News | U.S. Army Central

U.S, Kuwait artillery light up the night sky
February 10, 2020 — UDAIRI RANGE, Kuwait –The rockets’ red glare, the rockets streaming in air lit up the night sky over a sea of sand in Kuwait. The U.S. forces supporting Task Force Spartan and Kuwait Land Forces worked shoulder to shoulder to test their capabilities firing their respective truck-based, artillery rocket launchers... MORE

U.S. Soldiers assigned to the 115th Field Artillery Brigade fire rocket-propelled rounds from a truck during an exercise with Kuwait Land Forces at their Udairi Range, Monday, Feb. 10, 2020. The 115th Soldiers from the Wyoming-based brigade deployed to support Task Force Spartan, an exercise to strengthen defense relationships, builds partner capacity, and jointly deter regional aggression.

Drive on Soldier, Soldier drive on
February 7, 2020 — What is a vehicle that towers more than 9 feet, is used as a troop carrier and can substantially withstand explosive detonations? It is called a Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) Wheeled Armored Vehicle. In-depth training on this vehicle was orchestrated by members of the Military Engagement Team-Jordan (MET-J), with 158th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade (MEB), Arizona Army National Guard (AZANG), through a Subject Matter Expert Exchange (SMEE) with Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army (JAF) Soldiers at a base outside of Amman, Jordan in January... MORE

Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army (JAF) Soldiers pose for a photo with Military Engagement Team-Jordan, 158th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, Arizona Army National Guard, during a Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Wheeled Armored Vehicle Subject Matter Expert Exchange at a base outside of Amman, Jordan in January. The U.S. military has a long-standing relationship with Jordan to support our mutual objectives by providing military assistance to the JAF consistent with our national interests. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Shaiyla B. Hakeem)

198th Expeditionary Signal Battalion Provide Contingency Communications
February 5, 2020 — Joint Training Center, Jordan – Soldiers from the 198th Expeditionary Signal Battalion (ESB) embody the saying, “if you stay ready, you never have to get ready.” “We’re basically the voice, we keep everyone talking. There is no communication without us,” said Spc. Lewis Barclay, a communication post node (CPN) operator from 198th ESB, Alpha Company. Barclay is one of several Soldiers from the 198th ESB stationed at the Joint Training Center-Jordan (JTC -J) tasked with the mission to operate and maintain contingency communication systems in the event that primary communications fail... MORE

Spc. Annabell Dwiggins, 198th Expeditionary Signal Battalion (ESB), operates the Single Shelter Switch (SSS) during the monthly validation testing. Validation testing occurs every month to ensure that all communication equipment functions properly and also allows Soldiers to evaluate the communication systems and strive for continuous improvement to better support their end users.

Chief Warrant Officer 4 Jacquelyn Jones: Living her dream career out loud
February 3, 2020 — Chief Warrant Officer 4 Jacquelyn Jones couldn’t have written a better script for her life. She simply had one goal in mind: find a career that would let her use her skills and see the world... MORE

Leading Army Reserve cyber talent to Keystone State
January 31, 2020 — Shaping the Army Reserve cyber force is still evolving from refining strategy and methodology to delivering proper talent management for the training of new reserve cyber warriors. The U.S. Army Reserve Cyber Protection Brigade (USAR-CPB), 335th Signal Command (Theater), located outside the nation’s capital near College Park, Maryland, is making steady strides in grooming a talented cyber force for its Cyber Protection Centers (CPCs)... MORE

Hoosier alum uses university experience to help strengthen military ties in Middle East
January 30, 2020 — He is also the officer in charge of Task Force Spartan - Jordan, a forward command post of Task Force Spartan in Southwest Asia, where he oversees the military partnership between the U.S. Army and Jordan Armed Forces... MORE

Col. Kirk White, officer in charge of Task Force Spartan-Jordan

1st TSC Soldier makes business dreams come true
January 30, 2020 — Sgt. Joshua Vasquez-Sauceda, a wheeled vehicle mechanic with the 1st Theater Sustainment Command, decided early on that he wanted to be his own boss... MORE

Nayely Vasquez-Sauceda and Sgt. Joshua Vasquez-Sauceda, wheeled vehicle mechanic, 1st Theater Sustainment Command, prepare food while working in their food truck, Papi’s Tacos & More, in Radcliff, Ky., on Jan. 23, 2020. Vasquez-Sauceda is currently on terminal leave and will complete his enlistment in the Army on Feb. 19, 2020

30th Armored Brigade Combat Team Soldiers attend Basic Leader Course in Middle East
January 27, 2020 — The first line of the Army noncommissioned officer’s creed says, “No one is more professional than I. I am a noncommissioned officer, a leader of Soldiers.” In order to attain the rank of a noncommissioned officer, Soldiers must attend the Basic Leader Course, where they learn the fundamentals of leadership, readiness and training... MORE

U.S. Army Spc. Emilee Austin, 1-150th Cavalry Regiment, West Virginia National Guard, 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team, leads Basic Leader Course 20-703 in the reciting of the noncommissioned officer's creed at their graduation ceremony in the Middle East, Jan. 24, 2020. Austin was the honor graduate from her class of over 200 students.

Coalition partners navigate map fundamentals
January 24, 2020 — Cartography, the science or practice of drawing and reading maps, can be dated back to the ancient ages of Before Christ (B.C.) within the Julian and Gregorian calendars. One of the oldest maps discovered is captured on a Babylonian clay tablet entitled Imago Mundi, estimated to have been originated around 2300 B.C. The ancient craft of reading maps has naturally evolved with human advancement, but its foundations have not been lost, it is still very relevant within military operations... MORE

A U.S. Army Soldier, with Military Engagement Team-Jordan, 158th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, Arizona Army National Guard, locates map grid coordinates with Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army (JAF) Quick Reaction Force Female Engagement Team Soldiers during a Map Reading Subject Matter Expert Exchange at a base outside of Amman, Jordan Jan. 13, 2020. The United States is committed to the security of Jordan and to partnering closely with the JAF to meet common security challenges. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Shaiyla B. Hakeem)

Engineers keep it constructive
January 17, 2020 — In the engineer office at Erbil Air Base, Iraq, there is a white board displaying an ever-changing list of improvement projects. Almost daily, military and civilian personnel come through the door asking for assistance... MORE

Task Force Sinai opens new Supply Support Activity facility with ribbon cutting ceremony
January 16, 2020 — SOUTH CAMP, Sinai, Egypt --- Service members of Task Force Sinai held a ceremony to mark the grand opening of the new Supply Support Activity facility on South Camp, Egypt, Jan. 16, 2020. The new facility is essential to the controlled receiving, distribution, issuing and storage of stocked parts supporting the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) mission... MORE

Col. Brandon Klink, left, deputy commander of Task Force Sinai, Maj. Gen. Evan Williams, center, force commander of the Multinational Force and Observers, and Col. Robert Duchaine, commander of Task Force Sinai and the chief of staff for the MFO, cut the ribbon entering the new Supply Support Activity facility on South Camp, Egypt, Jan. 16, 2020. The new facility is essential to the controlled receiving, distribution, issuing and storage of stocked parts supporting the Multinational Force and Observers mission.(U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Eliverto V. Larios)

30th Armored Brigade Combat Team honors legacy of Martin Luther King through mentorship
January 16, 2020 — Civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., raised the question in a speech over thirty years ago, “What are you doing for others?" As America celebrates King’s legacy on Monday, Jan. 20, 2020, Soldiers in the 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team deployed in the Middle East are putting his words into action through mentorship... MORE

U.S. Army Maj. Hollis Gaynor, budget officer in the 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team, North Carolina National Guard, mentors Sgt. Devin Lewis, a noncommissioned officer in the headquarters company, 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team, while deployed in the Middle East, Jan. 16, 2020. The unit is encouraging Soldiers to seek out mentors and to understand the importance of serving others.

103rd ESC Soldiers leave mark on Camp Arifjan
January 14, 2020 — On a busy street on Camp Arifjan, a t-wall faces the street in full view of everyone who walks by that displays a mural that includes a grim looking Spartan skeleton... MORE

Sgt. Angel Bastidas-Pineda, a transportation land movement non commissioned officer, 103rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command, poses with the mural he helped paint at Camp Arifjan, Jan. 3, 2020. (U.S. Army courtesy photo)

Army Reserve Air Traffic Services Company redeploys from USCENTCOM mission
January 9, 2020 — Twenty-eight Soldiers assigned to Company F, 7th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, 11th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade, returned to Fort Hood, Texas, following a nine-month deployment to the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility in support of Operation Spartan Shield and Operation Inherent Resolve, Jan. 5... MORE

Jordan, US train on heavy-duty weapon system
December 29, 2019 — U.S. Army Soldiers with Charlie Company,1st Combined Arms Battalion, 252 Armor Regiment (1-252 AR), 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team (ABCT) known as, “Old Hickory,” North Carolina Army National Guard (NCANG), in collaboration with Military Engagement Team-Jordan (MET-J), 158th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade (MEB), Arizona Army National Guard (AZANG), conducted a two-week Subject Matter Expert Exchange (SMEE) on the BGM-71 Tube-launched, Optically-tracked, Wireless-guided (TOW) Weapon System with the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army (JAF) at a base outside of Amman, Jordan in December 2019... MORE

A Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army soldier looks through the scope of a BGM-71 Tube-launched, Optically tracked, Wireless-guided weapon system during a Subject Matter Expert Exchange with U.S. Army Soldiers of Charlie Company, 1st Combined Arms Battalion, 252 Armor Regiment, 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team, “Old Hickory,” North Carolina Army National Guard, coordinated by Military Engagement Team-Jordan,158th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, Arizona Army National Guard, outside Amman, Jordan, in December 2019.

North Carolina National Guard Soldier Spotlight from Kuwait
December 27, 2019 — The North Carolina National Guard spotlights U.S. Army Sgt. First Class Meredith Kiser, a combat medic in the 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team, North Carolina National Guard, deployed for Operation Spartan Shield in the Middle East... MORE

U.S. Army Sgt. First Class Meredith Kiser, a combat medic in the 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team, North Carolina National Guard, is recognized after being presented a general officer coin by U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Gordon Ellis, commander of Task Force Spartan and the 38th Infantry Division, Indiana National Guard at Camp Buehring, Kuwait, Dec. 27, 2019 for her outstanding work during a recent command inspection of the unit's combat medic training program.

30th Armored Brigade Combat Team mail clerks distribute connections from home
December 25, 2019 — They come in all shapes and sizes. Some have handwritten messages on the outside, others have decorative tape or drawings. Whether a padded envelope or heavy cardboard box from a shipping company, it's not the outside that matters to Soldiers, but the contents and its thoughtfulness within... MORE

U.S. Soldiers who serve as mail clerks in the 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team, sort and load packages at the Camp Buehring post office in Kuwait on Christmas Day, Dec. 25, 2019. The unit is comprised of more than 4,000 Citizen-Soldiers from the North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio and West Virginia National Guard deployed to the Middle East to support Operation Spartan Shield. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Lt. Col. Cindi King)

Patient Admin Supports World-Wide Soldier Mobility
December 23, 2019 — The U.S. Military’s ability to provide world-class, immediate life-saving care and transportation for Service Members across the globe is preeminent and always improving. Col. Richard Bailey, 3D Medical Command (Deployment Support) (FWD) Commander stated, “We are here to fulfill the promise given to every Soldier, Sailor, Marine and Airman that if they deploy in the service of our great nation and become injured or ill they will receive world-class medical care.” Maintaining patient records and administrative data across multiple military hospitals, countries and Services is a complex yet critical component to care that prior to now was without standardized processes for patient administration or movement in the CENTCOM area... MORE

Capt. Felicia Gilliand worked with liaisons from Canada, Romania, and Australia who wrote their own SOP's explaining how the US can facilitate moving their Service Members. “This SOP also covers troop movement to a US Role IV facility and steps to get service members to their home country, said Gilliland, adding, “These small intricacies of PAD downrange can be the difference between life and death of a patient.”

Serious about sanitation, prevention
December 15, 2019 — Without regard to its appearance, Soldiers must be ready and capable to conduct the full range of military operations to defeat all enemies regardless of the threats they pose. According to a 2010 public health report from the U.S. National Library of Medicine National Institute of Health, “Influenza and pneumonia killed more American Soldiers and Sailors during the war [WWI] than did enemy weapons.” The pandemic was said to have traveled with military personnel from camp-to-camp and across the Atlantic at the height of WWI, September through November 1918, infecting up to 40 percent of Soldiers and Sailors. In this instance, the enemy came in the form of a communicable disease... MORE

U.S. Army Spc. Shelby Vermeulen (center), with 1st Squadron, 303rd Cavalry Regiment, 96th Troop Command, Washington Army National Guard, works through the steps of water purification during a Field Sanitation Team Certification Course held from Dec. 9 to Dec.13, 2019 at Joint Training Center-Jordan. Soldiers must be ready and capable to conduct the full range of military operations to defeat all enemies regardless of the threats they pose. (U.S. Army photo by Shaiyla B. Hakeem)

Coordination and continuty key to military assistance program
December 13, 2019 — Building relationships in Southwest Asia require in-person meetings, growing knowledge, continued partnerships and security cooperation. "Continuing our relationship with the Royal Jordanian Air Force was our main focus with this visit. In the future, we will be coordinating efforts and sharing knowledge, leading to a continuous, consistent relationship deepening relationships within both forces," said Col. Mark Brozak, Task Force Spartan Aviation Director... MORE

Coordination and continuity key to military assistance program

Links

USEFUL LINKS

Legal

Component Commands

General

Resources