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Fort Leavenworth college nears milestone

TOPEKA, Kan. — Nearly 800 military officers from the U.S. and around the world will graduate this week from Fort Leavenworth’s Command and General Staff College.

The officers are completing their 10-month course of studies in military leadership and war fighting skills.

This is the 100th anniversary of international officers graduating from the school. The first foreign officers to earn degrees were from Mexico in 1908, though the command school had trained international staff since 1894.

Attending Friday’s ceremonies will be Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, whose son is graduating. There are 50 international officers in the 2008 class.

The guest speaker will be U.S. Rep. Steve Israel, a Democrat from New York who previously served on the House Armed Services Committee.

On Thursday, the international officers will receive badges signifying their completion of the course.

The Command and General Staff College first presented the badges in 1964 in response to interest by international officers who wanted a distinctive emblem they could wear on their uniforms indicating they graduated from the program.

NATO networking

The Center for Army Lessons Learned announced that it has expanded its ability to share information with NATO members.

The Fort Leavenworth-based center has connected to a network meant to increase the timely sharing of information with NATO countries and coalition forces around the globe.

The center provides observations, insights and lessons learned from U.S. units in training and combat. It has analysts at Army schools, training centers and with units deployed in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo, the Horn of Africa and installations across the U.S.

Parsons project update

Labette County, Kan., officials are giving an update this week on efforts to redevelop the property around the Kansas Army Ammunition Plant east of Parsons.

The plant was targeted in 2005 by the federal Base Realignment and Closure Commission.

More than 13,700 acres will be transferred to local authorities for redevelopment as the Great Plains Industrial Park. The land’s use as an ammunition plant dates to World War II, and the plant is operated by a private contractor, Day & Zimmermann Inc.

During a meeting Thursday, local and state officials plan to update progress on efforts to improve the infrastructure at the site, including $750,000 for a road linking the plant to U.S. 400 to the north.

Much of the utility system needs to be refurbished, along with rail lines. More than 9,700 acres of the site are leased for agriculture.

Construction of the plant began in August 1941 and completed in November 1942. The plant was used for manufacturing artillery shells, bombs and components. Employment peaked at 6,700 workers. Over the years, the plant was idled and then reopened to produce ammunition for the Korean and Vietnam wars.

Employment stood at about 250 people in 2007.

Riley concerts

A free concert is scheduled for Sunday for thousands of Fort Riley, Kan., soldiers who recently returned from duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The event at Camp Forsyth on the west side of the Army post features performances by Montgomery Gentry, The Lost Trailers and Whitney Duncan.

Among the soldiers being welcomed home by the concert are the more than 3,500 members of the 4th Brigade Combat Team of the 1st Infantry Division. The brigade spent 15 months in the Rashid district of Baghdad as part of the U.S. surge of forces sent to stem violence in the capital.