfare) jamming-proof drone technology. As dated as it may sound, shotguns represent pretty much all we have as a ‘last line’ inner layer of a layered (counter-unmanned aircraft systems) strategy.”

Schwennesen said his group has provided the shotgun-vs.-drone demonstrations and familiarization training in Ukraine; at West Point, New York, and Fort Huachuca, Arizona; to special operations groups and national defense representatives and would be, shortly after the demo with SAMS students, to troops in Norway as well.

“Fundamentally we are trying to remind our soldiers, sailors and airmen that they are not defenseless in this new threat environment,” he said. “A moderate amount of training with modern shotguns and widely available loads can make a substantial difference in the face of new attack vectors.”

Schwennesen said shooting skeet is great practice for soldiers, and it is an inexpensive way to build eye-hand coordination and the reflex to shoot drones. He said such practice is hugely valuable and makes shooting drones easier, and since most installations already have the infrastructure to provide that practice, service members could easily and feasibly be honing drone-destroying skills using targets.

SAMS student Maj. Julian Hutchins said the work Schwennesen is doing and his efforts to get information and familiarization to the force is really important.

“I think, in general, what we’ve learned over the last year is that warfare is all about innovation and adaptation, and adapting during a conflict is extremely, extremely important. That’s why you see these high cycles of innovations and adaptations that are happening in Ukraine in their conflict right now,” Hutchins said. “So, getting the force to break out of the old GWOT, Global War on Terror mindset, and start thinking about what warfare could be like in a potential future scenario is invaluable.”

Hutchins said when the changing character of war is considered, introducing new technologies to the force and factoring in that cost can be prohibitive, but neither new technology acquisition nor expense would be issues with this type of defense since the military already has shotguns in the inventory.

“We have people trained on these pieces of equipment, and it takes nothing to enter this type of adaptation into the force, except for a dedicated strategy when it comes to range usage and how we’re doing our collective training,” Hutchins said.

SAMS student Maj. Michael Spalla agreed that using shotguns for this use is effective when considering tactics, techniques and procedures for dealing with threats.

“Oftentimes, we’re looking to do new things in new ways. Occasionally, you can do something old in a new way, and this is an example of that,” Spalla said. “We’ve learned a lot about electronic warfare at SAMS, which we certainly do and will need in the future. Also, something as simple as a shotgun that the basic soldier at the basic level could wield that is inexpensive, that’s also a good TTP as well.”

Schwennesen said he has been trying to share information he has been gleaning from the modern battlefield in Ukraine and how the U.S. military can learn from it.

“We’re not really offering any hard and fast answers. We’re all trying to learn this on the go because the world is changing so fast,” he said.

Schwennesen said he made his first trip of now nine trips to Ukraine as a volunteer after feeling a call to help people who needed help. He said he soon realized how much Ukrainians were learning and adapting, and the situation went from them learning from others to them being the ones to impart lessons learned.

“We’re trying to learn as we go here,” he said. “What we know is that there’s really no viable counter-drone technology widely fielded right now. There’s nothing.”

Schwennesen said every squad in Ukraine is using shotguns, which are often the only weapon available against drones, particularly when electronic warfare jamming is of no use. He said he would like to see the U.S. military adopt the practice.

“What I would love to see is the DoD start to pick this up and realize that, especially in the Army, especially on that side of the house, or even particularly for the Air Force — if the Air Force security forces took this seriously and armed all of their, the equivalent of the MPs, with shotguns and knew how to use them, that could make a big difference for protecting our air assets, which are an extremely vulnerable target,” he said. “Our F-35s, all these billion-dollar airframes are just sitting on the tarmac, wide open to attack — like what Ukraine did to Russia. We’ve seen this, we’ve been warned so many times, and we’re just going to take it on the chin because we’re not doing anything about it.”

After shooting several rounds of skeet from different positions, both singularly and with multiple shooters at the same time, the SAMS students discussed with Schwennesen some of the shotgun method’s possibilities, how it could be implemented, ideas for other types of drone defense and more.

SAMS student Maj. Daniel Lafranchi said he appreciated Schwennesen sharing take-aways from his experience in Ukraine.

“It’s very rare to get somebody that has the experience firsthand, talking to the people that are actually experiencing this type of problem set,” Lafranchi said. “A lot of times we hear about Ukraine, we hear about second or third hand, but hearing from somebody that actually has been there and talked to people on the ground, getting that firsthand experience, being able to provide us with that information is invaluable.”