U.S. Army Paratroopers assigned to the 54th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 173rd Airborne Brigade, descend onto Juliet Drop Zone, Pordenone, Italy after exiting U.S. Air Force C-130 Hercules aircraft from the 86th Air Wing during airborne operations Aug. 10, 2022.

U.S. Army Paratroopers assigned to the 54th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 173rd Airborne Brigade, descend onto Juliet Drop Zone, Pordenone, Italy after exiting U.S. Air Force C-130 Hercules aircraft from the 86th Air Wing during airborne operations Aug. 10, 2022. U.S. Army / Davide Dalla Massara

The Army Brief: Connecting tech; Renaming costs; Funding landmine removal; and more...

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

Techy soldiers. The Army wants their suite of technologies for soldiers to be all linked together, and is looking to small business to make it happen, Defense One reports. The service wants the tech integration to include their IVAS augmented reality headset, which is still being tested. 

Costly renaming. The estimated cost to rename nine Army posts is just over $21 million, according to a recent report by the Naming Commission. Fort Bragg, North Carolina, had the highest cost assessment at $6.3 million, followed by Fort Benning, Georgia, at $4.9 million, and Fort Lee, Virginia, at $2.4 million.

Russian landmines. Landmines and booby traps represent hazards to civilians in Ukraine, and the U.S. State Department says it will give $89 million to non-government organizations to fund 100 demining teams to eliminate them, Defense One reports. The teams in Ukraine will not include U.S. government personnel. The money will also go toward training and equipment.

Sign up to get The Army Brief every Friday morning from Caitlin M. Kenney, Defense One’s military services reporter. On Aug. 13, 1898, the Spanish-American war ended. During the conflict, future president Theodore Roosevelt led the 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry Regiment, otherwise known as the Rough Riders.


From Defense One

Fixing Army Recruiting: Take Care of the Soldiers and their Families // John Ferrari and James Mismash

Rather than read the Army's recent call-to-arms memo, service leaders should focus on the recent Military Family Support Survey.

US Approves First Javelin Anti-Tank Weapon Sale to Brazil // Marcus Weisgerber

Brasília wants up to 222 of the weapons, which have been used by the Ukrainian military against Russian tanks.

New 'Influence Triad' Will Fuse SOF, Cyber, and Space Command Satellite Intelligence // Tara Copp

Information warfare cells, where space units and SOCOM work side by side, will be dispersed throughout combatant commands.