Gs Program To Improve Soldiers Physical And Combat Readiness To Expand Nationwide
What began in 2016 as a partnership between Georgia Southern University and the Third Infantry Division at Fort Stewart has become a nationally recognized educational and research program with $5.68 million in federal funding to improve soldier health and performance to ensure force readiness.
Now called the Soldier Performance and Readiness program, this Georgia Southern project aligns with the U.S. Armys Holistic Health and Fitness initiative and represents a multifaceted partnership with the Army to provide onsite training that decreases musculoskeletal injuries deliver an online certificate program in tactical fitness for college credit collaborate with the Armys Research Institute for Environmental Medicine and develop programs to enhance and assess cognitive performance in tactical situations.
The initial partnership program to prevent musculoskeletal injuries was delivered at first to small cohorts to implement new practices in the physical training of their squads and platoons in a train-the-trainer model. Results were so encouraging, the program expanded at Fort Stewart and to training brigades at Fort Benning last year with the assistance of $1.5 million in Department of Defense funding.
Soldier Readiness Processing Center
The Soldier Readiness Processing Center is the validating authority for personnel, administrative, and medical readiness of JBLM Soldiers and civilians and designated Army National Guard and Reserve Soldiers preparing for mobilization or deployments. Our mission is to ensure all Soldiers are validated for deployments in support of worldwide operations in accordance with Department of the Army Personnel Policy Guidance for Overseas Contingency Operations and to provide full-service redeployment/reintegration support to all Soldiers returning from overseas deployments.
How Were Different Than A Clinic
Vet Centers are small, non-medical, counseling centers conveniently located in your community. Theyre staffed by highly trained counselors and team members dedicated to seeing you through the challenges that come with managing life during and after the military.
Whether you come in for one-on-one counseling or to participate in a group session, at Vet Centers you can form social connections, try new things, and build a support system with people who understand you and want to help you succeed.
Vet Center services are available to you at no cost, regardless of discharge character, and without you needing to be enrolled in VA health care or having a service-connected disability. If youre a Veteran or service member, including members of the National Guard and Reserve, you can access our services if you:
We encourage you to contact us, even if youre unsure if you meet these criteria. If we cant help you, well find someone who will.
Our services are also available to family members when their participation would support the growth and goals of the Veteran or active-duty service member. If you consider them family, so do we. We also offer bereavement services to family members of Veterans who were receiving Vet Center services at the time of the Veterans death, and to the families of service members who died while serving on active duty.
No. You dont have to be enrolled in VA health care or have a service-connected disability.
Also Check: How Much Is Sitka Military Discount
Gao: Army Helicopter Readiness Improving
A 10-year study of military aircraft found most were unready for combat-related missions, including three types of Army helicopters.
The report by the Government Accountability Office, titled Weapon System Sustainment: Aircraft Mission Capable Goals Were Generally Not Met and Sustainment Costs Varied by Aircraft, details the examination of 49 types of fixed and rotary wing aircraft.
Findings indicate that only four aircraft met their annual mission readiness goals from fiscal 2011 through fiscal 2021an overall decline over time.
Army aircraft cited in the report were the Apache AH-64D/E, the Chinook CH-47F and the Black Hawk UH/HH-60. None of them were reported to have met annual mission-capable goals during the 10 years.
However, the report also states that the average mission capable rate for the selected Army aircraft is up, while the same rate for Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps aircraft has declined to varying degrees.
Reasons for the findings, according to information provided by program managers, included aging aircraft, maintenance challenges and issues getting parts and supplies.
Sustainment challenges identified for the Apache helicopters, for example, included delays in acquiring replacement aircraft, unexpected parts replacements and repairs, delays in depot maintenance, shortage of trained maintenance personnel, unscheduled maintenance and diminished manufacturing sources or obsolete parts.
Read the full report here.
Brawls Disorder Mar Georgia National Guard Boot Camp For Teens At Fort Gordon
Cadets at the Fort Stewart Youth Challenge Academy stand in formation during a campus tour in February 2020. An AJC investigation in 2020 found the state-run boot camps adult platoon instructors, known as cadre, physically abused teenage cadets and sexually harassed female staff. The YCA program offers a quasi-military experience for teens, age 16 to 18, dividing them into platoons. The programs Fort Gordon camp made news in October 2022 when a massive brawl between different platoons caused leaders to shut down the class and send the cadets home.
A massive brawl broke out on a parade ground at Fort Gordon in Augusta one afternoon last fall, when about 70 teenage recruits of the Georgia National Guards Youth Challenge Academy slugged it out. Some used homemade weapons, including metal shanks, crudely sharpened toothbrushes and tube socks filled with metal padlocks.
Overwhelmed, the academys staff most former military drill instructors called for help, summoning the military police to break it up and ambulances to treat the injured. Two boys were taken to the hospital, one with a concussion, the other with bruised ribs. Others were treated on base after the Oct. 13 episode and sent back to barracks where cadets were placed on lockdown.
I was sold a complete lie, she said in a recent interview.
Ft. Gordon leadership and our YCA staff jointly determined that the class should be canceled and the students sent home, he wrote.
Word of the day: Chaos
A violent past
Recommended Reading: Can I Join The Army At 30
National Guard Digs In On $15m Richland Readiness Center
It took 10 years of meticulous planning, but a modern take on a military armory is taking shape in north Richland.
The Washington Army National Guard is building a $15 million, 40,000-square-foot readiness center at Horn Rapids Industrial Park to serve a 150-member Stryker Infantry Unit.
It will be ready by spring or summer 2022, with classrooms and conference rooms available for public use as well at 2655 First St.
Were looking forward to being in the area, said Col. Adam Iwaszuk, director of the Washington Military Departments construction and facilities management office in Olympia.
The readiness center serves a similar function to armories, but has more communal facilities than its forebearer, including a fitness center and kitchen.
A decade in making
It took a decade to bring the readiness center to the starting line. The process began in 2011 when the guard identified the need. The concept had to be shepherded through the National Guard Bureau and approved for federal and state funding.
Every year, the 54 states and U.S. territories compete for approval for projects 10 years out. Between 12 and 16 get the go ahead, Iwaszuk said.
The Richland project was approved in 2012 for a construction bid in 2020, one of 16 approved that year.
It gives us a good foothold in the area, he said.
Stryker home base
In addition to the part-time reservists, three or four full-time reservists will be posted to Richland as well.
Competitive project
Iowa National Guard Still Struggling To Recruit In Wake Of Pandemic
Recruitment has continued to be a challenge for the Iowa National Guard a lingering effect of the coronavirus pandemic, Maj. Gen. Ben Corell said in his annual Condition of the Guard address on Thursday.
The number one challenge to readiness has become strength in our ability to recruit and retain quality soldiers and airmen, said Corell, who leads the state National Guard as its adjutant general. As we exit the COVID-19 era, national economic, educational, societal trends have increased competition for talent, which has decreased the incentive to serve in our military.
Last year was the worst for U.S. military recruiting in about five decades, he said.
The Iowa Army National Guard, which accounts for the bulk of service members in the state, is authorized to have more than 6,800 members and is operating at about 98% of that total, said Capt. Kevin Waldron, a Guard spokesperson.
RELATED
Its time that the Army get more introspective and start looking at ways it can accelerate change to fix its recruiting crisis, argue these authors.
Thats down from about 102% two years ago but is still relatively high. In 2016 it was 91%, according to state records. The Guard is allowed to exceed 100% to buoy against the losses of service members who retire or complete their contracts.
Guard members provide assistance during disasters and emergencies in Iowa and can be deployed abroad for combat and other missions.
Tags:
Recommended Reading: Dies Best Buy Give Military Discount
Pembroke Army National Guard Readiness Center & Annex
An innovative, multi-purpose building designed to meet the unique needs of a military training facility.
The Pembroke, NH Army National Guards mission is to ensure the combat readiness of their Units and act as a liaison between the National Guard Bureau and the individual states and territories on ARNG operational activities. DEW was hired as the general contractor to construct their new 27,700 sf Readiness Center facility and a 9,100 sf detached general-purpose training Annex. The Center includes unit storage, platoon storage, arms vault, kitchen and scullery, administrative offices, family readiness space, a learning center, classrooms, training rooms, physical training room, locker rooms/restrooms, and a break area. LEED Silver 2.0.
Louisiana Army National Guard Readiness Center
Location
Completion Date
2008
The new Readiness Centers vertical facilities consist of multi-level administrative spaces, assembly areas, training bays and related ancillary spaces. The project consists of a total of 114,891 sf of enclosed building. The main administration building consists of 97,611 sf with a separate physical fitness building of 4,788 sf, a maintenance bay of 5,692 sf and an unheated storage facility of 6,589 sf. The buildings were designed using materials, systems equipment and features to obtain the required green building SPiRiT Gold rating. A prefinished aluminum exterior shading device system is used on the southwest and northeast facades to minimize solar gain. All roof water runoff were to be collected with gutters and downspouts that lead to a retention pond feature. The runoff was to be stored and used for site irrigation. The materials were selected for their long life cycle. This building was designed for a 70-year life cycle on materials.||H/S was commissioned to provide the initial design concept as well as 35% complete construction documents. These preliminary documents were put out for bid to design-build teams who then completed the documents and construction.
Recommended Reading: Salvation Army Donation Pick Up Las Vegas
Visualization And Virtual Reality
As a result of base realignment and closure, key elements of the Army National Guard Headquarters and Readiness Center and the National Guard Bureau Joint Command will relocate to a new US$89 million facility on a 15-acre secure campus in northern Virginia.
The design features a triangular crystalline tower rising from a green podium. Nearly 150,000 square feet of highly secure spaces are contained in three below grade plaza levels, with 100,000 square feet rising above in a five-story tower.
Rather than creating a fortress, the solution projects a highly integrated image of landscape and building. The facility is designed to achieve LEED NC v2.2 Silver certification.
Both the secure spaces and the tower will have vegetated green roofs. The heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning systems will be designed for maximum energy, operating, and maintenance efficiency while providing the required levels of thermal comfort, flexibility, and redundancy.
Services
Creating An Environment That Supports Ang Soldiers Commitment And Improves Their Quality Of Life
Reserve Centers are so important to the communities they serve, and this one is no exception. For this 1970s Army National Guard Readiness Center, our team designed a 16,019 square foot addition and renovated 12,393 square feet of the existing building. We worked hard to match the existing exterior characteristics, achieving order, visual strength, and a human scale using simple massing, scaled punched window openings, and similar roof lines.
Emphasis on interior design of military facilities has historically been to select finishes for functionality and ease of maintenance. Today the emphasis includes creating environments that support the learning experience of the soldiers, improving their quality of life, and support their commitment. Features included functional and durable finishes, with clean lines and a contemporary feel. The design also included durable, sustainable, ergonomic furnishings selected for flexible uses to achieve long term best value.
Sustainability goals were reached through frequent analysis of whole building, life cycle performance objectives. Our team succeeded in minimizing energy consumption and adverse effects to the environment, conserving resources. The end result offered refined facilities that included classrooms, a drill hall, an arms vault, administration and support space.
You May Like: Salvation Army Donation Drop Off
Opus Chosen By Army National Guard For A Third Project: Readiness Center In Davenport
When they needed to replace outdated facilities, the Iowa National Guard turned to Opus to design and construct its third project for the Army National Guard. Located on 37 acres of land in Davenport, the 87,000-square-foot Readiness Center accommodates soldiers completing weekend trainings and for minimal occupancy throughout the week. The one-story, stand-alone facility includes a drill hall, offices, classrooms, a kitchen, a physical fitness center and vehicle work bays. The building was designed by Opus to meet anti-terrorism and force protection requirements, such as blast-resistant windows and considerations for standoff distances. As a fully-integrated company with architecture and construction experts under one roof, Opus is able to offer exceptional value to clients, ultimately leading to repeat clients like the Army National Guard.
Army National Guard Readiness Center
In response to the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure , the Army National Guard and the National Guard Bureau Joint Command relocated more than 1000 personnel from leased property to an existing facility in northern Virginia. This required the construction of a 193,000 square foot addition. The size of the building and its required security measures would have allowed little room on the site for outdoor space and would have run afoul of stormwater runoff requirements in the sensitive Chesapeake Bay watershed
LPDA worked as part of a multidisciplinary team to solve these problems with a 37,000 square foot intensive green roof atop the buildings ground floor. The green roof provides critical outdoor space for general personnel and ceremonial use. The project also included extensive site modifications, utility redesign, and underground stormwater systems. Because of the limited site, AT/FP force protection measures and hardening of portions of the facility were required.
You May Like: Salvation Army Grand Rapids Mi
Blending Modern Design Historical Elements And Energy
Our team was selected by the Army National Guard to design a new Readiness Center that will be home to Maryland ANG soldiers for drill exercises, social events, and classroom training and houses offices for ranking officers and administrative staff. The new facility includes an assembly hall, administrative offices, classrooms, and training rooms.
The Readiness Center stands as a visual representation of the Maryland ANG. The facility is set up to easily separate public and private spaces so it can be used as an open public facility for times when it is not in use by the Maryland ANG. The 5,800 square foot assembly hall will be used for military events, training, and assemblies during the week and will be rented out to the public on the weekends.
The building is LEED Silver Certified.
Spar Programming Allocated In The Fy23 Federal Budget Will Enable Georgia Southern To:
- Develop protocols and expand delivery of the onsite musculoskeletal injury prevention training and the Tactical Athlete Certificate to commands at Fort Gordon in Augusta and to the Georgia National Guard.
- Develop and deploy similar online certificate programs for soldiers in Cognitive Performance and Nutrition to further support the Armys H2F program.
- Host a national conference on Charting Future Readiness Needs in partnership with the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command and U.S. Army Forces Command that will bring together other research universities who also work in partnership with the Army.
- Work with the Army commands to develop specific academic degree programs to meet the specific H2F professional workforce needs at the brigade level. Army officials estimate approximately 3,000 personnel will need graduate degrees or advanced certifications in the next six years.
- Develop a Tactical Performance Research Lab in Savannah to support the fundamental research and innovation activities of Georgia Southerns Tactical Performance Group that supports the Armys H2F program as well as translational research to apply the knowledge and practices broadly to law enforcement and other first responders.
Also Check: Army Pt Test Score Chart
Prepare For Your Visit
First time visitor? Give us a call and let’s discuss how we can help. Call to schedule an appointment with one of our counselors.
Some of our services are available on a walk-in basis. If possible, please call ahead to make an appointment or to check availability.
Making an appointment:
After your initial contact with the Richmond Vet Center, one of our counselors will be notified to call you for an intake and schedule an appointment. You can expect a return call within 1-2 business days, and we should be able to schedule your first appointment within 2-10 business days, depending on schedule availabilities.
Contacting us:
You can call us anytime during our posted hours of operation. If you need to call outside of those times, on weekends, or holidays, the Vet Center Call Center is available 24/7 at .
Cancelling or rescheduling an appointment:
If you know you will miss an appointment, please notify us as soon as possible so we can reschedule your appointment and make that time available for another Veteran.
The Richmond Vet Center is located at 4902 Fitzhugh Avenue in Richmond, beside Dallan Construction.
We have free parking available in the front of our building labeled as Reserved Parking. Accessible parking with wheelchair ramp access is also available. If needed, overflow parking is available on the street.
Our building is accessible during our posted hours.
- Discharge documents
- Receipt of certain awards