173rd Airborne Tests 100% COVID-19 Free After Seven Weeks in the Field

 AUG. 27 | 2020 | BY ARMY SPC. RYAN LUCAS

As Exercise Saber Junction 20 wound down and the 173rd Airborne Brigade prepared to redeploy to Vicenza, Italy, and Grafenwoehr, Germany, brigade medical personnel administered COVID-19 tests to the entire force, Aug. 21, 2020.

While the brigade finished it's exercise, medical personnel administered 2,500 swabs and rapid testing in Landstuhl, Germany. All tests came back negative for the virus.

''We're conducting 100% testing of the brigade in order to ensure the health and safety of our soldiers and allies during the movement of our troops back to Italy,'' said Army Staff Sgt. Michael Aponte, a laboratory technician in the brigade.

Four battalions of the 173rd Airborne Brigade are based in Vicenza, Italy, while another two are based in Grafenwoehr, Germany. Prior to the beginning of Exercise Saber Junction 20 and the preceding field training exercise in Grafenwoehr Training Area, all Italian-based paratroopers were tested for COVID-19.

''We tested the force in Italy before moving forward to Germany,'' Aponte said. ''Today we're going to take care of the whole brigade and some attachments that we have with us.''

In order to accommodate the testing, the brigade took a tactical pause and temporarily suspended the simulated wartime environment. Spread across the vast Hohenfels Training Area, each battalion sent medical personnel to pick up the testing equipment from the brigade.

''The brigade is providing the tools and each battalion is adjusting to their area of operations,'' Aponte said. The 54th Brigade Engineer Battalion, for example, used one of the simulated towns to carry out their testing, while the Brigade Support Battalion used tents.

Army Pfc. Frank Croce, a medic assigned to the Brigade Support Battalion, assisted in the testing of 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment. Commenting on the testing site, Croce said they were able to set it up very quickly after the tactical pause began.

''It's a hasty setup, but it's effective,'' Croce said.

Once each battalion finished swabbing their entire personnel roster, the brigade collected the samples and shipped them off in a UH-60 Black Hawk for testing. As of Aug. 22, all samples tested negative. 

(Army Spc. Ryan Lucas is assigned to the 173rd Airborne Brigade).

Department of Defense Partnership Hires 175K Spouses

 Hiring through the Military Spouse Employment Partnership rose by more than 22 percent, with 175,000 military spouses securing jobs through the program, the Department of Defense announced this week.

The Military Spouse Employment Partnership is an initiative of the Spouse Education and Career Opportunities program, which provides personalized career coaching and support to military spouses at all levels of their professional lives, from considering early educational goals to thriving in managerial or entrepreneurial roles. MSEP connects spouses to job openings and employers worldwide. 

“For all of the sacrifice MilSpouses commit, the right thing for us to do is to come along side and help them work in their career,” Second Lady Karen Pence said at the 2019 MSEP Induction Ceremony, in Crystal City, Va. “Employers who hire these MilSpouses benefit from their tremendous experience and skills.”

Since its inception in 2011, MSEP has grown to more than 440 partners across a variety of industries. 

“Military spouses are well educated and highly qualified for a range of careers, but they also face obstacles to employment because of the mobile military life,” said Defense Secretary Dr. Mark T. Esper. “MSEP is an important piece of the well-rounded support system that connects spouses with fulfilling careers that enable them to contribute to the well-being of their families. This benefits our military as a whole.”

The DOD established the SECO program to provide education and career guidance to military spouses worldwide. SECO offers free, comprehensive resources and tools related to career exploration, education, training and licensing, employment readiness and career connections. This program also offers free career coaching services six days a week.

SECO continuously introduces new and innovative ways to connect military spouses with employers. Earlier this year, SECO launched the MSEP Job Search Navigator, a service that helps the program’s career coaches match job openings with military spouse candidates. 

 

In 2019, the program started hosting virtual hiring fairs where military spouses seeking jobs connect directly with hundreds of MSEP partners with positions to fill. The next hiring fair is planned for fall 2020. Any military spouse can sign up to receive the registration announcement via the SECO eNewsletter. 

Military spouses can learn about employment opportunities, resources, hiring events and more by calling Military OneSource at 800-342-9647 to speak with a SECO career coach. 

Military OneSource is a DOD-funded program that is both a call center and a website providing comprehensive information, resources and assistance on every aspect of military life. Service members and the families of active duty, National Guard and reserve (regardless of activation status); Coast Guard members when activated for the Navy; defense expeditionary civilians; and survivors are eligible for Military OneSource services, which are available worldwide 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at no cost to the user.

DOD Seeks Reform in Delivering Improved Training, Education

 AUG. 26 | 2020 | BY DAVID VERGUN |  DOD NEWS

Defense Department leaders in the fields of training and education discussed reform efforts the department is pursuing to more effectively and efficiently deliver various types of learning to its uniformed and civilian personnel.

Fred Drummond, deputy assistant secretary of defense for force education and training; Lora Muchmore, director of the Defense Business Systems Directorate, Office of the Chief Management Officer; Jim Seacord, acting director of the Human Capital Management Office, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence; and, Amy Rogers, chief learning officer for the civilian workforce, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, spoke today at a National Training and Simulation Association webinar on "Transforming DOD's Learning Infrastructure."

Muchmore said that the most critical element in designing a training or education system is to first determine the desired outcome and how that outcome contributes to the mission and readiness of the department.

Once the outcome is determined, the next step is to determine which training or education delivery system is most effective at achieving the desired performance metrics, she said, adding that the performance metrics have to be operationally defined.

However, effectiveness has to be balanced with training time and investment of dollars in learning technologies, so there's a trade-space involved in the process.

Other factors to consider besides learning technologies are the development of common languages and data standards across the department, ease of access and availability of learning systems, workforce culture and policies, Muchmore said.

Seacord said the culture shift has to involve everyone thinking about the DOD mission and how what they're doing can further that mission. A soldier, sailor, airman, Marine, civilian and contractor are all on one team and it takes an open mind to break out of the traditional parochialism mindset.

Rogers said many department personnel are not aware of the training and developmental opportunities that are available to them that would further develop a skilled and ready workforce.

Training and education opportunities should reflect competencies needed not just for the current mission but for the future missions, she said. 

A good idea is to collaborate and borrow from training and education that has proven effective and innovative, Rogers said. It should not be us versus them attitude.

Drummond emphasized the interoperability of training and education systems across all organizations within the department. He said they must all share the same languages and data standards so that interoperability is seamless.

Drummond, Rogers, Seacord and Muchmore are all members of the executive steering committee for the department's training and education reform effort, known as Enterprise Digital Learning Modernization. 

Election season do's and don'ts for DOD personnel

 By Katie Lange |  Defense.gov | August 27 | 2020

WASHINGTON -- It's election season again – that time when federal, state and local political campaigns kick into high gear. Whether you're extremely involved in politics or you aren’t even registered to vote, the Defense Department has expectations for the way its military service members and civilian employees conduct themselves during this time.

Here are some of the most notable guidelines:

Voting

Active-duty military and civilian employees are encouraged to take part in their civic duty by voting. In fact, DOD voting assistance is provided through the Federal Voting Assistance Program.

Attending Events

Service members can attend rallies, debates, conventions, political club meetings and fundraising events – but only as a spectator. Members of the Armed Forces – active-duty, Reserve or retired – cannot wear their uniforms at these events, unless they're members of the color guard at a national convention.

Opinions/Donations

DOD employees are also allowed to make personal monetary donations and express their personal opinions on candidates and issues, but service members just can’t do so as a representative of the Armed Forces.

Employees can write letters to the editor of a news outlet expressing their personal views -- as long as they're not part of an organized letter-writing campaign or are soliciting votes for a party, cause or candidate. Most importantly, the letter must make it clear that the views expressed are solely the writer's and NOT those of the DOD.

Signage

DOD personnel can put their favorite party, cause or candidate's bumper sticker on their car, but no large political signs, banners or posters can be displayed on their car or home. This includes those who live on a military installation in a privatized housing development.

Prohibited Activities

Service members and civilian employees are to refrain from partisan political activities. Any political activity they take part in should – as stated above -- clearly avoid implying DOD sponsorship, approval or endorsement of a candidate, campaign or cause.

Prohibited activities include:

Campaigning for a candidate

Soliciting contributions

Marching in a partisan parade

Writing signed partisan political articles, letters or endorsements in an attempt to solicit votes

Performing any duty for a political committee or candidate during a campaign

Social Media

Your actions online can affect your career and the DOD just as much as they can in person. That's why the department also issues guidelines for active-duty service members, active-duty National Guardsmen and federal employees.

DOD employees are allowed to express their own views on issues and candidates, like in a letter to a news outlet. However, if they are identified on their account as active-duty, the post MUST say that the views expressed are their own and not those of the DOD.

DOD personnel shouldn't participate in partisan political activities online, either, which includes posting direct links to a political party, candidate, campaign, group or cause. That's considered the equivalent of distributing literature on behalf of those entities, which is prohibited.

Similarly, service members and civilian employees can "friend," "follow" or "like" a political party, candidate or cause, but they can't engage in political activities on those pages. For example, they can't suggest that others "like," "friend" or "follow" that page, and they can't forward an invitation or solicitation from that page to others.

Active-duty members are subject to additional restrictions based on Joint Ethics Regulations, the Uniform Code of Military Justice and service-specific rules.

Service member who aren’t on active-duty are NOT subject to the above restrictions, but they are required to make it clear that their actions are their own and not endorsed, approved or sponsored by the DOD.

When Can Candidates or Officials Visit Military Facilities?

Political candidates and other elected or appointed officials may access DOD installations and facilities to conduct official business or various other activities. However, they are NOT allowed to engage in campaign or election-related activities, including:

Town hall meetings

Speeches

Public assemblies

Fundraisers

News conferences

Post-election celebrations or concession addresses

This restriction applies to overseas installations and areas under control of U.S. military combat or peacekeeping forces.

Task force donates COVID-19 supplies in Honduras

 By Maria Pinel | Defense.gov | August | 20 | 2020

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Southern Command's Joint Task Force Bravo donated personal protective equipment and medications through Southcom's humanitarian assistance program to support the municipalities of Villa de San Antonio, La Paz, Ajuterique and Lejamani in Honduras.

The donation included KN95 masks, gloves, gowns, booties, head covers, disinfecting supplies and medication to benefit the health care providers of the Roberto Suazo Cordova Hospital, a regional hospital that receives patients from all over La Paz. Donations were also provided to the emergency committees in the municipalities of Villa de San Antonio in the department of La Paz, and Ajuterique and Lejamani in the department of Comayagua for distribution to local health care clinics. The donations are valued at more than $52,000.

The task force continuously works to build partnerships to foster security, stability and prosperity for Honduran citizens through a variety of missions, including personal protective equipment donations in response to COVID-19 throughout the country, officials said.

Army Col. John Litchfield, the new task force commander, personally delivered the donations to meet with local mayors, health care leaders and authorities and to underscore the task force's commitment to supporting its partners and hosts in this time of need.

"We are committed to supporting your efforts in the fight against COVID-19," Litchfield said. "We are part of this community, and we are in this together. Your success is our success, and I look forward to continuing strengthening our partnership. We are together in this fight, and we are committed to supporting you as friends and neighbors."