‘Old school rant’ bashing ponytails gets rejected by senior enlisted soldier’s command Children play with a U.S. soldier s hair during a mission in Afghanistan. (Sgt. Canaan Radcliffe/Army) Last week, the Army authorized ponytails and braids for female soldiers in all uniforms. While many
troops celebrated the change, there has been backlash from some on social media. “How about females maintain the SAME standard as men instead of loosening the standards for one gender?” said one Army Times Facebook commenter. “Where is the dislike button?” said another. “This doesn’t look professional and doesn’t uphold the standards that come with wearing the uniform.”
US Provides Armored Personnel Carriers for the Fight Against Terrorism
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Photos: AFRICOM/SEATF-AF
The French coalition is leading the way in the Sahel in combatting Islamic terrorist organizations. The United States hasn’t been directly involved in either the French Operation Barkhane or the Takuba Special Operations Task Force. Yet, it has supported the French missions with intelligence, drones, and air refueling. Nevertheless, the U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SEATF-AF) recently coordinated for the delivery of 16 Mamba Armored Personnel Carriers (APCs) to the Niger military.
The APCs will support the G-5 Joint Force Sahel’s efforts in Niger. The force’s mission includes combating counterterrorism, transnational organized crime, and trafficking.
Illinois Army National Guard
Brig. Gen. Mark Jackson of Frankfort, Illinois, has been selected as the Deputy Commanding General of Operations for First Army and will be promoted to Major General.
“As First Army’s Deputy Commander, Mark Jackson will greatly influence how National Guard and Reserve Soldiers are trained for deployment,” said
Maj. Gen. Rich Neely, the Adjutant General of Illinois and Commander of the Illinois National Guard. “He is a strategic leader and combat veteran who truly cares for those who serve under him. I cannot think of a better officer to help prepare Soldiers for combat.”
As deputy commander, Jackson will serve directly under First Army Commander Lt. Gen. Thomas S. James. Jackson’s new position and promotion means that after 37 years he will no longer drill with the Illinois National Guard where he was the Director of the Joint Staff since March 2020 and, since July 2020, dual-hatted as the Deputy Commanding General at U.S. Army Southern
KDF On the Spot Over Millions Paid to Ghost Soldiers
KDF officers during a previous pass-out parade
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Cash released to fund Kenya Defence Forces(KDF) soldiers fighting Al-Shabab militia for the half-year period through December 2020 fell short of Ksh 8 billion with the audit questioning payment to non-existent soldiers.
This disclosure comes through a leaked audit report by PWC Associates Ltd (Mauritius) which queried the payment of soldiers who had left the mission. This is said to have resulted from weak accountability measures in the payroll which resulted in a possible loss of millions between 2016 and 2018.
The latest exchequer statistics show grants from African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom), funded by European Union (EU) and its partners amounted to Ksh 1.45 billion in the July-December period against a budget goal of nearly Ksh 9.45 billion.
US Targets 3,000 KDF Officers In Ksh438M Project
KDF officers during a previous pass-out parade
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The United States through its Europe and Africa Army contingents has unveiled a project valued at Ksh438 million targeting 3,000 Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) officers.
A statement released on Tuesday, March 9, indicated that the project, a Simulator Facility, was launched by Maj. Gen. Andrew M. Rohling, the US Army Southern European Task Force, Africa commander during his recent tour in the country.
The facility is being constructed at Kenya Army School of Infantry in Isiolo and will be expected to provide training to 3,000 KDF officers every year.