Wednesday, January 10, 2018

Soldiers in Poland Try Out for Sniper School



By Army Spc. Andrew McNeil, Battle Group Poland

BEMOWO PISKIE, Poland, Jan. 10, 2018 — In the world of horology -- clocks and watches -- the mechanism that tells the time is called a movement, but the added-on features of the timepiece, like a chronograph and calendar, are called complications.

In the infantry, the movement might be considered the infantrymen themselves. They are the key piece and focus of the unit. When a unit wants to add a complication, they call upon snipers.

“Snipers bring quite a few assets to a squadron like this,” said Army Staff Sgt. Cameron Angers, the sniper section leader assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment. “Snipers are able to support a troop and squadron by being able to find assault positions, support by fire positions and find their own sniper firing positions.”

Wanting to add this beneficial complication to their movement, 3rd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment, held a sniper school tryout Jan. 2-4, in Bemowo Piskie Training Area, Poland.

The tryouts allowed the unit to select the five best candidates to send to the strenuous 7-week long sniper course at the U.S. Army Sniper School at Fort Benning, Georgia.

Tryouts

“The first day we had a [Ranger Physical Fitness Test], which consisted of push-ups, sit-ups, a 5-mile run and 6 pull-ups,” Angers said. “After that we gave them a break, later we gathered back up to do a day and night land [navigation] course.”

On Day Two, the soldiers had to perform a 4-mile weighted litter carry while completing three different testing stations on the path. The last day of the tryouts, the soldiers had to go on a 12-mile ruck march.

After the ruck march, the soldiers were quizzed by their senior leaders about their personal motivation for wanting to be a sniper with 3rd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment.

“It was always a dream of mine when I first joined,” said Army Sgt. Cody Wise, an infantryman assigned to 3rd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment and sniper slot applicant. “I finally get the opportunity and it feels pretty good.”

Once selected and qualified, the new snipers will not only add to the unit as a whole, but will allow the squadron and Battle Group Poland to have a new tool to create complications on the battlefield for any adversarial threats.

“Being a sniper, to me, means being stealthy” and “the best of the best,” said Army Pvt. Bryce Dorvall, an infantryman assigned to 3rd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment and sniper slot applicant.
Battle Group Poland supports Atlantic Resolve and demonstrates the U.S. commitment to the security of NATO and NATO allies. This unique, multinational battle group comprised of U.S., U.K., Croatian and Romanian soldiers serves with the Polish 15th Mechanized Battalion as a deterrence force in northeast Poland in support of NATO’s Enhanced Forward Presence.

DoD Owes Taxpayers Full Accounting of Assets, Comptroller Tells House



By Jim Garamone DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Jan. 10, 2018 — A departmentwide audit is important for business reform, for Congress and for the taxpayer, the Defense Department’s comptroller told the House Armed Services Committee today.

The process has started for the first departmentwide audit in DoD history, David L. Norquist said. Defense is the largest department in the executive branch and has assets around the world.

Defense Secretary James N. Mattis and Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick M. Shanahan are fully behind this effort, Norquist told the committee.

While the department has auditors looking at various contracts or processes, “this is the first time the department will undergo a full financial statement audit,” he said. “A financial statement audit is comprehensive and occurs annually and it covers more than financial management.”

Audit’s Purpose

This audit will verify the count, location and condition of military equipment and real property. “It tests the vulnerability of our security systems and it validates the accuracy of personnel records and actions,” Norquist said.

The department will have 1,200 financial statement auditors assessing the books and records to develop a true account of the state of the department, the comptroller said. It will take time to pass all the process and system changes necessary to pass the audit and get a so-called “clean opinion,” he said. He noted that it took the Department of Homeland Security -- a much smaller and newer agency -- 10 years to get a clean audit.

“But we don’t have to wait to see the benefits of a clean opinion,” Norquist said. “The financial statement audit helps drive enterprise improvements to standardize our business practices and improve the quality of our data.”

The audit will provide information and accountability to the American people. “The taxpayers deserve the same level of confidence as a shareholder that DoD’s financial statement presents a true and accurate picture of its financial condition and operations,” he said. “Transparency, accountability and business process reform are some of the benefits of a financial statement audit.”

An audit will improve accountability, the comptroller said, noting that, for example, an initial Army audit found that 39 UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters were not properly recorded in the property system. “The Air Force identified 478 structures and buildings at 12 installations that were not in its real property system,” he added.

The audit should cost about $367 million in 2018, Norquist said, which is about the same percentage of the overall budget that large firms like Proctor and Gamble or IBM spend on their audits. “We also anticipate spending about $551 million in 2018 fixing problems identified by the auditors,” he said.
Finding better ways to do business will allow DoD to invest in greater lethality for the force, the comptroller said

Face of Defense: Pursuing Christmas Thief Earns Recognition for Sailor



By JoAnna Delfin, U.S. Naval Forces, Marianas

HAGATNA, Guam, Jan. 10, 2018 — Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Anthony Mugavero, a master at arms assigned to U.S. Naval Base Guam Harbor Security, received a legislative resolution at the Guam Congress Building Dec. 29, for his courageous efforts while pursuing a thief at a mall in Dededo, Guam, two days before Christmas.

"There aren't too many times in your life you get to meet a hero, but today I've met a hero and we're here to show our appreciation on behalf of the people of Guam," said Guam Sen. Dennis Rodriguez Jr. "What Mr. Mugavero did was something above and beyond."

On the evening of Dec. 23, Mugavero, his wife and their children were walking in the mall's parking garage when Cynthia Manibusan yelled that her purse had been stolen.

Stopping a Thief

"I just heard someone yelling, 'He took my purse!' and immediately ran after the guy, jumped over the wall and tackled him," Mugavero said.

Once on the ground, he retrieved the stolen purse and returned it to Manibusan. The suspect fled the scene on foot.

"A lot of [sailors], we go out there and we want to do better for our community because we come from the same community," Mugavero said. "If we can show [that service members] are out there helping the community, maybe it will foster our relationship more within the community itself. I feel like something like this encourages other people take a step to help out."

Gratitude

Manibusan expressed her appreciation to Mugavero for his efforts to retrieve her purse and ensuring she and her daughter were OK following the incident.
"I was expecting someone else to help me out, not a military person," she said. "I was so blessed to have him there at the exact moment to assist us. I want to thank Tony and his family, and the military for all the training he's learned. It kicked in on him that evening and he did what he learned and it helped out."