U.S. Army Spc. Renzo Marzo, an infantryman belonging to 3rd Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, U.S. Army Alaska, advances through arctic terrain with his team during a field exercise in support of Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center 22-02 near Ft. Greely, AK, March 22, 2022. U.S. Army / Spc. Marc Marmeto
The Army Brief: State of the Army; New fitness test; Planeloads of arms; and more...
Welcome to The Army Brief, a weekly look at the news and ideas shaping the service’s future.
State of the Army. This year the Army is going to have to “walk and chew gum” as it deploys thousands of soldiers to Europe to deter Russia, while focusing on its major modernization projects and planning how it will operate in the Pacific in the future. Read more in the 2022 edition of Defense One’s State of the Army.
New fitness test. Replacing a test used for decades, the Army Combat Fitness Test will be fully implemented April 1 with a scoring scale based on gender and age, after the service tried and failed to develop an updated test with one minimum standard, Defense One reports. The change was made after an independent report that found that women and other groups of soldiers were failing at higher rates.
More Stingers and Javelins for Ukraine. Planeloads of U.S. anti-aircraft and anti-tank weapons are expected to arrive in Europe this week and will then head to Ukraine via ground routes, Defense One reports. A senior defense official also said it is a possibility that more short-term troops could be sent to NATO countries in Eastern Europe.
Sign up to get The Army Brief every Friday morning from Caitlin M. Kenney, Defense One’s military services reporter. On March 28, 1969, former five-star general and president Dwight D. Eisenhower died at the age of 78. If you’re in Washington D.C., you can visit his relatively new memorial on Independence Ave. by the National Mall.
From Defense One
White House Bureaucracy Is Costing Ukrainian Lives, Senators Say // Jacqueline Feldscher
Lawmakers are urging Biden to send more aid and enforce sanctions as quickly as possible to help Ukraine beat Russia.
It's Time for a Protected Humanitarian Airlift into Lviv // Philip Breedlove and Barry Pavel
Russia has no right to dictate who may fly into and out of Ukrainian airspace.
Chemical Weapons a 'Real Threat' in Ukraine, Biden Says // Jacqueline Feldscher
Russian rhetoric could be the precursor to an attack, NSA Sullivan says, as NATO plans to move more aid into Ukraine on Thursday.