Retired Army Maj. Gen. Bob Scales, who heads the secretary of defense' Close Combat Lethality Task Force, challenged industry and government leaders to do better and deliver a leap-ahead rifle in less than two years.
The Expert Soldier Badge, based on 30 basic warrior tasks and battle drills, is still in the validation phase, but it is on track for its first test later this year.
The Army is opening up three more posts for women in infantry and armor jobs, expanding assignment opportunities beyond Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and Fort Hood, Texas.
Six of the Army’s first female airborne grunts hit another milestone in November, when they earned their Expert Infantryman Badges at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
The Army must get bigger so that it can better balance today’s missions with training for a future battlefield that promises to be increasingly lethal and complex, the service’s top officer said.