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The Battalion Battle Captain

Matthew Levengood — Wed, 05 Jul 2023 16:21:40 +0000

A Staff Lieutenant at JRTC

Life as a staff lieutenant has many demands. As the battle captain, you will be responsible for managing all of the information coming in and out of the Main Command Post (MCP) and control all current operations. Your command team, staffs, and company leadership will lean on you heavily for an updated status of the operation. You will have minimal guidance and instruction yet will be expected to perform at the level of a career course-qualified Captain. Too easy, right?

Life at a CTC for a staff lieutenant often means a similar surrounding of radios, maps, and trackers inside an command post tent or expando van. (U.S. Army photo submitted by author).

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Slut Shaming

Samantha DeCapua — Thu, 10 Jun 2021 16:51:25 +0000

The Prelude of Sexual Violence Against Women in the Military

“As a woman in the military you can either be a slut or a b****. Choose the latter.” This was the first piece of advice I received after arriving to my unit. If I appeared too friendly or smiled too often-particularly with males, I would be perceived as a “slut”. Someone who flirts (or more) her way to the top than earning it. Better to be a “b****'”- cold and aloof, than have a warm disposition misinterpreted.

A soldier crawls under barbed wire during assessment and selection at Camp Mackall, N.C., March 1, 2021. Women in uniform face obstacles a lot thornier and more dangerous than barbed wire. (U.S. Army photo by K. Kassens)

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Not Your Grandpa’s Rifle Qualification

Adam Olszak, David Richards, Joseph Nyhan, & Chris Ricci — Sat, 30 Nov 2019 00:01:33 +0000

Training for the Army's New M4 Qualification

The new Army marksmanship M4A1 carbine qualification course of fire is a more complex and realistic evaluation of lethality. The integration of barriers, unprompted reloading, and firing position transitions provide leadership with a challenging task for training soldiers.

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The Changing Face of Rifle Qualification

Matt Milley & Jorge Sanchez — Tue, 19 Nov 2019 00:01:42 +0000

Best Practices to Succeed in a New Era

Rifle qualification has long served as a gauge of unit proficiency and training. It facilitates risk mitigation and serves as a gate from individual training to more advanced unit training. For years, the Army has used a three position static record fire rifle qualification. This course allowed a modicum of understanding of individual marksmanship from 50m to 300m, but did little to enforce the skills needed to employ the rifle in combat. Soldiers require the skills to react to an immediate threat, reload, use cover, and change positions during an engagement to maximize their lethality and survivability on the battlefield. These skills weren’t effectively represented in the legacy rifle qualification table. The U.S. Army required a test that better prepared and qualified Soldiers for the marksmanship required by the crucible of ground combat. Now it has one.

Soldiers across the 25th Infantry Division with varying skill levels prepared for the new marksmanship standards by conducting a pilot program to assess current installation support capabilities at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. (U.S. Army photos by Sgt. Sarah D Sangster)

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It’s Just ONE Tool

Doug Meyer — Tue, 22 Jan 2019 02:06:59 +0000

A Framework for UCMJ

The Military Justice system (UCMJ) is regularly under scrutiny. Whether it is for a specific verdict, a high-profile crime, or its perceived antiquated laws, there is always something about which to cry foul. In most day-to-day cases, the UCMJ is carried out from cradle to grave by a company commander. An officer, in most cases with four to eight years in uniform, is the judge, jury, and adjudicator. I am not a JAG Officer and this is not a review of UCMJ nor a discussion of its merits. This is a discussion of a method or framework for company commanders to use when holding this power, responsibility, and sacred trust.

173rd ABN Brigade CSM addresses the formation before a 2.2 mile full combat load run. Vicenza, Italy, April 4, 2018. (U.S. Army photo by Lt. Col. John Hall).

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Tony Uprichard (QRL) [Attachment]

Doug Meyer — Sat, 10 Nov 2018 21:05:40 +0000

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