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Source: United States Army

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Army National Guard formally established a new leadership tradition Feb. 12, presenting the inaugural Lt. Gen. Herbert R. Temple Jr. Leadership Award to Chief Warrant Officer 4 Douglas Malone and Sgt. 1st Class Danielle Beasley during a ceremony at the Herbert R. Temple Army National Guard Readiness Center.

The annual award honors Soldiers who embody the 13 leadership principles championed by Lt. Gen. Herbert R. Temple Jr., the visionary leader widely regarded as the father of the modern National Guard. The ceremony marked the first presentation of what will now become a yearly recognition of excellence across the force.

Temple enlisted as a private in 1947, served in combat as a noncommissioned officer during the Korean War, and later rose to serve as director of the Army National Guard and chief of the National Guard Bureau. His leadership philosophy was forged in combat and refined through decades of service. He championed professional military education, readiness, leader development, and integration with the active component, ensuring the Guard was prepared not as a strategic afterthought, but as a capable operational reserve.

“General Temple understood that the strength of the Army National Guard rests in the leaders we develop and empower,” said Lt. Gen. Jon Stubbs, director of the Army National Guard. “This award recognizes Soldiers who do more than perform well in their duties; they elevate those around them, strengthen readiness, and carry forward the standard of excellence he established for our force.”

Retired Lt. Gen. Roger Schultz, a former director of the Army National Guard who served under Temple, said the new award reflects a legacy that continues to shape the force.

“Lt. Gen. Temple was a mentor of mine. He was with me every step of my seven-year tour as director,” Schultz said. “What is being done with the Temple Awards has a real connection with Soldiers in the ranks.”

Shultz said Temple’s leadership philosophy was grounded in his enlisted roots and focused on knowledge, mission clarity, and long-term vision. He fostered a team-centered culture, delegated authority, and ensured Soldiers at every level had what they needed to succeed.

“His influence is still visible across the Army National Guard today,” Shultz said.

Temple Award nominees underwent a rigorous selection process that included detailed applications, essays, and board evaluation centered on Temple’s 13 leadership practices: knowledge, vision, objective, offense, take charge, flatten and empower, teamwork, care for subordinates, integrity, consistency, courage of convictions, nothing is impossible, and see the fight through the fighter’s eyes.

Chief Warrant Officer 4 Malone was recognized primarily for embodying the principles of knowledge and vision. He emphasized technical and tactical proficiency as the foundation of credible leadership and proposed expanding Title 10-Title 32 exchange opportunities to strengthen integration and readiness across components. His forward-thinking approach reflects Temple’s strategic foresight in preparing the Guard for emerging operational demands.

Being a recipient of the inaugural Temple Leadership Award is a profound honor,” said Malone. “Lt. General Temple’s vision, which transformed the Army National Guard from a strategic reserve into an operational force, is the legacy we strive to uphold. Our mission is to ensure every action supports the warfighter, and we achieve this by adhering to his core principle: to ‘See the fight through the Soldier’s eyes’ as we enable them to meet all state and federal mission requirements.”

Sgt. 1st Class Beasley was selected for exemplifying care for subordinates and integrity. She described leadership as service, emphasizing the importance of setting a confident tone, standing with, not above, her team, and proactively shaping outcomes. Her philosophy mirrors Temple’s belief that empowered and cared-for Soldiers are central to mission success.

“Our role as leaders is to serve alongside our Soldiers and create conditions for them to thrive and accomplish the mission,” said Beasley. “I’m grateful for the leadership principles Lt. Gen. Temple established, and to the Army National Guard for the opportunity to continue to lead and serve.”

Each recipient received a statuette of Temple, a reserved parking space at the Arlington Readiness Center for one year, and a permanent inscription on the Temple Leadership Award plaque displayed at the center.

Temple once reflected that any progress achieved during his tenure belonged not to one man, but to the National Guard itself, to the Soldiers and leaders who carried the work forward. Decades later, that same spirit endures. His influence is evident not in monuments or memory alone, but in the professionalism, readiness, and character of the citizen-Soldiers who continue to build on the foundation he helped lay.

Retired Maj. Gen. Raymond “Fred” Rees, a former senior National Guard leader who served alongside Temple, said, “Lt. Gen. Temple wanted to be remembered as a citizen-Soldier. From service as a young NCO in the Korean War to his retirement as chief of the National Guard Bureau, he was a zealous believer of the citizen-Soldier and all that meant to our nation,” Rees added that Temple’s strategic vision during the defense buildup of the 1980s helped transform the Guard at the national level and shaped generations of leaders who carried that vision forward. He said the Temple Leadership Award serves as a lasting reminder of the value of committed and competent leadership.

With the presentation of the inaugural Temple Leadership Award, the Army National Guard did more than recognize two exceptional Soldiers; it set a standard. The ceremony affirmed that Temple’s principles are not confined to history but are alive in formations across the 54 states and territories. As new leaders rise and new challenges emerge, the legacy he forged endures in those who choose knowledge over complacency, service over self, and action over hesitation.

In honoring Malone and Beasley, the Army National Guard reaffirms its commitment to developing leaders of character, competence, and courage; leaders ready to fight, win, and defend the nation whenever called.

Moving forward, the Temple award will be extended to the 54 states, territories, and the District of Columbia.

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Source: United States Army

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U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa

AGADIR, Morocco – More than 40 technology vendors will test cutting-edge military capabilities alongside U.S. military forces from April 20 to May 08, 2026, as part of an effort to close the gap between emerging innovation and the warfighter in Morocco during African Lion 26.

U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa’s (SETAF-AF) Advanced Capabilities Directorate leads the initiative, serving as the command’s front door for the innovation ecosystem.

“Our ultimate purpose is to translate the senior leader’s vision for transformation into tangible, battlefield-ready capabilities in the hands of our Soldiers,” said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Ramon Leonguerrero, innovation division project manager for ACD.

African Lion, U.S. Africa Command’s largest annual training exercise, provides the scale and complexity needed to test how new technologies perform alongside multinational partners and allies.

The exercise prioritizes delivering practical solutions to the warfighter over simply showcasing innovation.

The directorate handles technical scouting and external coordination with industry and academia, filtering for the most promising solutions. This approach brings more than 40 U.S.-based vendors into the exercise to address specific needs, including 10 mission command systems, four deep attack capabilities, 12 defense-in-depth enablers and 15 counter-attack integrators.

Morocco provides unique advantages with expansive ranges, unrestricted airspace and an open electromagnetic spectrum that enable realistic experimentation.

“Our goal is to close the gap between emerging technology and the warfighter, using African Lion 26 to rapidly field and validate the tools and technology needed for a decisive edge,” Leonguerrero said.

A primary focus for SETAF-AF during the exercise is transforming how the combined joint task force headquarters processes data and executes strikes. By shifting from manual reporting to automated, real-time analytics, the command is breaking down information silos.

“The shift is most evident in the accelerated speed of decision-making,” Leonguerrero said.

This acceleration is critical for deep attack operations. By leveraging advanced artificial intelligence, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance tools, and launched effects from six key vendors, the headquarters is fundamentally shortening the kill chain.

“This provides the CJTF headquarters with the ability to detect, track and engage targets with greater speed — and at extended ranges, revolutionizing deep reconnaissance and attack operations,” Leonguerrero said.

The result is increased standoff distance and lethality that enables credible ground deterrence. It equips the land component with cost-effective, faster engagement options, freeing joint forces to concentrate on other strategic priorities. Technologies like the Maven Smart System help build a common operational picture by bridging operational and tactical sensor data across formations.

By integrating these vendors into the exercise, the joint force creates a collaborative ecosystem where developers work side-by-side with operational units.

Units including the 19th Special Forces Group, the 173rd Airborne Brigade, the 207th Military Intelligence Brigade (Theater), Army Test and Evaluation Command, and Army Global Tactical Edge Acquisition Directorate are taking these tools from industry into a realistic field environment.

This setup allows for immediate validation. If a piece of equipment fails in the heat and dust of Morocco, the vendor knows immediately. This transparency ensures that solutions are effective for U.S. forces and scalable for coalition warfare.

“We need the ability to scale or make changes to technology rapidly,” Leonguerrero said. “This exercise allows us to test, fail, fix and validate these emerging technologies in an operational environment.”

During the exercise, warfighters will complete digital surveys evaluating equipment performance. The assessment generates real-time data and graphics, producing scorecards for each vendor. This dashboard is sent to the vendors and U.S. Army Europe and Africa to inform development and procurement decisions.

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About African Lion

African Lion is U.S. Africa Command’s largest, premier, joint, annual exercise. This joint all-domain, multi-component, and multinational exercise, employs a full array of mission capabilities with the goal to strengthen interoperability among participants and build readiness to respond to crises and contingencies in Africa and around the world.

For more imagery, video and news from African Lion visit the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS).

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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