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10th Mountain Division’s C-UAS Academy Drives the Army’s Next Era of Drone Defense

Wednesday, June 3rd, 2026

FORT DRUM, N.Y. — As unmanned aircraft systems reshape modern warfare, the 10th Mountain Division is positioning itself at the forefront of the Army’s effort to train Soldiers to fight, survive and adapt on a drone?saturated battlefield.

The division’s Mountain Innovation Systems Lab is producing drone components on post, reducing reliance on external suppliers and accelerating experimentation. Using those systems, the newly established Counter?Unmanned Aerial Systems (C-UAS) Academy trained Soldiers at Fort Drum from May 11–15, 2026, marking a major step in preparing units for emerging threats.

To meet challenges posed by near?peer adversaries, the Army is expanding training programs that give Soldiers hands?on experience with drone operations, communications, and counter?UAS tactics. Leaders say the 10th Mountain Division is helping lead that effort.

“We’re teaching them how to do counter?drone training at local training areas and out at the range,” said Lt. Col. Max Ferguson, the division’s director of operations. “At the end of the day, the course was inspired by the division commander’s question of how we make counter-drone training as habitual as going to the M4 range.”

The C?UAS Academy serves as a bridge between innovation and execution. Capt. Malachi Bouch, an officer with the Innovation Lab, said the goal is to give Soldiers the knowledge and tools to bring counter-UAS training back to their units.

“The objective is to equip them with some of the basic knowledge, resources and tools so they can go back to their units and incorporate counter?UAS training into every aspect of what they are already doing,” Bouch said.

During the course, Soldiers learn how drones operate, how they are used tactically, and how to maintain and integrate them into maneuver formations. Ferguson said the training helps remove the mystery surrounding unmanned systems.

“It’s demystifying drones but also becoming aware of what we need to be aware of,” he said. “A key takeaway from the course is that it’s training you how to teach counter?drone training.”

The academy includes instruction on detection, defeat methods, concealment, battle drills and survivability, reinforced through practical exercises.

“The best way we’re going to learn holistically as an Army is by getting drones into people’s hands and training force-on-force,” Bouch said.

The 10th Mountain Division, long recognized for its adaptability and effectiveness in austere environments, is now combining those strengths with emerging technology to maintain overmatch against future threats.

“The 10th Mountain Division is at the forefront of counter-drone training, in large part because of our operational experience in OIR and on the southern border,” Ferguson said, referring to Operation Inherent Resolve and Joint Task Force Southern Border.

“We’re taking what we know and advancing that knowledge through this training. This is the beginning of shifting culture to where counter-drone training is something we do.”

As warfare evolves, Army leaders say success will depend on units capable of integrating technology, adaptability and tactical expertise faster than any adversary. Through the combined efforts of the Innovation Lab and the C-UAS Academy, the 10th Mountain Division is working to ensure its Soldiers are ready for that future, building the systems, training the force, and shaping the next generation of warfighting capability.

SPC Isaiah Mount

Posted in Army, C-UAS, Guest Post, Training | 4 Comments »

Bridging the Modernization Gap: How G-TEAD’s Accelerated Capability Events Deliver Innovation to the Tactical Edge

Sunday, May 31st, 2026

WASHINGTON— The U.S. Army’s traditional acquisition system was not built for the speed, complexity or unpredictability of modern conflict. Threats evolve faster than requirements can be validated, often stalling promising technologies before they ever reach operational units. The Global Tactical Edge Acquisition Directorate (G?TEAD) exists to solve this vulnerability by linking urgent operational demand with industry innovation to deliver viable, battle-ready technology directly to the tactical edge.

As a core component of the Army’s Pathway for Innovation and Technology (PIT), G-TEAD operationalizes strategic intent. While the PIT provides the enterprise framework to synchronize innovation, demonstration, and transition across the force, G-TEAD serves as the engine that transforms emerging concepts into fielded capabilities. The driving force behind this engine is the Accelerated Capability Event (ACE), a premier mechanism for rapidly identifying, validating and transitioning disruptive technology.

Targeting Theater?Specific Operational Needs

Each ACE is anchored to a direct demand signal from an Army Service Component Command (ASCC) Commanding General, ensuring efforts target urgent theater-specific requirements. With forward-deployed teams in U.S. Army Europe and Africa (USAREUR-AF) and U.S. Army Pacific (USARPAC), G-TEAD is uniquely positioned to inject mission-tailored solutions directly into contested environments.

Executed as a rigorous 180-day sprint, an ACE rapidly validates technology performance through soldier-led demonstration. The objective is clear: identify, validate and deploy mature, Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 7 or higher solutions capable of delivering immediate impact for the ASCC.

G-TEAD engages industry through premier defense pipelines, including the Army FUZE xTech Programand the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU). These programs serve as a strategic entry point for innovators, identifying high-potential commercial technologies for military use. By partnering with these organizations to launch targeted challenges for nontraditional innovators, G-TEAD builds a curated pool of solutions tailored to specific ASCC requirements. To facilitate participation in regional Soldier-led demonstration these challenges provide nondilutive cash prizes that offset industry costs and incentivize continued engagement.

Soldier-Led Validation at the Tactical Edge

Following a rigorous down-selection process, companies enter a two-week demonstration event as part of the competition. This phase moves beyond polished pitches and controlled demonstrations; it subjects technology to operationally realistic environments. Soldiers actively stress-test the equipment and provide unfiltered, real-time feedback to vendors and evaluators. This Soldier-driven insight is the bedrock of the ACE model, guaranteeing that only solutions with proven operational relevance advance.

Technologies that pass this initial demonstration transition into an extended “leave-behind” period with operational units. This critical phase allows Soldiers to push the limits of the technology in daily operations, uncovering strengths, vulnerabilities, and integration hurdles impossible to replicate in a lab. For industry, it provides unprecedented access to authentic end-user validation. For the Army, it delivers the hard data required to justify prototype purchases and scale the capability.

A High-Velocity Pathway to Transition

The ultimate objective of an ACE is transition. Successful companies earn the opportunity for an Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) award.

This milestone signals the Army’s commitment to invest in the technology’s continued development, integration and evaluation. More importantly, an OTA bridges the gap to program offices, enabling them to assess, adopt and scale the capability across the broader Army.

For innovators aiming to cross the defense acquisition “valley of death,” ACEs offer a transparent, accelerated and operationally grounded pathway. Driven by real-world demand, shaped by the American Soldier and powered by G?TEAD, this model ensures that the Army remains the most lethal and technologically advanced force on the modern battlefield.

About G-TEAD

The Army Pathway for Innovation and Technology (PIT)’s Global Tactical Edge Acquisition Directorate (G-TEAD) is the force’s premier acquisition hub, designed to close the gap between evolving threats and the speed of delivering critical solutions. G-TEAD’s mission is to rapidly transform urgent commanders’ needs into combat-ready, interoperable systems, ensuring Soldiers sustain battlefield dominance in any environment.

Through synchronized efforts across the acquisition enterprise and close collaboration with allied partners, G-TEAD accelerates the delivery of minimum viable products (MVPs) to theater, bridging innovation with mission success. As the Army’s central hub for agile capability deployment, G-TEAD ensures Soldiers are equipped with the tools they need to win—wherever and whenever the fight arises.

About The Army Pathway for Innovation and Technology (PIT)

The Army Pathway for Innovation and Technology accelerates Army modernization through dual-use innovation, strategic partnerships, and mission-driven outcomes. As a critical enabler of Army acquisition reform, PIT injects capability faster by getting in the dirt with the Soldier, performing prototyping at the edge and delivering operational impact at the speed of relevance.

The PIT serves as a critical hub that integrates the efforts of three essential organizations within the Army innovation enterprise. Army FUZE, the Joint Innovation Outpost (JIOP), and the Global Tactical Edge Acquisition Directorate (G-TEAD) serve as the operational backbone of the PIT, underpinned by a unified vision to see, share, synchronize, and scale.

By Sarah Hepburn, Office of Army Pathway for Innovation and Technology (PIT)

Posted in Acquisition, Army, Guest Post | No Comments »

New Line of Departure App Puts Lessons Learned, Tactical Insights in Soldiers’ Pockets

Saturday, May 30th, 2026

FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kansas – Military Professionals now have instant access to all Army branch journals through the new Line of Departure app, which currently delivers more than 1,200 professional military articles directly to the field.

Army University Press launched the app on May 12, 2026, expanding the reach of their Line of Departure website that previously consolidated the Army’s branch journals into a single, searchable interface. The new mobile version enhances the user experience by letting readers receive article alerts, build custom bookshelves, and share content with others.

Maj. Nate Green, a Harding Fellow for Armor Magazine, noted that the app’s ease of use directly meets reader needs on the go. “I am a big fan of the mobile app and how it brings resources to readers. In less than three clicks, I can be reading an article from a professional bulletin,” Green said.

Putting professional discourse and leadership lessons learned directly in Soldiers’ hands supports the Army’s mandate to reinvigorate professional writing. Lt. Gen. Jim Isenhower, commanding general of the U.S. Army Combined Arms Command, emphasized the importance of effective writing earlier this year, calling it “a critical aspect of our Army profession.”

“Modernization is one of the key initiatives of the Line of Departure — to help all of the branch journals have a more modern capacity to provide lessons learned and share their content with Soldiers across the Army,” said Michael Serravo, director of Line of Departure.

The mobile app builds upon a highly successful web foundation. Since its launch in October 2024, the centralized Line of Departure platform has acted as a force multiplier and an “equalizer” for smaller journal teams with minimal staffing. Website usage has consistently grown, reaching more than 50,000 views and 19,000 new visitors in April 2026 alone.

By pushing this established platform to mobile devices, the Army is breaking down branch silos. Capt. Garett Pyle, Harding Fellow at the Army Sustainment Bulletin, noted that the centralized system provides an avenue to cross-communicate. “Now, I can easily view articles from other branches that I would otherwise never see. We are sharing insights and overall increasing Army lethality through this process,” Pyle said.

Sgt. 1st Class Marcel Blood, Harding Project deputy director and Ordnance noncommissioned officer, stressed the universal value of this information flow for the Total Force. “I can’t stress enough that there is something in the journals for everyone. Whether you’re on division staff and are trying to solve problems for the CG, or a Soldier learning to use a drone for the first time, there are articles published by your Soldiers, peers, and leaders that can help you,” he said.

Recognizing these benefits, Master Sgt. Travis Ragle, the co-editor in chief of the Special Warfare Journal, expects the mobile app to drive exponential growth in readership as awareness builds.

“The broader reach sparks discourse and coordination among branches, as well as assists in special operations recruitment through the amplified exposure Line of Departure provides,” Ragle said.

Readers can expect publication of approximately eight articles per branch journal each month.

Download the Line of Departure App on your mobile device’s app store.

About Army University Press and Line of Departure

Army University Press serves as the U.S. Army’s premier multimedia organization, functioning as the entry point for rigorous tactical analysis, doctrinal debate, and discussion on emerging topics vital to national defense.

Line of Departure, in collaboration with the Harding Project, is leading the Army’s effort to modernize branch journals and reinvigorate professional military writing as part of the service’s broader transformation initiative.

• Visit the AUP website to learn more about its educational portfolio.

• Visit Line of Departure to access all Army branch journals in one central location and find information on getting published.

(Note: This article references “Isenhower: Writing ‘Critical’ to Army Profession” which can be found here.)

By Jessica H. Brushwood

Posted in Army, Guest Post, Profession of Arms | No Comments »

District of Columbia National Guard unveils Freedom 250 patch

Friday, May 29th, 2026

WASHINGTON — District of Columbia National Guard leaders introduced a new assignment patch, honoring America’s 250th birthday and recognizing the National Guard’s support of key events in the nation’s capital.

The historic, once-in-a-generation opportunity to serve reflects the United States’ grounding principles while also reinforcing partnerships with local and federal authorities.

The patch features the Betsy Ross flag, with stars encircling the number 250 in place of the traditional 13 stars. Service members began wearing the patch Memorial Day weekend.

The top of the patch reads, “District of Columbia National Guard,” identifying the soldiers’ assignment area, and the bottom features the District of Columbia National Guard mission statement: “Protect the Capital – Defend the Nation.”

The Freedom 250 patch will be worn on the left shoulder of D.C. National Guard and members of Joint Task Force District of Columbia who are supporting the D.C. Safe and Beautiful mission.

Special events in Washington will commemorate the American colonists’ fight for freedom against Great Britain during the Revolutionary War, beginning with the establishment of the Continental Army, June 14, 1775, and concluding with the signing of the Treaty of Paris, Sept. 3, 1783, which formally recognized American independence and marked the end of the war.

Freedom 250 events highlight significant milestones and the enduring spirit of the nation.

National Guardsmen from various states and territories will provide command and control, foot patrols, crowd management and traffic control operations, way-finding assistance for visitors, as well as law enforcement partners with street closures. The goal is to support a safe, secure and navigable environment for attendees while serving as a vital asset to federal and local partners supporting Freedom 250 events throughout the nation’s capital.

By SGT Sherald McAulay, Joint Task Force District of Columbia

Posted in Army, Guest Post, Morale | Comments Off on District of Columbia National Guard unveils Freedom 250 patch

First Javelin Lightweight Command Launch Units Delivered to the US Army

Thursday, May 28th, 2026

Continued Raytheon investment will increase annual production

TUCSON, Ariz., May 26, 2026 — The Javelin Joint Venture (JJV), a partnership between Raytheon, an RTX (NYSE: RTX) business, and Lockheed Martin, has delivered the first Lightweight Command Launch Units (LWCLU) to the U.S. Army. The LWCLU, a next-generation launcher for the Javelin® weapon system, is designed to be adaptable and compatible with all current, past and future Javelin variants. The launcher is replacing the weapon system’s legacy command launch unit.

To date, Raytheon has invested $22 million to modernize the LWCLU factory to increase speed of production and expand capacity. In collaboration with the U.S. Army, the facility in Tucson, Ariz., is ramping annual production. 

“Delivering the first LWCLUs to the U.S. Army reflects the Javelin Joint Venture’s commitment to continuously advancing technology for service members,” said Jenna Hunt Frazier, JJV president and Javelin program director at Raytheon. “Our investments in modernization and production capacity ensures soldiers receive this cutting-edge capability faster.”

The Javelin LWCLU provides soldiers with twice the target detection and recognition range while reducing size by 30% and weight by 25%. The LWCLU maximizes surveillance for soldiers, offering day and night engagement capability.

“The production and delivery of the LWCLU marks a pivotal step in modernizing the Javelin system for today’s warfighter,”?said Rich Liccion, JJV vice president and Lockheed Martin Javelin program director. “Its innovative design enhances mobility and survivability while preserving the precision firepower that users rely on.”

Javelin is developed and produced by the JJV between Raytheon in Tucson, Arizona and Lockheed Martin in Orlando, Florida.

Posted in Army, Optics, Press Release, weapons | 1 Comment »

Army Pushes the Boundaries of Next-Gen Warfare

Thursday, May 28th, 2026

FORT IRWIN, Calif. — This April marked the beginning of the fourth iteration of Multi-Domain Command – Europe’s premiere exercise, Arcane Thunder, happening simultaneously at Fort Irwin, California and throughout the European theater. The lessons learned by the Pershing Soldiers in California’s high desert will shape the future of large-scale combat operations.

Multi-Domain Command – Europe is one of three units established within the past five years, charged with combining the five fingers of the Army’s air, land, sea, space and cyber capabilities into a fist, capable of destroying any target.

“The opening salvo of the next fight will not be something that comes out of an ammunition supply point,” says Maj. Guglielmo, operations officer for Multi-Domain Command – Europe and lead planner for Arcane Thunder 26. “It is going to be something more in the domains, literally, that we operate in here.”

The MDC-E’s primary role is creating anti-access and area denial, the strategy by which the U.S. military restricts enemy movement and prevents adversaries from deploying forces into a theater of operations throughout the battlefield. For MDC-E that means supporting U.S. Army European Command in reinforcing NATO’s eastern flank against Russian incursion should the need arise.

What Multi-Domain Command – Europe brings to the fight that a combined arms unit wouldn’t is the capability to sense the enemy at extreme ranges and create opportunities for the unit’s long-range fires battalions to engage those targets. Fixed wing UAVs serve as the unit’s Swiss army knife of sensing and detecting, capable of carrying electromagnetic or explosive payloads if necessary, while high-altitude balloons capable of floating near the top of the Earth’s exosphere for more than a year at a time monitor signals in the electromagnetic spectrum from hundreds of miles away.

Capabilities within all domains of warfare employed by the MDC-E work in concert to “bring the fight as deep as possible,” says Guglielmo. “The Army wide is trying to make sure that it has as innovative and as advanced technology as possible to provide the warfighter that advantage.”

This year’s Arcane Thunder tests the scale at which those capabilities can be employed through the formation of Multi-Domain Company Teams, or MDC-Ts.

“Multi-Domain Company Team is a company size element that combines multiple disciplines outside of its organic structure to create multiple options for a commander to affect things on the battlefield,” says Guglielmo.

“Much like using combined arms to create multiple dilemmas, a MDC-T can do the same thing,” says Guglielmo. “Instead of tanks and artillery, you have an extended range sensing asset, a kinetic element, and a space element all working in concert together to accomplish whatever the combatant commander needs.”

Responsible for testing the employment of the MDC-T concept are the Soldiers of MDC-E’s Extended Range Sensing and Effects Company, commanded by Capt. Garrett Murray. Drone operators, electronic warfare specialists, and tactical space operations specialists merged into one unit to detect targets at extreme ranges and destroy them.

The Extended Range Sensing and Effects Company and the rest of the MDC-E team have been tasked with answering the question of how to take these capabilities and integrate them with the ground force, says Murray.

“We’re still building the foundations,” says Murray. “Everyone knows the exact roles that we fill. There’s not much question besides how do we change up the tactics.”

“We’re making those steps during this exercise now that we’re coordinating with a long-range fires unit,” says Murray. “The next step, once we continue through experimentation and developing our capabilities is, now we need to start working on synchronizing with the maneuver force.”

Deciding upon what technologies to incorporate into the Army’s warfighting functions is an enduring effort throughout the force known as Transforming in Contact, focused on delivering new technologies into the hands of Soldiers so that they can experiment, innovate, and be ready to fight on a modern battlefield. Leading the charge at Multi-Domain Command – Europe is Maj. Don Duong.

Maj. Duong’s call sign is “CTO”. He’s the Multi-Domain Command’s chief technology officer.

“It’s… new position that’s reflective of where the Army and the military’s been going in terms of the acknowledgement that the pace at which new capabilities and technologies are entering into the marketplace and the warfare domains are quickly outstripping traditional procurement pathways,” said Duong.

“We’re focused on trying to find current emerging and future capabilities aligned against what the MDC concept of employment and mission sets are.”

Arcane Thunder puts that concept into practice. Soldiers operating between Mainz-Kastel, Germany and Fort Irwin, Texas, employ emerging technologies across multiple training scenarios, stress-testing what the industry has to offer.

“What we’re doing with multi-domain reconnaissance is something that’s quite different from how traditional Army reconnaissance has been done at the tactical level,” says Duong. “We’re developing the doctrine, the procedures and the capabilities to execute reconnaissance at extended distances. That hasn’t been considered in the past at the tactical level.”

“Everything we do here will inform the direction that the Army takes with regard to multi-domain reconnaissance and then how we can converge or layer all these different effects together to create an effect or multiple dilemmas on adversary forces,” says Duong.

MSG John Healy

Posted in Army, Forces Focus, Guest Post | Comments Off on Army Pushes the Boundaries of Next-Gen Warfare

Hand-Picked to Lead: U.S. Army Capt McMurrin Builds Launched Effects Battery and Brings UAS Capability to the 2d Cavalry Regiment

Wednesday, May 27th, 2026

BEMOWO PISKIE TRAINING AREA, Poland – U.S. Army Capt. Harold McMurrin quickly stood out in the Field Artillery Squadron (FAS), 2d Cavalry Regiment (2CR), for his technical skills and innovative ideas. As commander of the Launched Effects “Demon” Battery, he was tasked with building the unit from scratch and introduced advanced\, unmanned aerial systems — remotely piloted aircraft with cameras and sensors — to the regiment. His experience, leadership, and vision have placed the Launched Effects Battery at the center of the Army’s modernization efforts.

“He’s got a long, varied background… very smart, very growth-minded,” U.S. Army Lt. Col. Steven Huckleberry, commander, FAS, 2CR. “Giving him this ambiguous problem set and creating a new capability that fills a gap — he’s the right person for this.”

Huckleberry said McMurrin was hand-selected six months ago to form and lead the unit, tasked with implementing multiple unmanned armed systems within 2CR’s FAS.

McMurrin graduated from the Cavalry Leaders Course and served as a squadron fire support officer (FSO). He brings reconnaissance, armor, and fire support experience. This mix helped him build a functional battery from limited equipment and an ambiguous mission set.

Throughout the combined-arms live-fire exercise during Saber Strike at the Bemowo Piskie Training Area (BPTA), Poland, McMurrin was seen testing drones with his team, conducting arms rehearsals and moving between the tactical operations center (TOC) and the field.

These early actions highlighted McMurrin’s hands-on approach and commitment to integrating advanced technologies into real-world training. His visible leadership during Saber Strike not only demonstrated the potential of UAS in a dynamic environment, but also set the tone for how Demon Battery would operate under his command.

His unique role — possibly the only one in the Army — means he wears two hats: commanding the launch effects battery and, filling a staff position in the TOC, managing the regiment’s firefight as the assistant FSO.

McMurrin’s path into field artillery is a family tradition. Both his mother and father served as field artillery officers, and he has served for eight years in the Army. He held prior jobs as a biologist and a truck driver before committing to a career in the military.

He participated in exercise Saber Strike, a multinational training event, while his first sergeant and other Soldiers of the battery took part in Project Flytrap 5.0, a joint initiative at the Pabrad? Training Area, Lithuania.

Launched Effects Battery’s first sergeant, 1st Sgt. Mohammad Bihamta said, “Capt. McMurrin is a key contributor to the regiment’s success during Saber Strike 26 and Flytrap. His ability to connect teams, systems, and capabilities across the formation ensures Demon Battery delivers effects that directly support the regiment’s mission. He thrives in complex environments. He leverages relationships and a persistent, solutions-oriented mindset to overcome friction and maintain momentum.”

Across the regiment and U.S. Army Europe, launched effects batteries like “Demon” Battery and another in the 25th Infantry Division are among a growing number of units experimenting with UAS integration in field artillery.

McMurrin stated that the work done during Saber Strike and associated experiments helps shape standard operating procedures and informs how emerging technologies will be employed in future engagements.

Both Project Flytrap and Saber Strike, part of Sword 26, are exercises that turn investment into capability. Soldiers integrate unmanned systems such as AI-enabled command and control and live data networks to move, decide, and fight more effectively across all domains. Sword 26 demonstrates how U.S. Army Europe and Africa drives transformation at scale while strengthening deterrence.

Thanks to McMurrin’s dedication and strong communication skills within the battery, the Launched Effects Battery demonstrated precision during Saber Strike. In just six months since creation, they used several types of reconnaissance drones: medium, long-range, short-range, and a few first-person-view drones. This showcased the battery’s strength and versatility.

“UAS provides the Soldier on the ground the ability to look further than ground-based sensors have, so further than their binoculars, their mark-one eyeball (eyes), the sights on their weapons, and other sensors that they carry on their person,” said McMurrin. “It lets them go further; it lets them naturally go beyond terrain that would block their view, the other side of a hill, the other side of a wood line and it lets them see the enemy before the enemy can gain ground and observe them.”

His role as commander of the battery is essential to providing this type of support to the troops of the Field Artillery Squadron of the 2nd Cavalry Regiment.

“The regimental operating concept is to be able to deploy and fight upon arrival,” McMurrin said. “Training in Poland and Lithuania simulates the conditions the regiment could face if employed in crisis, whether for deterrence, presence, or combat operations.”

By SSG Emilie Lenglain

Posted in Army, Drone, Fires, Forces Focus, Guest Post | Comments Off on Hand-Picked to Lead: U.S. Army Capt McMurrin Builds Launched Effects Battery and Brings UAS Capability to the 2d Cavalry Regiment

Maritime Soldiers Earn Mariner Badge

Tuesday, May 26th, 2026

JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii – Maritime Soldiers assigned to the 8th Special Troops Battalion, 8th Theater Sustainment Command, were recognized during an Army Mariner Badge pinning ceremony aboard the U.S. Army Vessel Maj. Gen. Robert Smalls, LSV-8, on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, recognizing their expertise and service as Army mariners.

Hosted by Lt. Col. Micah J. Hall, commander of the 8th Special Troops Battalion, the ceremony honored Transportation Corps port watercraft and seaport operations mariners for achieving significant professional milestones through certification, operational experience and sustained service aboard Army watercraft. During the ceremony, one Soldier received the Army Mariner Senior badge and 11 Soldiers received the Army Mariner Basic badge.

The Army Mariner Badge symbolizes the technical expertise, discipline and operational readiness required of Soldiers serving within Army maritime occupational specialties. Approved in October 2024, the badge recognizes Army mariners who demonstrate proficiency in nautical logistics and sustainment operations while supporting missions across the Indo-Pacific region and beyond.

The badge is awarded based on certification and years of operational maritime service. Soldiers awarded the basic badge must complete required certifications and serve at least one year aboard an Army vessel, while the senior badge recognizes mariners with a minimum of five years of service and demonstrated expertise within their maritime field.

“This badge is more than a uniform item,” said Hall during the ceremony. “It represents technical competence, operational experience, discipline and commitment to the Army’s maritime mission.”

Hall emphasized the critical role Army mariners play in enabling sustainment and transportation operations throughout the Indo-Pacific theater, including interisland logistics, joint exercises and strategic sealift missions. He recognized the professionalism and resilience required to operate Army watercraft in demanding maritime environments far from home station.

Maj. Gen. Gavin Gardner, commanding general of the 8th Theater Sustainment Command, also addressed attendees and highlighted the longstanding legacy of Army mariners throughout military history, from supporting operations during World War II to modern-day joint logistics over-the-shore missions.

“This is not earned in port,” Gardner said. “This is earned underway.”

Gardner further noted that Army mariners continue to play a vital role in projecting and sustaining combat power across the Indo-Pacific region, particularly as the Army modernizes maritime sustainment capabilities in austere environments.

For many Soldiers, the ceremony represented more than professional recognition — it represented visibility for a uniquely specialized field within the Army.

“Being awarded the Army Mariner Badge means a lot to us because it’s the first visible identification the Army has given us that is unique to being a mariner,” said CW2 George Schwarz, one of the mariners recognized with the 8th Theater Sustainment Command. “We’re a really small field within the Army that doesn’t always receive a lot of recognition.”

As the ceremony concluded, the newly badged Army mariners were recognized not only for their technical qualifications but for their continued role in sustaining and moving combat power across the Indo-Pacific region.

SGT Deneisha Owens-McParland

Posted in Army, Guest Post, Maritime, Profession of Arms | 1 Comment »

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