U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment “Black Lions,” 3rd Infantry Division, depart from a Boeing CH-47J Chinook on Aibano Training Area, Japan, July 1, 2021, as part of exercise Orient Shield.

U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment “Black Lions,” 3rd Infantry Division, depart from a Boeing CH-47J Chinook on Aibano Training Area, Japan, July 1, 2021, as part of exercise Orient Shield. U.S. Army / Spc. Summer Keiser

The Army Brief: Army’s place in the Pacific; Defense budget delays; Partnering with Taliban; and more...

Welcome to The Army Brief, a weekly look at the news and ideas shaping the service’s future. 

Army’s role in a Pacific conflict. Army Secretary Christine Wormuth believes the Army will have several critical roles to play in support of the other military services if conflict occurs in the Indo-Pacific region, Defense One reports. Those “core tasks” include protecting bases, supply distribution, and fielding long-range fires. 

NDAA not likely this year. While Congress normally has an end-of-calendar-year push to get the annual defense spending bill across the finish line before the new year, this year’s bill might not be passed into law until 2022, Defense One reports. And while it might be unusual, there are few consequences for the delay. 

The Taliban are no ‘partner,’ U.S. Special Operations Command’s Gen. Richard Clarke said. Three months after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, Clarke said he doesn’t see the new Taliban government as a partner against terrorist threats from ISIS, Defense One reports. He urged the U.S. to continue working with other Afghans, as well as foreign governments in the Middle East. 

Sign up to get The Army Brief every Friday morning from Caitlin M. Kenney, Defense One’s military services reporter. On Dec. 6, 1884, the Washington Monument was completed at a height of 555 feet. The project was overseen by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.


From Defense One

US, S. Korea to Write New War Plan to Counter N. Korean Nukes, Missiles // Tara Copp: During visit, defense chiefs also expected to announce Seoul will test for long-awaited operational control of joint forces in 2022.

Inside the Data-Driven Operation that Moved Afghan Refugees from Dulles to Safe Havens // Col. Matthew Strohmeyer, Grace Hwang, Lt. Col. Michelle Macander and Erol Yayboke: The main challenge was reconciling and processing disconnected, stove-piped, unavailable, or incorrect data.

Ukraine Wants More Exercises, Training with US // Patrick Tucker: Russian military buildup is “atypical,” Ukrainian officials say.