Category: US Army

Source: United States Army

OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma National Guard firefighters and aviation crews recently completed wildfire suppression operations across the state after dry, windy conditions sparked multiple fires in February.

Authorized by Gov. Kevin Stitt at the request of the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management, the response included 16 wildland firefighters working near Talihina, Tahlequah and Stilwell. Two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters equipped with 660-gallon water buckets and their crews also remained on standby throughout the mission.

“Having the capacity to deploy firefighters trained through our wildland firefighting program gives our state added flexibility when managing these emergencies,” said Brig. Gen. Robert Walter, assistant adjutant general–Army for the Oklahoma National Guard. “We’re proud of the opportunity to work alongside our partners at the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol as part of a coordinated effort to serve the people of Oklahoma.”

The Guardsmen were broken up into different firefighting modules designed to serve unique mission sets.

The first module, supplemented by Type 6 fire engines and personnel from the Oklahoma Forestry Services, supported containment efforts by cutting handlines and clearing ladder fuels, such as low tree limbs, which can carry flames into the canopy.

Handlines are narrow strips of land cleared down to bare soil to remove vegetation and help stop the spread of fire.

Module two supported Oklahoma Forestry dozer operations, cut approximately 1.5 miles of handline and hiked three to 5 miles each day through rough terrain, scanning for smoke and preventing new flare-ups.

“[Our crew] responded to the Box Springs fire, which was approximately 1,000 acres, and the Highway 63 fire,” said Brian Weatherford, the Oklahoma Military Department’s wildland firefighting program manager and crew boss for module two. “Oklahoma Forestry received us with open arms and took multiple opportunities to plug us into the response effectively.”

According to Weatherford, since its inception, the program has trained more than 100 red-card certified firefighters, about 80 of whom were available for activation during this most recent mission.

Guardsmen in the program come from across the force, including infantry, engineering and logistics units. Some of the Guardsmen who served on this mission are also full-time civilian firefighters in their own communities.

The wildfire missions came just weeks after the Oklahoma National Guard was activated to assist stranded motorists during severe winter storms.

With Oklahoma’s spring severe weather season just around the corner, the quick transition from snow response to fire suppression underscores the Guard’s commitment to protecting lives and mitigating property damage regardless of conditions.

“Severe weather in Oklahoma is no longer seasonal, every season carries its own risk,” Walter said. “Having programs already in place, like the Wildland Firefighting Program, like our [stranded motorists assistance and recovery teams] teams, ensures that the Oklahoma National Guard is ready to respond to whatever nature throws our way.”

With fire season only beginning, the OKARNG remains “Always Ready, Always There” to support when called upon.

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 — The District of Columbia National Guard (DCNG) activated the 260th Special Purpose Brigade on March 7 at the D.C. Armory, establishing the only brigade in the U.S. Army specifically designed to coordinate military support to civil authorities and protect critical infrastructure in the nation’s capital.

The brigade was created in response to Executive Order 14339 and a subsequent directive from the secretary of war, which called for the immediate establishment, training and equipping of a dedicated National Guard unit capable of supporting public safety operations and strengthening coordination between military forces and civilian security partners in the District.

Brig. Gen. Craig Maceri, land component commander for DCNG, presided over the activation ceremony as Soldiers stood in formation and the brigade’s colors were uncased — a military tradition signaling that a unit has been formally activated and is ready for duty.

“The activation of the 260th Special Purpose Brigade represents the deliberate execution of national guidance,” Maceri said. “This unit provides the critical command and control structure that enables us to execute a broad spectrum of scalable operations while effectively integrating with our federal and district partners.”

The brigade will serve as a command-and-control headquarters responsible for coordinating military support to civil authorities, enabling National Guard forces to rapidly integrate with federal and local agencies responsible for safeguarding the capital.

Washington presents a unique operational environment. Within the District sit the constitutional institutions of the federal government, foreign embassies, national monuments and millions of annual visitors. Protecting that environment requires close coordination between military forces and civilian agencies during major national events, security operations and emergencies.

Among the brigade’s key partners is the U.S. Marshals Service, which regularly works alongside the DCNG during security operations in the capital.

“Partnerships like this are essential in Washington,” said U.S. Marshal Jurgen Soekhoe. “The 260th Special Purpose Brigade brings a level of coordination and readiness that allows federal law enforcement and the National Guard to operate as a unified team when security demands it.”

Col. Lawrence Doane, commander of the 260th Special Purpose Brigade, said the brigade structure ensures continuous coordination with partner agencies while maintaining the ability to expand rapidly when missions require additional forces.

“This brigade gives us an operational foundation for unity of effort,” Doane said. “It ensures continuity of planning and coordination so that when the situation changes, we can respond quickly and with clarity.”

The brigade also reflects the unique federal role of the DCNG, which reports directly to the president rather than to a state or territorial governor. That structure places the organization at the center of national-level security planning for the capital.

The unit’s new patch connects the brigade’s modern mission with its historical lineage. The design features three red stars and two red bars drawn from the District of Columbia flag, itself derived from the coat of arms of George Washington’s family.

The brigade carries forward the heritage of the 260th Military Police Command, a DCNG headquarters brigade that for decades coordinated military police operations supporting civil authorities and emergency response across the District until its inactivation in 2011. Its lineage reflects a longstanding mission of integrating National Guard forces with federal and local partners to protect critical institutions and maintain security in the nation’s capital.

At the center of the patch is an upright, unsheathed sword representing the brigade’s role in providing security and safeguarding the people who live, work and visit the nation’s capital.

“This new patch reflects something bigger,” Doane said. “It represents our commitment to protecting every person who sets foot in the Nation’s Capital.”

With the uncasing of its colors, the 260th Special Purpose Brigade begins its mission as a dedicated force supporting public safety, infrastructure protection and civilian–military coordination in Washington.

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

PICATINNY ARSENAL, N.J. — The U.S. Army has cleared the M111 Offensive Hand Grenade for full material release. Developed by the Capabilities Program Executive Ammunition and Energetics, CPE A&E, in conjunction with the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Armaments Center at Picatinny Arsenal, the M111 OHG will replace the obsolete body and fuze of the Mk3A2 hand grenade series, marking the first new lethal hand grenade to achieve full material release since 1968 when the Mk3A2 entered service. The Mk3A2 is restricted for use due to its asbestos body, unlike the M111 which utilizes a plastic body that is fully consumed during detonation.

The M111 will provide increased training and operational readiness while providing the Soldier with a safer option. It also offers Soldiers the ability to fight more effectively in closed quarter urban environments by leveraging blast overpressure, BOP, instead of fragmentation to deliver lethality. When used in grenades, BOP delivers devastating effects to enemy personnel and equipment without fragmentation and is a potent tactical advantage in the field. The M67 fragmentation hand grenade projects lethal and incapacitating fragments that can be deflected when employed in enclosed, restricted terrain like buildings, rooms and structures, whereas the M111 OHG projects high BOP effects that are less affected by obstacles in enclosed and restricted terrain.

“One of the key lessons learned from the door-to-door urban fighting in Iraq was the M67 grenade wasn’t always the right tool for the job. The risk of fratricide on the other side of the wall was too high,” explained Col. Vince Morris, Project Manager Close Combat Systems, CPE A&E. “But a grenade utilizing BOP can clear a room of enemy combatants quickly leaving nowhere to hide while ensuring the safety of friendly forces.”

In open terrain, the Soldier will employ the M67 to maximize lethal fragment effects, whereas in enclosed and restricted terrain, Soldiers will employ the M111 to maximize BOP effects on the enemy.

“We’ve given our Soldiers and joint warfighters the flexibility to determine in the field which type of grenade will best suit the current situation they are facing, be it open space or confined area,” explained Tiffany Cheng, one of the DEVCOM Armaments Center engineers that developed the M111 at Picatinny Arsenal.

Another major benefit of the new M111 design is standardization. The new grenade and its training version, the M112, leverage the same five-step arming process as the M67 and its training version, the M69, allowing Soldiers to train as they fight, improving combat performance and effectiveness. In addition, the M111 and M112 use the same fuzes as the M67 and M69 respectively, thereby enabling Army acquisition professionals to save costs by leveraging economies of scale made possible by common fuze production lines when sourcing both grenades. Both grenades also have government-owned intellectual property that enables the Army to effectively compete production contracts across the industrial base, enhancing production opportunities for multiple vendors while providing best value to our customers, the Soldiers and the taxpayer.

“By standardizing the arming process and the fuzing, the Army saves taxpayer money without sacrificing lethality on the battlefield,” said Morris. “This is the kind of acquisition reform that is currently underway throughout the Army acquisition enterprise. We are taking advantage of that initiative to drive down costs while increasing combat effectiveness.”

Source: United States Army

USAG BAVARIA – HOHENFELS, Germany – A fire inspector with the Directorate of Emergency Team at U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria – Hohenfels received recognition from the local Veterans of Foreign Wars chapter March 9, 2026, for her dedication to job and community.

Theresa Hecht has been with DES since September 2022 and has since made an impact across the community because of her passion for fire safety and her engagement with many other on-post organizations.

Adam Moore, the chapter commander of VFW Post 10557, commended Hecht’s ability to build relationships within the community as he presented her a plaque.

“We wanted to present you this award because your relationships matter,” Moore said. “In an environment like this, where we have Americans working alongside Germans, and then we’re working alongside the rest of Europe when they come through here, how you present yourself and how you interact is very important.”

Hecht has taken part in several on-post community events, such as the 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment, Trunk-or-Treat Halloween event. She has also introduced herself at the Child Development Center to demonstrate that firefighters are nothing for the preschool-age children to fear despite their bulky suits and masks.

When the members of VFW Post 10557 decided to renew the Public Servant of the Year award recently, it was Hecht’s involvement in so many aspects of garrison life that brought her immediately to the organization’s mind.

“A lot of our members are also part of other associations, such as Boy Scouts, BOSS, MWR, USO, etcetera,” said Moore. “When I asked who should we nominate, it was unanimously decided that Theresa Hecht should be the person.”

“Thank you for choosing me,” said Hecht. “Thank you to the people who believed in me.”

Source: United States Army

FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kansas – U.S. Army and allied leaders are wrestling with how to win on battlefields of new technologies that are challenging armored maneuver.

The U.S. Army Command and General Staff College U.S. students and allied partners learn to execute multi-domain operations as part of joint or multi-national teams.

Through curriculum and exercises like Eagle Owl, students earn valuable knowledge and skills to conduct division-level combat operations in modern warfare.

U.S. Army Command and General Staff College Commandant Col. Ethan Diven provided the keynote address for the British Covering Force Symposium 2026 with focus on changing character of war, and how armored forces are adapting to new realities.

The conversation is a direct continuation of CGSC’s global focus and the larger Army’s commitment to sharing lessons learned with allies and partners to solve common problems.

“This is the way that we are going to fight [jointly with British military],” Diven said. “If we don’t agree that we are not good enough yet; the tech that we’re experimenting with is getting to some people, but not all the right people and not in the right time; and making sure our leaders are using clear language, we’re going to continue to struggle. I share your sense of urgency. I share your lack of satisfaction with how fast we are going.”

The audience of officers and senior non-commissioned officers of the U.K.’s three armored and recce brigades, had vested interest in how to move their forces’ calvary capabilities by examining challenges emerging from the Russia-Ukraine War.

Near omnipresent enemy and defensive drones (among other emerging technologies) has changed how armored, combined arms teams plan for tactical success, Diven explained.

Making initial non-human contact with enemy forces has become increasingly important, encouraging experimentation with how the Army sequences and integrates drones and other recon-strike platforms ahead of crewed fighting vehicles.

Old armored team tactics and techniques in today’s rapidly changing battlefield creates high-value risk, Diven explained.

“Reconnaissance professionals, and reconnaissance organizations, do not just exist, but will continue to demonstrate their relevance by helping inform a commander’s decision to be violent. To commit, not just robots, but ultimately humans to fight and win,” he said.

New technologies like artificial intelligence, digital collaborative command and control platforms and data-driven decisions, are influencing how commanders see, describe, and direct forces.

These advancements, while allowing more refined, high-speed tactical actions, are generating secondary effects easily detected by increasing overhead surveillance: signatures.

Contemporary command posts and those of a decade ago share only two commonalities: being housed under a “giant circus tent” and being a buzz of activity.

Today’s CP activity generates more enemy-detectable information than ever before, Diven explained, challenging maneuver across the board.

This detriment to movement was a common observation in his role as the commander of an Armored Brigade Team and commander of operations for the National Training Center.

“I was much more comfortable to be where the action was, to confirm what is being told to me over the radio or the digital common operating picture with my own eyes, talking to that sergeant that is seeing and fighting, to build my understanding. That comes with risk… and that is likely not the best decision or the best use of assets anymore.”

How can armored forces fight effectively without commander’s orchestrating shoulder to shoulder with their teams?

Clear communication.

Not just verbally but through a set of concise, orders products, and leader interactions.

“Have you provided a simple, clear, understandable series of products that can stand the test of not just time, but continuous contact?” Diven said. “The 200-page word document that is complemented by the 50 PowerPoint slide deck, with a series of annexes that are only enabled by unlocked series of passwords that require an incredible amount of bandwidth. aren’t super helpful for the platoon or the koi [company] that can only communicate over TACSAT.”

Commanders who communicate clearly, and staff who challenge them to do so, enable subordinates to execute at speed, in fiercely contested environments.

Gone are the days of planners and command teams gathering around acetate maps, Diven explained.

Officers and NCO’s now use digital collaborative and synchronization programs and training to operate differently and at greater tempo.

Students at CGSC are learning the intricacies of these planning and execution tools to be capable and ready leaders upon arrive to assigned commands.

“We have to deliberately disaggregate ourselves and figure out how to conduct decentralized planning, decentralized coordination, and look like other small elements at the platoon at most size and move our command posts at the battalion squadron at tactical level,” Diven said.

As armor forces adapt to fight new enemy capabilities and warfare as a whole, Diven encouraged a transformation in command culture, to enable units to operate more effectively.

Culture shifts include in traditional sequential training schedules and embracing the “uncomfortable” associated with stepping off the normal path of training and technology adoption.

“Our Secretary of War, that entire department, down to platoon level, is embracing a culture of experimentation,” Diven said. “It is not waiting for the Army to give us the tool to try to train with.”

The U.S. and British Army have more than a century of experience fighting together, driving the importance of continued training and lessons sharing.

The Covering Force Symposium, which included most officers and NCOs of the British armored force, was an opportunity for American and British warfighters to discuss shared challenges and potential solutions.

“I’m excited to not just fight together in the future, but to collaborate on how we’ve got to get better,” Diven said.

Source: United States Army

oderator: Good morning, everyone. Thank you for calling in to today’s media roundtable hosted by Colonel Neal, the 2nd Calvary Regiment Commander. Team, we’ve got a little feedback, I’d ask that you please mute your phones, thank you.

Before we get started, first and foremost, I just want to take a moment to send my thoughts and condolences to our team members that unfortunately lost their lives in operations in CENTCOM. I’d ask that you all keep them and all the other soldiers and troops forward in your thoughts and prayers.

With that being said, this media roundtable is a part of the regiment’s ongoing Army Current Operations Engagement Tour. The leaders that we have here from 2CR will discuss the unit’s recent mission in Europe and its implementation of lessons learned and other innovations and training and readiness. I’d ask that you please keep your questions focused accordingly. As always, should you have questions beyond the scope of what I just mentioned, myself and my teammates here at ACO are happy to action them following this media roundtable.

For today’s discussion, we are on the record, and I ask that you attribute all comments to our panelists by name as they will state before they speak. Please feel free to record this discussion, although a transcript will be provided following this roundtable.

We’ll get started with Colonel Neal’s opening remarks and introductions of the panelists. And following that, I will moderate our question and answer and any follow-on discussion. Like I said earlier, I’d ask that you please keep your phones muted until you are called upon. We have time slotted for one question and one follow-up. Pending any questions about any of that, I will turn things over to Colonel Neal. Sir.

Colonel Donald Ray Neal, Jr: Hey, good morning, everybody. I’m Colonel Donald Ray Neal, Jr., and I am, again, the Colonel–the Commanding Officer of 2nd Cavalry Regiment. We’re home-based in Vilseck, Germany, so we are the largest combat formation in Europe for the Army. Before I get started, I just want to offer, as well, my condolences to all those that are lost in the Middle East with the current events that are going on, and our prayers in the regiment go out to their families and to their units.

So as mentioned before, we’re here really in D.C. as part of the ACOET program, and we’ve been talking about what Army Continuous Transformation is doing for our unit as a ground combat unit. And also, I think we can highlight and give context to how that’s actually helping drive transformation in NATO, as well as we are a forward-assigned unit in Europe. There’s really three things that I’ll talk to you guys about. So first, I’ll give you some context on what started this journey of transforming ourselves and innovation within our unit. We’re going to talk to you about some of the key capabilities that we focused on, and then we’re also going to talk a little bit about some of the things that are going on currently that may be of interest in terms of capabilities development.

Before I go to that, I’m just going to tell you who’s in the room with us real quick. I’ve got my regimental chief of staff, Galen King, and he really can speak to anything that goes on in the regiment as the chief of staff, but he’s got a special kind of interest into our drone-building program that we took on last year. I’ve got my fire support officer, Major Andrew Kang, who has really been instrumental kind of in all innovation efforts. He’s been my chief of innovation for the regiment, so he can speak to any of these. Now, by trade, he is a fire supporter, so when it comes to the kill chain and how we’re using modern technologies to accelerate the kill chain in modern warfare, he can speak to that. I’ve also got Captain Gabe Glazer, who’s really a signal officer for the Army, but he’s really, really good at the data management side of the house, and so he can be value-added as well. I’ve got Sergeant First Class Styrum that’s here with me, and he’s actually a UAS operator, been doing it for 10 years, all things UAS, training soldiers to use it, fly it, build it. He’s also an expert. Then I’ve got, from one of my squadrons that was intimately involved in Project Flytrap, I’ve got Captain Cam Woodard that’s here with me, and he can tell you about his experiences with the first few iterations of Flytrap that took place over the last year. He’s also an intelligence officer.

All right, I’m going to pause there just briefly before I move on. Did I miss anybody? Okay. All right. We’re good. All right, so why we’re transforming. Obviously, the Army has the Continuous Transformation Program that’s going on right now. Our personal story as a unit really starts out with training Ukrainians in Europe, coming off the front line and having an interaction with them, where we’re able to help train them in individual skills all the way through battalion-level collective tasks. When we were training them, one thing that we were able to learn from is how they were using what we like to call in 2nd Cavalry Regiment the triad. It’s not the nuclear triad, don’t get it confused, but when we say it, what we mean is actually UAS, counter-UAS, EW, and the fourth component of that is really the network that enables it all.

What we realized is that they had some really good foundational skills in that area, and that the way they were using it with maneuver was something that we could learn from as an American formation that likely will employ some of the same capability in our next fight. We wanted to make sure that we extracted the right lessons learned from them. Not all of them will be transferable. We’ll say that up front. I don’t think all lessons that we’re seeing there will adapt to the style of the way the U.S. Army fights. We’re an offensive-minded Army, and so when it comes to counter-UAS, we’re really developing through Flytrap, offensive counter-UAS capability, so as we move and we become stationary before we do a key task, we’re able to protect ourselves from all types of drones.

The fourth thing that I mentioned–now, sorry, let me backtrack. Coming out of our training mission with the Ukrainians, the other thing I’ll add is that was the third iteration that we had trained Ukrainians that were coming off the front line. So this has been something that happened well before my time here in the regiment as well. And so naturally, the unit just kind of had this tie into the lessons learned coming out of Ukraine. So we’re already a unit that was starting to realize we needed to evolve before this. When we start talking about the triad, I think you’ll be interested in the follow-up questions and the network, because really, if you’re going to swarm and you’re going to unlock all of your maneuver potential in a future fight, if you don’t have a network that can really have access to the cloud with enough computing power, with technology on the edge, and with multiple transports to move data around, you really can’t use counter-UAS, UAS, and EW in the future fight. We’re learning that from the Ukrainians now.

And then one last thing that I’ll mention that I’ll throw out there for the follow-up questions that you might be interested in is the Army has really done a lot to help units at our level transform. And I think Flytrap is a great example, because what Flytrap does is it takes the acquisition community from across the Army on a specific subject, like counter-UAS or UAS, in the example of Flytrap, that’s really counter-UAS. It takes the acquisition community, it takes industry partners and vendors with the equipment, and it takes a combat unit and it puts them all in a training exercise where soldiers can give real-time feedback to the vendors, to the acquisition community, so we accelerate change the way Army Continuous Transformation is designed to do.

Flytrap, that model will persist. Our next Flytrap is in May, the 1st through the 15th in Lithuania. But I think you might also be interested in talking to Drew about xTech. Now, the story on xTech is my commander charged me with developing a deep-sensing capability for our Corps, and I knew that that involved, from our time with the Ukrainians, it would involve unmanned ground vehicles being a part of what I fight in my formation. That’s a really expensive thing to get into at this point in time in the American market. What xTech does with the acquisition community is it allows me to have a sponsor, really, to bring in vendors, figure out whose equipment works best, and I think the real beauty of this program is that we’re able to keep some stay-behind equipment. So it feeds the Army’s requirements on future capability, it allows units at the fighting level to get their hands on equipment, and then it allows us to work with industry, help them refine their requirements, and then keep it behind so we can train and develop tactics as we prepare for war.

All right, so that was a lot for an opener, but I’ll leave it there. Anybody on the team can really talk to any of the things that I just laid out for you, and we’re excited about the question and answer.

Moderator: Hey, sir, thanks for that really detailed overview. I know for us here, this is a really great opportunity. I think, as you will see from this discussion, 2CR really is an example of a lot of the things that HQDA is getting after in terms of their train, man, and equip mission. I said this in the opener, but before we start with our questions and answers, I just want to remind everyone, you know, it’s not lost on us, you know, the seriousness and the interest and the operations that are going on in CENTCOM. That is not the focus of this discussion, but as you can tell from Colonel Neal’s remarks, there’s a lot of good information that I think you can glean from this discussion. So, with that being said, we’re just going to go right down the line, in complete fairness, I’m really just going to call on reporters in the order that you RSVPd. So, our first question goes to Allyson Park from National Defense Magazine. Allyson, your question, please.

Allyson Park: Hi, thank you so much for your time. You mentioned that you’re developing offensive counter-UAS capabilities through Project Flytrap. I was wondering if you could go into a little bit more detail on what specific capabilities you’re looking to develop.

CDRNJ: Specifically, this one is a headquarters, you know, Department of the Army Headquarters Direct Admission. And what they’ve done is essentially–with all of the pieces of equipment that were–some of the pieces of equipment that were in the program of record already, and some that are emerging in the industry, really kind of ascended onto the unit for the previous Flytraps that we’ve done. And this thing started out, you know, smaller last year. Our next iteration has really grown and gained some steam. We’re going to have about 60 different pieces of equipment from 60 different vendors that will be working out there. Cam will talk through some of the, kind of like the macro thing, or the micro details of Flytrap. But it’s really designed to pair, like I kind of said in the opening, it’s designed to pair industry, the acquisition community, with combat formations.

And what I really think it does from a, you know, from a big picture level, is it takes the development of new capability out of the lab, and it really puts it in the field so you’re getting soldier feedback. Folks that their job is to close with and destroy, or something very tactical. The ones that are actually going to be the ones that use the equipment when it comes time to fight are the ones giving feedback directly to vendors and the acquisition community. That’s kind of the big picture. Cam can talk some of the specifics that you might have as well. Go ahead, Cam.

Captain Cam Woodard: Thank you, sir. So in terms of specific capabilities that we’re testing, so what we found is that different echelons require different capabilities and solutions. So down at the basic team squad level, requiring some sort of radio frequency detect and jam solution, requiring some sort of, you know, dismounted kinetic solution, whether it’s, you know, an M4 mounted optic or at the, you know, specific type of shotgun and ammo to range farther and hit those drones. So really that’s where that lives at, that capability, and then at the higher echelon platoon and troop, potentially some passive radar, interceptors, mounted kinetic solutions and proximity rounds, things like that. And then the capabilities grow and grow and grow as you go higher and higher and higher. So cyber takeover technology, active radar, things like that. So really we’re seeing is there’s no singular solution for the entire thing. It requires different solutions for different echelons.

CDRNJ: Allyson, does that answer your question?

AP: Yes. Thank you so much.

Moderator: All right. Our next question goes to Carly Welch from Breaking Defense, please.

Carly Welch: Excuse me. Hi there. Thank you for doing this. I’m interested in the xTech edge strike competition. And what have you learned in terms of the capabilities you’ve seen there? And how does that relate to some of the lessons learned from the Ukrainian soldiers that you’ve been working with?

Major Andrew Kang: Yeah. Hey, Carly. This is Major Drew Kang. I think the biggest thing we’re learning is challenges with navigating the market. I think what we found is it is actually harder to break into the unmanned ground vehicle market because the platforms vary at price points that are a little bit outside of the reach of a brigade combat team level. So I think there are some platforms that are a little more attritable at the $500 to $1,000 range. And then you’re seeing it expand all the way up to potentially million-dollar platforms. When we’re looking at the conflict in Ukraine specifically, most of the use cases for unmanned ground vehicles have actually been in the sustainment and logistics, specifically the medical casualty evacuation, where they’re using unmanned ground vehicles to load casualties to take back to the rear. So those are the initial ones that we’re interested in.

I think the big benefit of the approach that xTech is taking is, one, they’re soliciting feedback from the soldiers who are testing the kit so that they are the ones that are actually selecting the tactical employment and capabilities that the Army needs to acquire. And two, it’s that they’re leaving the equipment behind for us to continue to iterate on. So we are actually developing some of the tactics, techniques, and procedures and the standard operating procedures for how we employ these capabilities to further inform the institution. And then we’re also able to take the systems and then integrate them into other operations. So we plan on integrating these systems out of Project Flytrap to build on the capability.

CW: Yeah. Thank you. Just a quick follow-up to that. Are you finding, or are the soldiers finding, that kind of the more attritable ones do the job just as well as the expensive ones? Or kind of what’s been the feedback in that realm?

MAK: Yeah. So we haven’t had a ton. Just truth in lending, we are doing this testing right now, like, as we speak, the exercise is ongoing. I think the big thing that’s important for us is these systems have to be purpose-built. So for the smaller attritable ones, potentially we see the biggest bang for our buck in utilizing them for things like breaching, where now instead of having a manned formation go to the breach point, we could potentially load an explosive on a RC car-type platform and drive that, mitigating risk to soldiers. I think the possibilities are endless. There’s–every warfighting function has some application, and I would say we’re very much in the early stages of this, but very excited to continue testing.

CW: Great. Thank you.

Moderator: All right. Alexandra Ingersoll from OAN, please.

Alexandra Ingersoll: I think I’ll pass on this. Thanks.

Moderator: Okay. Meredith from Janes, please.

Meredith Roaten: Hi, all. Thanks for doing this. My question is on the UGBs as well. Is there a certain price point or a range that you could give me for what you’re looking for for UGBs, and also, what is kind of the thinking behind how many systems you plan to buy at the end of testing? Thanks.

MAK: Yeah, I think it’s difficult to map out exactly what the right price point is. We have to start with the requirement and the capability. I think the most promising one that’s kind of the easiest one to do is mirroring what the Ukrainians are doing with a lot of the backhaul logistics and casualty. As far as like how many systems that we need at echelon, again, I think that’s difficult for us to define without clearly defining the requirements. So I know that’s not necessarily a direct answer. I think—-

CDRNJ: I can jump in too. Hey, this is Colonel Neal. On price, I mean, to be honest, and I’m not saying this to be kind of to be a smart aleck, but I think the cheaper, the better, because in most uses for unmanned ground vehicles, we know we’re going to put them in a position where we’re not going to recover them or they’ll be destroyed because we want to make contact with the enemy first with a line of sensors and robots. So we need them to be as cheap as possible, but what we also need them to be is scalable, tailorable, to fit the mission-specific requirements. And so to get something that’s super expensive that has this exquisite capability on it and costs $1.3 million really doesn’t do us a whole lot of good. It would not be a good investment for most commanders because we–just on how we know the Ukrainians are using them probably has a lot of application to us as well. And most of these systems are attritable.

MR: All right. And just a follow-up question. Are you only testing the companies that kind of won the xTech competition or are you involving companies that didn’t win but kind of were still involved? Thanks.

MAK: So when the initial call to industry went out, and I think we got about 140 responses. And then the Global Tactical Acquisitions team that the ASA(ALT) stood up narrowed that down to about 15 different vendors for this specific contest. Two of the vendors are actually actively being used in Ukraine. So those are generally the ones that we’re really excited about. But there’s a broad range of different vendors that are participating.

MR: Can you say what those two vendors are?

MAK: I have them in my notes. Let me get back to you on that one. I’ll take that as a question and we’ll get back to you.

MR: Thank you.

CDRNJ: Thanks, Meredith. One last thing I’ll throw on the UGB is I think right now the way we’re seeing them, you know, Drew mentioned logistics, backhaul of casualties, things like that. I think it has the greatest potential of use as we develop future warfighting concepts. I mean, like with my charge to build a deep sensing capability for my higher headquarters, you know, a line of robots gives me the ability to put out, you know, decoys, sensors that can, you know, tell if there’s movement in areas where I don’t necessarily want to put a soldier. It can extend my communications, you know, out a little bit further depending what I put on it. It can do a whole lot of things. So we’re really excited about xTech because it allows us to help shape a requirement for the Army that we think will really be transferable in the future.

MAK: And ma’am, to answer your question, the two companies are one is GuardTech and the other is Mountain Horse.

MR: Thank you.

Moderator: All right. So our next question goes to Mr. Sakamoto from Senkei Shimbun, please.

Kazuyuki Sakamoto: I’m fine. I don’t have a question. Thank you.

Moderator: Okay. Thanks for calling in. Kelsey Baker from Business Insider, please.

Kelsey Baker: Hi. I don’t have a question right now. Thank you.

Moderator: Okay. Brian Everstine from Aviation Week, please. Actually, I don’t–yeah. Go ahead, Brian.

Brian Everstine: Hi. Thanks, everyone, for doing this. I was hoping to follow up a little bit more on Flytrap, kind of a two-parter for anyone who wants to jump in. How does this overlap with kind of the broader efforts, what the JCO is doing, what JIATF 401 is doing? How are you feeding into that? How are they feeding into what you’re trying to do? And also, I was hoping you can kind of elaborate more on the scenarios, what you’re looking at based on real-world inputs. Two specific things I was hoping to ask about is the rise of EW, denied comms, denied GPS, that sort of thing, and countering tethered fiber optic drones. How are you getting after that problem? Thank you.

CDRNJ: Hey, Brian. Thanks a lot for the question. This is Colonel Neal. I’ll answer your first one about the overlap with JIATF 401. There’s some information sharing, but it’s very limited at the moment. And I think that’s primarily because we have different mission sets and different requirements that we’re driving towards. Ours, again, it’s kind of, you know, when we talk counter-UAS, it’s to enable maneuver, and so it’s offensive in nature. I think 401 has a slightly different capability requirement that they’re trying to develop on their end. Some of the technology, I think, you know, that we’ll employ will be the same. So there’ll be a need for a little bit of collaboration, but right now it’s very minimal.

Captain Gabe Glazer: Yeah, Brian, this is Captain Gabe Glazer. I can answer the second part of your question. So in terms of the exercise design, what we’re doing is putting a company versus company with a suite of counter-range UAS capabilities sort of against each other in a scrimmage style exercise. And something that we’re really trying to do with Flytrap for this iteration of it is to validate the network and its ability to operate denied and degraded. So we’re getting a couple pieces of equipment that have all of the sensor ingest and deconfliction abilities that can operate without being needed to be connected to the Internet or the cloud. And we’re moving all those capabilities from the cloud to what we’re calling the tactical edge.

Moderator: Hey, Brian, does that answer your question?

BE: Yeah, I guess to delve a little bit more on that, I mean, does that go directly combined at what I was raising with denied EW and fiber optic tethering? It seems like a lot of the demos we’ve seen lately has kind of not yet gone into the tethered FPV type problem, which is so prevalent in Ukraine. Is that something that is specifically going after?

CCW: Hey, Brian, this is Captain Woodard. We are going after the fiber optic problem set in terms of looking at EOIR cameras and acoustics. So we are testing the full suite of systems at Project Flytrap to get after that problem set.

BE: Great. Thank you.

Moderator: All right. Thanks. Next question is for Evan Lynch, Signal Magazine, please.

Evan Lynch: Hey, everybody. Thanks so much for taking the time to do this today, guys. My question is just regarding Project Flytrap, kind of going off of what you guys were just talking about. I guess what is the biggest difference between Project Flytrap 5.0 and Flytrap 4.5 that happened, I believe, late November and other past Flytraps?

CDRNJ: OK. Hey, great–great question. And I’ll start out. This is Colonel Neal. So the biggest thing for me is the exercise design. What I charged my staff with was to really try to recreate a day in a life on the battlefield in Ukraine. And so what that really meant was increasing the number of UAS, the various types that are in the air that are either friend or foe. And then really, I think with the 60 different pieces of equipment from the different vendors that will be on the ground, what it’s really going to do is give us some stress on our network that we didn’t have at the previous Flytraps that I think will give us feedback on what we need to do to really improve our networks. I think that will feed into NextGen C2 and maybe give it some different data points that are needed as well. But I think the volume of counter-UAS, UAS, and EW use in this will be slightly different than before and slightly higher, actually.

Moderator: Okay. We’re going to move on.

EL: Thanks so much, guys.

Moderator: Thanks, Evan. Lizbeth Perez from MeriTalk, please.

Lizbeth Perez: Yeah, hi. I think most of my questions were answered, but if I could just ask, as you guys move through these iterations, can you talk about any lessons learned or any challenges you faced as you get into the new iteration of Project Flytrap?

Unknown Speaker: Yeah, I think good things we could talk about would be cognitive overload—-

CCW: All right. Lizbeth, I’ll start off in terms of the–two things is specifically that there requires a layered concept. There’s no singular solution to counter-UAS specifically. So different echelons require different solutions to create a full bubble that can maneuver and unlock maneuvers, we say. The second thing that I will say is that we’re seeing a cognitive overload on the ground for commanders who have to fight both the ground fight and air fight. So really, we’re driving home the technology to remove the cognitive overload for the commander so they can fight and win that ground fight. And I’ll turn it over to the other part of the team for the other part.

MAK: Yeah, I’ll elaborate a little bit more on the cognitive overload is I think a big piece of the counter-UAS fight is the complement of sensors that are collecting data. So Cam mentioned it earlier. There’s acoustic data. There’s electromagnetic spectrum data. There’s visual data. And all these things are now coming down to the troop and platoon level where now as a troop commander, you can imagine not only am I thinking through how I’m doing a combined arms fight to maneuver my forces to be in a position of advantage, I have to do this while on the move protecting my force. And really what allows that decision-making is the input–the ingest of all that data to optimize the right defeat mechanism against the threat.

So this is where I think we keep harping on the network. I think it’s easy to get caught up in the UAS and the counter-UAS kinetic options are the big shiny object that obviously need investment. But what truly enables all of this, the fundamentals of warfighting is still a commander on the ground making the right decision at the right time. The pace of the modern fight in Ukraine is almost incomprehensible, I would argue, and even just the rate of adaptation that we’re seeing is so rapid that you have to leverage a lot of the services that exist on the cloud, the machine learning applications, the AI applications to enable a commander to process the data to make the right decision at the right time. So the cognitive overload is the big piece.

Moderator: Drew Lawrence from Defense Scoop, please.

Drew Lawrence: Hey, thanks for doing this. I’m hoping you can talk about the relationship between signature management and EW. How are you integrating EW into recon and infantry units, and is it changing the way you think about your own signature management? Are you identifying your own signature vulnerabilities? And if so, how are you addressing them?

CGG: Hey, thank you for the question. This is Captain Gabe Glazer. So I would say yes, our interactions with developing counter-UAS has greatly deepened our understanding of the EW spectrum, how we look on it, and how our enemy looks on it. We’re calling that one of our new fundamentals on top of all of our warfighting fundamentals. There needs to be a baseline understanding of the spectrum across every single warfighter. In terms of our spectrum management, it absolutely has driven a couple of our tactics, techniques, and procedures, how we manage our communications architecture, how we are disciplined on the radionets, and times that we communicate. Those have seeped into every single echelon of the regiment, absolutely.

CDRNJ: And this is Colonel Neal. I also think the lessons that we’re learning out of it is that spectrum analysis is going to be needed down at a lower echelon than maybe we’ve designed our forces to have it now, because if you’re going to fly UAS or protect against UAS, the only way you’re going to have your assets in the right position is to understand the electromagnetic spectrum, which means we’re going to need it, again, down at a lower level than we have now, which typically resides at the brigade level and higher.

DL: Thank you. And just as a follow-up, we’ve talked about Ukraine a couple times here, and that has shown EW cuts both ways. And so I’m wondering specifically when it comes to EW in that signature management, is there anything that you’re taking away from that conflict and applying to the exercises that you’re doing now?

CDRNJ: Yeah, I’ll just give you a little bit of context. So we had our major training rotation last summer. And 10 years ago, when I was a brigade XO, we had a command post that could have filled almost every square inch the size of a football field, right? And at that rotation, just given all of these capabilities that are being brought to bear by our opposing force that were simulating real enemy, we had to be–our visual signature had to be significantly smaller. So from a football field to a half of a basketball court is about as big as you can get without being vulnerable. And instead of having one massive, we had four different ones spread sometimes up to 30 kilometers away from each other to be survivable. So yeah, hopefully that gives you a good visual and understanding on how we’re–how that’s changing.

DL: It does, thanks.

Moderator: All right. Eve Sampson from Military Times, please.

Eve Sampson: Hi. Thank you all so much for doing this. My question is, given how much reconnaissance is now done by drones in Ukraine, is that changing the role of, like, cavalry scouts in a really reconnaissance-heavy formation like 2CR?

CDRNJ: It is. But what I’ll tell you is, you know, Germany is a great place to train because you can get four seasons in, you know, in about a 48-hour period. And so if you can get–you know, if weather is supportive and you can get your assets up in the air, particularly when it comes to UAVs, perfect. But when you get freezing fog and, you know, your minimum requirements to fly anything in the air aren’t there, it’s still going to require an all-weather sensor, which is going to be a Cav Scout or an infantry soldier that’s going to a point to surveil a, you know, point of interest.

ES: Got it. Thank you.

Moderator: All right. Matthew Beinart from Defense Daily, please.

Matthew Beinart: Great. Thank you for doing this. I wanted to ask, how has 2CR made use of the new GTAD marketplace? And, you know, in terms of that–having that option now, is the idea that, you know, you see promising technology as part of Project Flytrap and then GTAD is the way to go rapidly acquire that? How has that all kind of worked?

Major Galen King: Hey, sir. Major Galen King, Regimental XO. Yeah, I do think that the mechanism of the GTAD or the, you know, xTech price challenges does enable and I think expedite commercial technology directly into the hands of soldiers who then provide iterative feedback back to that system or back to that vendor, rather, to be able to improve it and then drive the requirement. So I think in terms of a model, I think similar to what we’re seeing in Ukraine, this absolutely enables a symbiotic relationship between industry, the acquisition community, and warfighters to be able to accelerate the adaptation cycle. Like I said, very similar to what we’re seeing in Ukraine, and it enables us to keep pace with what we’re seeing from our adversaries as well.

MB: As a follow-up to that, is–so I guess is the GTAD not–is the primary purpose to still identify, you know, technologies that you can get in small quantities to do that sort of testing, gather that feedback, as opposed to say, you know, this is a mechanism for getting something in larger quantities for, okay, we’ve tested it and it’s ready for maybe a wider use? How is that being utilized? Is it primarily for that testing purpose, rapid feedback?

CDRNJ: I think the former of your examples is what we’re seeing right now.

MB: Okay. Appreciate it. And–but then to confirm then, have–there have been capabilities picked out through the marketplace that have been utilized for that rapid feedback to date?

CDRNJ: Maybe a good way to give an example. So like when Drew mentioned the UGVs that were–that are in the current prize challenge, we’ll–of the 15 that come out, we’ll probably keep, you know, half a dozen that go into future training events. But it’s not going to allow me to acquire a regiment’s worth of what I need. That feedback that we get from the training iterations will go back to industry. It’ll feed the requirements, you know, of the acquisition community, go back into the Army, and it should inform programs of record that the Army is going to put big dollars towards.

MB: Okay. Appreciate that. Thank you.

Moderator: Hey, team. I want to be sensitive of everyone’s time. That is my list, but I know we had a couple of people that called in after we started. I do want to give Colonel Neal and the team a chance for some follow-up comments, but–or closing comments, I should say. But I just wanted to just call out, if anyone that called in after we started, if you would identify yourself by name and outlet and ask your question, here’s your opportunity [pause] Okay. Nothing heard. So I’ll turn it over to Colonel Neal and the team for closing comments.

CDRNJ: Yeah. Hey, thanks a lot for y’all’s time. We really appreciate being able to talk to you about some of the things we’re excited about doing as we prepare for war. I’m going to hand it over to Drew, and I think, as you remember all of this capability that we said we’re developing, I think it’s important to understand how it fits into our mission in Europe, particularly when it comes to the Eastern Flank Deterrence Initiative. So Drew’s going to talk just briefly about that.

MAK: Yeah. So I think when General Donohue came into the theater, he established the concept that we call the Eastern Flank Deterrence Initiative. And everyone in the theater, and even many of our allies and partners, are very familiar with this initiative. And really, the core tenet behind the concept is how do we reduce forward posture with manned formations and build that sensor layer and the forward line of robotics is what we call it in 2CR, whether that’s unmanned ground vehicles or unmanned aerial vehicles. And again, really enabled by the network. The network is a critical component of all of this. But what the unique thing about the Eastern Flank Deterrence Initiative is, you know, it’s tied in with the Army’s Transformation Initiative, and it’s driving our transformation. But what we’re seeing, too, is many of our allies and partners are also transforming alongside us.

This is a prevalent challenge for everyone in the theater. And we’re seeing a lot of our allies and partners, you know, adopting things like Maven smart systems so that we can have better shared common operating picture with them. We’re seeing them navigate the Project Flytrap. You know, I don’t know if we mentioned this earlier. It’s actually a joint U.S. and U.K. initiative where we’re testing and building the same capabilities in our formations to continue enhancing interoperability. So really, the core tenet here is I think Army transformation is really driving NATO transformation across the board, and we’re doing this alongside allies and partners.

CDRNJ: All right. Well, thanks a lot again for your time. Have a great day. That’s all we have from 2nd Cavalry Regiment.

Moderator: Thanks, everyone. Have a good day. This concludes our roundtable.

Source: United States Army

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U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa

ARCHERS POST, Kenya — U.S. service members, Kenya Defence Forces and local civilian medical teams delivered critical healthcare to Samburu County communities during a Medical Civic Action Program, MEDCAP, as part of Justified Accord 2026, Feb. 26–27, 2026.

The combined team of U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force and KDF treated approximately 1,200 patients across two days at Archers Post Sub-County Hospital and Laresoro Dispensary, providing essential role one care while strengthening multinational partnerships and improving crisis response readiness.

The MEDCAP served as a practical training opportunity during the multinational exercise, allowing medical professionals to operate in austere conditions while delivering direct care to underserved communities.

“This year we doubled the size of the team and for the first time had a joint team of Army and Air Force from components one, two and three, increasing overall Department of Defense interoperability and readiness,” said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Amanda Owens, civil affairs officer assigned to U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF).

Owens also highlighted how new medical technology enhanced patient care during the mission.

“The portable ultrasound machines, which to my knowledge weren’t brought to previous MEDCAPs, enhanced the level of care the team was able to provide to the community, which otherwise has no ultrasound capability,” she said.

Medical providers used the portable ultrasound systems to diagnose conditions that might otherwise go undetected in remote environments.

In addition to general medical services, dental providers addressed a significant gap in local healthcare access. The Massachusetts National Guard dental team delivered oral hygiene instruction, triaged patients for preventive and restorative care, and performed extractions on teeth deemed non-restorable.

U.S. Army Maj. Diana Li, a dentist assigned to the Massachusetts Army National Guard Medical Detachment, worked alongside KDF Capt. Daniel Arusho, a dentist with the Kenya Defence Forces, to treat patients who often have limited access to dental care.

“No dental services are currently available at Archers Post Hospital or Laresoro Health Centre,” Li said. “Our team was honored to provide essential dental care to the local communities.”

U.S. Army Capt. Elijah Taylor, a physician assistant with the Massachusetts Army National Guard’s 3rd Battalion, 126th Aviation Regiment, said the technology proved critical in evaluating serious conditions.

“Dr. [Lt. Col.] Benjamin Krainin and I also did cardiac and lung ultrasounds to evaluate for, and identify heart failure,” Taylor said.

U.S. Army Lt. Col. Benjamin Krainin, MD, brigade surgeon for the 173rd Mobile Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), added that the equipment enabled providers to diagnose and monitor patients in a resource-limited setting quickly.

“I performed a few dozen bedside ultrasounds, predominantly to assess fetal well-being in pregnant patients — and found twins,” said Krainin. “Every provider likely saw between two and three times the patient load that would have been handled on a typical emergency room shift.”

Beyond improving diagnostic capability, the MEDCAP exposed U.S. providers to diseases and conditions rarely encountered at home.

“MEDCAPs are an opportunity for U.S. providers to be exposed to disease processes that are rare or nonexistent in the United States, enhancing our deployed clinical skills,” said U.S. Army Maj. Ryan Haug, a physician assistant with Special Operations Detachment–Global, Rhode Island Army National Guard. “The opportunity to engage with partner forces and collaborate to care for people in need enhances interoperability and reinforces our country’s dedication to an important ally.”

Haug’s participation also highlighted the National Guard’s ability to leverage partnerships across multiple states through the State Partnership Program, bringing together expertise from across the force.

For Air National Guard medics, the mission offered training opportunities unavailable in most stateside settings.

“In JA26, I play the role of an aerospace medical technician, also known as a medic,” said U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Kyle Kendall with the 104th Medical Group, Massachusetts Air National Guard. “It’s extremely important that we bring our airmen to Africa because there are so many skills we aren’t able to train on [in a military setting] back in the United States, such as caring for pediatric, geriatric and pregnant patients.”

Kendall said ultrasound technology proved especially valuable in diagnosing conditions during the mission.

“In the medical world, ultrasound is continuing to grow in its usage and could potentially replace a stethoscope,” he said. “We were able to diagnose many different conditions that we normally would not have.”

At Laresoro Dispensary, the team treated approximately 585 patients in a single day, providing assessments, medications and follow-up care to residents from nearby communities.

KDF personnel emphasized that the MEDCAP also reinforced professional military cooperation and operational readiness.

“Today we are conducting a medical camp as a culmination of joint training activities with the U.S. military and other partner nations in exercise Justified Accord 26,” said KDF Col. Mohammed Omar, a MEDCAP organizer. “We are learning new skills, sharing experiences and preparing ourselves for operational activities. Training is a continuous process so that we remain ready for missions.”

Members of the Massachusetts National Guard highlighted the dual benefit of humanitarian assistance and professional development during the exercise.

“Kenya has been our state partner for the past decade, so we’re strengthening the relationship we have with Kenya while also strengthening our medical skills,” said U.S. Army Capt. Bridget Keefe, a medical-surgical nurse with the Massachusetts Army National Guard Medical Detachment. “Here I was able to fully immerse myself in hands-on patient care and bring the skills I use as a surgical intensive care unit nurse in my civilian job into this mission.”

Medical leaders overseeing the mission said the MEDCAP demonstrated how joint and multinational teams can rapidly deliver care during humanitarian crises while improving readiness across the force.

“In JA26, I serve as the medical operations officer for the MEDCAP activities in Samburu County,” said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Katherine Murphy, deputy commander for administration and global health engagement liaison for the Massachusetts Army National Guard. “Our Soldiers and Airmen had the opportunity to train, validate and execute critical tasks while working directly with our KDF health partners and community health workers.”

Murphy noted that the integration of point-of-care ultrasound alongside multinational medical teams significantly improved diagnostic capability and clinical outcomes.

“Bringing our Soldiers and Airmen here helps build trust with our partner nation, increases interoperability and improves learning opportunities with our Kenyan partners,” she said.

Led by U.S. Africa Command and organized by SETAF-AF, Justified Accord 2026 is the largest U.S. military exercise in East Africa. Hosted in Djibouti, Kenya and Tanzania, the exercise includes personnel from approximately 15 partner nations.

The exercise strengthens multinational interoperability in support of humanitarian assistance and crisis response while preparing regional partners for missions with the United Nations and African Union.

For Murphy and many of the participating service members, the mission represented more than training — it was a chance to make a lasting impact.

“Getting to be part of JA26 is one of the biggest highlights of my career,” said Murphy. “This is why I joined the military — to make an impact not just on one person, but many.”

About SETAF-AF

U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) prepares Army forces, executes crisis response, enables strategic competition and strengthens partners to achieve U.S. Army Europe and Africa and U.S. Africa Command campaign objectives.

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Source: United States Army

RAYONG, Thailand – The joint annual military Exercise Cobra Gold 2026, held in Thailand, has successfully concluded after two weeks of intensive training, humanitarian efforts and cultural exchanges.

The United States and Thailand co-hosted the 45th annual Exercise Cobra Gold, bringing about 8,000 troops from 30 nations together to participate in military training and humanitarian civic assistance projects from Feb. 24 to March 6. Cobra Gold allows allies to strengthen their partnership by working together and demonstrates the U.S. commitment to regional security in the Indo-Pacific.

“The region’s security is dependent upon and determined by all of us,” said Gen. Ukris Boontanondha, chief of Defense Forces Thailand.

Cobra Gold is the largest joint exercise in mainland Asia. It is a testament to the enduring U.S.-Thai alliance and a powerful platform for building partner military capabilities. The exercise exemplifies the U.S. commitment to advancing improvements in multinational speed of crisis response, mission effectiveness and combat capability.

“The U.S.-Thai alliance is one of America’s oldest and most enduring defense partnerships,” said U.S. Ambassador to Thailand Sean K. O’Neil during the opening ceremony.

Washington National Guard and Thailand are partners in the Department of War National Guard Bureau State Partnership Program.

O’Neil highlighted the partnership, saying, “Cobra Gold would not be possible without our Thai allies.”

This annual exercise, co-sponsored by the Royal Thai Armed Forces and U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, brought together a robust multinational force to address shared goals and security commitments. Some of the partner nations were Thailand, the United States, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Republic of Korea and Singapore.

“What makes Cobra Gold 2026 unique is its the 45th iteration,” said U.S. Army Maj. Gen. William Prendergast, commander of the 40th Infantry Division, California Army National Guard. “It’s great to bring all these multinational players in to build partnership, readiness and regional stability.”

Cobra Gold 2026 included more than 15 training events with the goal of strengthening the partnership between the U.S. and Thailand, while also improving regional security by investing in readiness, posture and advanced capabilities to increase combined deterrence in contested environments.

The Cyber Exercise, or CYBEREX, was part of Cobra Gold that brought together more than 150 cyber personnel from eight participating nations, all working together against a fictitious enemy seeking to disrupt computer systems and gain the upper hand in combat.

A scenario simulated during CYBEREX involved coordinated cyberattacks shutting down an air defense radar and an electrical grid within moments. An air traffic control tower was overwhelmed in a distributed denial-of-service attack. Logistics were interrupted, the flow of information was staunched and a cruise missile slipped past and hit its target.

The opposing force for the exercise was made up of participants from all partner nations. They employed a curated set of recent, common exploits and attack types to replicate what cyber personnel may face in a real-world scenario.

“Tactical Cyber Operations have operational-level impact. It’s really important to translate tactical cyber operations into the operational level,” said U.S. Air Force Maj. Paul Lucero, assistant director of operations, with 262d Cyberspace Operations Squadron, 252d Cyberspace Operations Group, 194th Wing, Washington Air National Guard. “If not, it’s cyber doing it for the sake of cyber, not to support the commanders’ mission.”

Lucero said this year’s theme for the CYBEREX was integration, translation and realism.

“It’s no longer a matter of if you will be breached,” Lucero said. “It is when.”

U.S. Army National Guard Capt. Antonio Montez, an aviation liaison officer at Cobra Gold 2026, said the exercise presents an opportunity for U.S. service members to work jointly with national forces, leveraging each other’s assets and expertise to overcome whatever problems arise.

“The benefit of being a Guardsman is that we have these long-standing relationships with a lot of the Thai military already from the state partnership exchanges,” Montez said. “Having these relationships already has us working with a good flow, and we can better overcome these problems that we encounter.”

Prendergast also enjoyed the engagement with the Royal Thai Armed Forces partners.

“They are welcoming, they want to build readiness and partnership. It’s just great to be with them on all the different events, from the [command post exercise] to the marine strike, to the amphibious landing, to the counter amphibious landing, our Thai partners have truly been wonderful to work with,” Prendergast said.

Exercise Cobra Gold 2026 reinforced the U.S.-Thailand alliance and demonstrated the collective commitment of 30 nations to a free and open Indo-Pacific through enhanced interoperability, rapid crisis response and shared humanitarian values. The enduring partnerships and friendships forged on the training fields and in the communities will continue to strengthen regional security and readiness for years to come.

Even as units return home in the coming days, military planners already are looking to Cobra Gold 2027 to continue building on this regionally important exercise. As Boontanondha said during the opening ceremony, “Cobra Gold 26 is more than just training, it’s forging everlasting friendships.”

Contributing to this report: Sgt. Matthew Sprowl and Spc. Christopher Chavero

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Source: United States Army

JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska – In a state where communities are separated by vast terrain, and severe weather can isolate regions without warning, resilient communications are essential. More than 30 radio operators positioned at 28 locations across Alaska participated in Exercise Arctic Connect, linking a network of federal, state and volunteer organizations.

Participants represented elements of the Alaska Organized Militia, including the Alaska Army and Air National Guard and the Alaska State Defense Force, alongside members of the Civil Air Patrol, the State of Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management and representatives from the National Guard Bureau. Together, they worked to validate high-frequency radio pathways and strengthen Alaska’s statewide communications plan.

“High-frequency communications are inherently influenced by environmental conditions,” said Lt. Col. Herbert Gladwill, Alaska National Guard joint staff director of communications and cyber. “Weather, space weather and propagation variability all play a role, especially in Alaska. Arctic Connect allowed us to identify those challenges, communicate through them and strengthen the network before we need it in a real-world event.”

A simple exchange becomes a radio check in the exercise.

“Harpoon 1-2, this is Midnight Sun 1, radio check, over.”

A brief pause spans the 545 miles of Arctic terrain, mountains, and tundra between Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson and Nome.

“Midnight Sun 1, this is Harpoon 1-2. I read you loud and clear. How me?”

The response cuts clean through the static.

That exchange is reassurance that when distance, weather or infrastructure fail, communication does not. Exercise Arctic Connect was designed to test exactly that.

Some stations established strong connections immediately. Others required adjustment.

Signal personnel inside the Joint Operations Center at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson could clearly receive transmissions, but outbound traffic was not initially confirmed, a reminder that in high-frequency operations, antenna alignment and power output determine whether a signal carries cleanly or fades into static.

Teams collaborated in real time, refining configurations, adjusting frequency tuning and working methodically to move yellow indicators back to green.

The exercise became less about a single transmission and more about a network of professionals learning, adapting and reinforcing one another.

That collaboration reflects Alaska’s broader emergency response framework. Each mission partner plays a distinct role in supporting communities during disasters and contingency operations.

“Our responsibility is to the people of Alaska,” said Col. Christy Brewer, Alaska National Guard director of joint operations. “That means ensuring we can maintain command and control across a state where terrain, weather and distance test every system. This exercise validates the partnerships and redundant pathways that allow us to respond decisively when communities need us.”

Arctic Connect reinforced the Guard’s role as a communications bridge across Alaska’s vast and often unforgiving landscape. The exercise ensured that leaders and responders can remain connected when it matters most.

“Resilience in communications isn’t accidental,” Gladwill said. “It’s built deliberately. Every antenna we tune, every alternate pathway we validate, and every adjustment we make strengthens the architecture that supports our mission.”

When the next call goes out, “Midnight Sun 1, this is Harpoon 1-2,” the answer will not rely on perfect conditions. It will rely on preparation.

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Source: United States Army

The tranquil sound of prayer echoed off the sterile walls of the main hall where rows of bunks were lined up for patients to rest at the aid station.

Leading the Rosary prayer was a former infantryman known affectionately throughout the Iowa National Guard as “Sully”, who along with the chaplain, selflessly brought religious support to those on sick call who were physically unable to attend the actual service due to illness or injury.

Nestled amongst the medical equipment and supplies in the cramped space were a half-dozen Soldiers who were here to support training for the 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division, Iowa Army National Guard (IAARNG) before they deployed to the Middle East in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. They were too ill to attend the Sunday chapel service held earlier that morning at the Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC) in Fort Polk, Louisiana, in June of 2025

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“Chaplains have to serve a wide variety of faiths,” said Army Maj. Steve DeHaan, Chaplain, Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC), 734th Regional Support Group (RSG), IAARNG. “Finding someone like Sully, who had a heart for and was willing to lead the Rosary and help others. I think one of the significant things from that, was that it inspired.”

Sgt. 1st Class Michael “Sully” Sullivan, Assistant Operations Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO), HHC, 734th RSG, IAARNG, grew up on a 180-acre family farm in Fonda, Iowa, where both cattle and pigs were raised. There were only 22 students in his graduating class in the tiny northwest hamlet. He excelled at golf in high school, culminating in his team making state for the first time in school history.

Sullivan also played football, basketball, and baseball. As a catcher in baseball, he was scouted by colleges. Yet off the field, he began making decisions that would cost him some of those opportunities. During his senior year, he was cited for an open alcohol container violation and faced an ultimatum with his coach. Either ride the bench or quit. Sullivan chose the latter and went to work instead of suiting up for the varsity squad that season. Due to his actions, he also was not allowed to participate in the state golf tournament with the team he had helped get there.

After graduating from high school, he moved away for a few years then moved back to Fonda where he found work as a mechanic at a shop specializing in hydraulics. It was here that Sullivan was introduced to the Iowa Army National Guard.

A chief warrant officer who ran the business invited him along to drill one weekend at the Field Maintenance Shop #10 in Boone, IA. “He took me into the shop and I was like, ‘I work on trucks every day of the week. I don’t want to do it on drill weekend’,” said Sullivan. “Then he took me over to the AASF (Army Aviation Support Facility) and I saw my very first helicopter, and I fell in love, and that’s how I started my career.”

He enlisted near the end of 1989 and went to basic training at Fort Dix, New Jersey, then advanced individual training (AIT) at Fort Eustis, Virginia, where he trained on CH-47 Chinooks for six months. After completion of initial entry training, he found work as a mechanic at an agricultural machinery dealership. He then received further training and in the early 1990s became one of the first crew chiefs in the state on the newly fielded UH-60 Black Hawk.

By all appearances, Sullivan was on a path of success in both civilian and military life. However, that path diverged around this time. “I started hanging with a pretty rough crowd,” he said. “They were bikers, they liked to party. I got my own Harley and partied pretty hard and got into the bad side of it.”

Sullivan ultimately failed a urine analysis for a controlled substance in the autumn of 1996 and was discharged, which he said devastated him. Methamphetamines were becoming prevalent in his hometown, so he decided on a fresh start and moved to Des Moines, Iowa, where he found employment at a country club golf course.

Sullivan was thriving once again working as a mechanic at the golf course and as the shop manager. He also met his wife Tammy and started a family. He credits being a father on what helped him get clean. Then fate intervened with the attacks on 9/11.

He said he was standing inside a hole working on a sewer line on the golf course when the towers went down. A coworker expressed his desire to re-enlist with the Marine Corps, but health issues prevented it. “It got me thinking,” Sullivan said. “Well, maybe I can get back in. So, I got hooked up with a recruiter.”

It was a several yearlong process, but he was finally sworn back into the military on January 11, 2005. On that day, he committed to himself to never being a bad Soldier ever again. However, due to his past indiscretion he was barred from rejoining aviation. The only option was a 25C-Radio Operator-Maintainer and then later he reclassed as an 11B-Infantryman to gain an Active Guard Reserve (AGR) full-time position in 2008.

He has been AGR ever since which included a deployment in 2010-11 to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, as part of Task Force Red Bulls with the 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division, IAARNG.

Sullivan takes full ownership of his battles with substance abuse. “I took the drug abuse way too far,” he said. “That was all on me. It wasn’t on anybody that I was with. I just got addicted to it. I found out where I can continue to get it and just continue to abuse.”

Sullivan, a lifelong Catholic, credits his faith for helping him stay sober and contributing to him being a better Soldier. He rarely went to church but at the urging of a friend he went to mass at St. Anthony Catholic Church in Des Moines. Sullivan said, “I stepped into St. Anthony and I just started bawling. I found it. I found that happy place and I’ve been at St. Anthony ever since.”

Sullivan has faced other adversities as well. Since childhood he has had a form of shakes or trembling that got progressively worse over time. Doctors at one point thought he had Parkinson’s disease. Finally, after an MRI a neurologist informed him that he had an extremely bad case of tremors. His mother, brother, and son all have the same hereditary condition.

The good news was that it was treatable. The bad news was that the surgery, called Deep Brain Stimulation, was very dangerous and intrusive which in rare cases results in death. “They drill holes in your head”, said Sullivan. “They shove wires down into your brain then they hook it up to a little module, kind of like a pacemaker. It gets activated and then you can control it from a phone”

After consulting with family, Sullivan opted for the two-stage surgery which was undertaken in July and August of 2025. It was a success, albeit with a few side effects like slurred speech or the inability to say certain words. Overall, he was happy he went through the complex surgery saying, “I wish I had done it 20 years ago. Yeah nice. It’s incredible!”

Besides this most recent health turnaround, another significant milestone was fast approaching for Sullivan. After 29 years of military service he will officially retire in March of 2026. Asked what he will miss the most, he said, “The laughter. How a Soldier can get put into some of the [expletive] conditions in the [expletive] place on the face of the earth and they can still find laughter, still find something humorous. I’ll miss that.”

Sullivan also said he would miss being able to interact with all kinds of people from all different kinds of places that do all kinds of different things. He said each one of them has their own special story.

His institutional knowledge will be greatly missed once he hangs up his uniform for the last time in March. It pales in comparison to those interactions Sullivan described with fellow Soldiers. Whether it is offering spiritual guidance to those in need or helping those who may be struggling with substance abuse. Sullivan’s commitment to his brothers and sisters in arms was unwavering and an inspiration to so many who have crossed paths with him.

Sullivan’s inspiration and impact will have a lasting impact on the organization, one that he may not even know the full extent of. Maj. Dehaan reflected on that morning at JRTC right before the Middle East deployment where no Catholic priests or services were available.

“I think one of the significant things from that was it inspired a number of chaplain assistants who were Catholic that were going to deploy”, said DeHaan. “It opened their eyes, ‘Oh, this is something I can do’, to fill the need particularly for Catholic Soldiers that were about to deploy.”

According to DeHaan, several chaplain assistants – stateside and down-range – have emulated Sullivan’s example and started leading the Rosary Prayers in the absence of Catholic priests. “That was an unintended gift”, said DeHaan. “But it was still a gift that he was able to show a number of Soldiers.”

Speaking on Sullivan’s authentic and proactive care for Soldiers, Dehaan explained, “He has that magnetic personality for people who are hurting and in need and he’s there for them. It was his heart from his experiences. He had a heart to help others.”

Sullivan’s journey from struggle to redemption stands as a testament to hard work and unwavering faith. His ability to share some of his darkest moments with humility and vulnerability reflected a hope that others might avoid the same self‑destructive path he had experienced.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, contact the Military Crisis Line at 988, then press 1, or access online chat by texting 838255.