 Good afternoon. I'm Sergeant Josh Stoffrick and then to the April 2nd virtual Town Hall with General Ray Odierno the chief of staff of the Army today We're going to be building questions with soldiers here at Fort Hood if you have any questions Please feel free to tweet them at Jen Ray Odierno sir the floor is yours. Well. Thank you So this is the fourth virtual Town Hall that I've conducted, but it's the first one. I've done sitting next to Soldiers is something I really wanted to do and have an opportunity for them to ask me a question Face-to-face they'll let everybody else in the army get a chance to hear what you're asking me because my guess is As I've gone around the army. I find that the questions tend to be very similar Depending on wherever I visit. So I'm really looking forward to this It is a great way for us to interact and ask whatever questions that are on your mind You know we the army is a big organization, but one that is very important and Our soldiers are very important to everything that we do. So it's important that I get feedback I'm just gonna start with one comment. There was I understood just announced that We're gonna change tattoo policy yesterday. I'm told it was it was an April Fool's joke And in fact, I want to verify it is not we are changing the policy and That will the details of that will come out shortly. So with that I'm ready for questions My question is regarding unlisted promotions With the other branches of service using technical tests as part of the process for promotion to the next drink What are the chances of the army adopting that this issue in regards to technical MOS's? So actually we're doing a review of this. So first off It I think it depends on the MOS. So I think that there are some MOS's that are so technical I think we might have to go to something like that and the one I would throw out there to be our new cyber MOS that we have But I will say this the one thing I will I will always even though we want to use technical We might use some technical tests. The army is still about being a well-rounded Individual and so we want you to be able to be you know What's important to us is also being technically competent but being a leader being physically fit Being able to work in teams because that's that's who we are So I don't want to lose that but I think there are certain MOS's that we have to review to see where a Technical test might be more relevant and possible. So that's part of the review. We're going to do as we move forward Good afternoon, sir. I'm second lieutenant Joshua lease from the 8th and 9th military police brigade Recently you've expressed concern over tiered readiness Sighting reduction army forces and increased global instability particularly in Eastern Europe Middle East North Africa My question is sir specifically in regards to training. How do we as an army? And as at the unit level in particular Continue to prepare and train for ongoing missions such as those in Korea and Afghanistan But also maintaining flexibility and training for those unforeseen events. I think a couple things I would just say The number one piece of any unit that's training is training in what your core functions are and being an expert in those core functions If it's a brigade combat team You got to be able to maneuver as a brigade defend as a brigade conduct Offensive operations as a brigade if it's a logistical support unit You got to be able to conduct your logistics in a field environment Expeditionary nature and if we do those basic things I think no matter what the mission we can then quickly adapt to a very specific mission So if we have our fundamentals down and we're confident that we can do those key Tasks that we've been trained on once we get a mission to go to whether it's Korea or the Middle East We can then find spend the final days of our training focus specifically on that region in that area And I think that's what we're going to have to do because the challenge that we have today That's different than what we've had before is Right now we have operates going on on five different continents And that's different we hadn't done that before so we've had maybe two or three But I see that continuing to be our problem and and we don't know where the next problem will pop up So what we have to do is be fundamentally sound and then and then orient ourselves towards a specific region We have this concept of regionally aligned forces where we do align some forces with specific regions And we expect you to be experts or at least learn more about that region and we'll continue to identify units to do that as well Thanks for your question Good afternoon, sir. I'm lieutenant hauser with the 504th battlefield surveillance brigade Sir in light of the recent approval for female participation in ranger school later this year I'd like to know where do we currently stand on female integration into combat arms MOS's and what is the way forward? So what we've done so far is I have just We've just approved opening up all positions and engineers to females We're very close to approving all positions and feel artillery for females Armored infantry the decision is going to be sometime in October We're still completing the testing on infantry and armor We have not yet completed that and once that's completed They'll give me a feedback and then we'll make a recommendation I remind everybody that the decision has already been made to open positions So that was done by the secretary defense 18 months ago what I have to do if what I would have to do is if I decide I want an exception I would have to then say why do I believe we shouldn't open armor infantry to females and I would have to demonstrate Why I think that's Important so you know so I think it's going very well. We've been collecting We've been really doing going through some significant testing for about two years now I think we've collected good information. I think it's going very well And so I will we will make a final recommendation sometime in October and again, it will be If if if I don't make any recommendation everything will be opened as of January 1st 2016 Sir I'm sergeant Costco with 48 chemical Brigade and first I'd like to thank you for the opportunity to be here today My question for you sir is how would you how would you describe your relationship and other? military leaders relationships with the commander-in-chief So first I've had a unique opportunity in a couple jobs that I've held Both as the commander in Iraq and the commander as a chief of staff of the army to work directly with the with the president and You know what I always appreciate the fact that my voice has always been heard He listens and asks our opinion and we're able to give it to him and provide him What we think is the right thing to do and then he of course it's up to him to make what the final decision is but He has been very open in ensuring he gets military advice and you know, that's all you can ask for Is that he is he listens and he's willing to understand and and have a chance for you to voice your opinion And then he has to make the difficult decision And so for me that that's it. That's a great that that's all you can ask for And so for me, I think it's been a great experience And I've had the opportunity to do with with two different presidents And I found both of them to be very to be very forthcoming and into getting military advice and giving us the opportunity To provide it to them Especially with very important key issues Sir I'm PFC Hageberg from 504th battlefield surveillance brigade. My question is with all the budget cuts and drawdowns that have been occurring How do you foresee the future for new soldiers that would consider the military as a possible? long-term career choice, so I would just say a couple things is the So the army is going to be an enduring institution the last three that the last three years and the next three years We're going to still be reducing a bit right now The plan is will stabilize for the active component at about 450,000 soldiers and there's great opportunities For there'll be continued to be great opportunities for all our soldiers You know the one thing about the army that I'm proud of is that no matter where you come from? If you come in you work hard you do your job and you're proficient your job You're going to get promoted you can be able to advance there'll be plenty of opportunities to do that And that is not going to change and I also remind everybody that you know every year. We're bringing in 60,000 new soldiers and so and when that's not going to change and we're gonna have soldiers We're gonna offer re-enlistment to soldiers. That's not going to change And so there's great opportunities and the one thing I you know it's basic if you do your job You work hard. Yeah, you continue to improve yourself as an individual There's all kinds of opportunities so I think it's actually pretty exciting times in the army because We're doing things on so many different places around the world We've actually now developed the new army operating concept that's kind of bringing the army to the future so I think it's pretty exciting and I think we're opening up more positions to women we're opening You know so the army is becoming a place where more people are going to be able to excel And really improve themselves. So I hope that means people find there's a lot of opportunity out there That's my hope and I think that's where we're headed. I know sometimes that's hard to understand because you're hearing downsizing getting smaller And you worry, okay, is there gonna be a place for me? There's plenty of room in the army for For soldiers who want to continue to move forward and want to want to progress and make it a career I think there'd be plenty of opportunities for everybody. I really believe that Good afternoon, sir. My name is so fresh class Kelly from force on a FSB My question is about the EFMP program our military installation getting more medical specialists For example of full hood. They're currently no hematologist here on full hood The closest one is are in Fort Sam and also with the medical system with the with the civilians Will it will emerge so when you go off post they could be able to view your medical records, sir So first off, whatever we talk about medical care We have to make decisions on where we put especially specialists like you the example you gave And we can't have a specialist in every place that we go We try to pick places to put them where we think they will be able to reach the most amount of soldiers And we'll continue to do that and you know our medical programs are Is larger than any other medical program? Pretty much in the United States and so our variety of specialists in care are good But we're spread also across the large part of the United States. So we will provide Assistance as many hospitals we can but if we can't as you mentioned We will bring you and point you to where we have that care Whether you know so for example at Fort Sam Houston at Sampsy or somewhere else in the Army If not, we still have tricare which allows us to utilize Specialists off post and we're going to continue to have a system that allows if it's not available in our medical facility It will be made available to our soldiers and their family members through our network, which is the tricare network We're not moving away from that and that will continue, you know for very specific Issues such as EFMP We do not have that at every installation But it is incumbent on us to make sure that if we don't have it available. It is available in the civilian sector We give you access to that Capability in order to meet whatever medical needs and problems you have We have a question from Twitter, sir Will all schools like Ranger school EIB EFMD be open to all MOS's so that all soldiers can attend So no EIB is specifically infantry, so that's a that's an infantry task and So in order to get your EIB you got to be an instrument In order to get your medical badge, you got to be a medic that that's the rules I mean so those have been designated that way for a very long time and those are specific MOS tests that we give In terms of ranger school today ranger school is open to anyone who is going to a ranger position And we have ranger positions coded not only in the ranger regiment, but in many divisions and it's all MOS's it's signal Fire supporters infantrymen, you know, so it is already open to all MOS's as long as you're going to a ranger coded slot And then if there's space available we'll take all applicants if there's space available to those schools So today it is open to all MOS's We're doing a test for We're doing a pilot for females and after that's done. We'll make a decision on females in ranger school Obviously as we open up more and more positions it makes sense that we'll continue to have ranger school open to women But we'll do that assessment after the pilot Good afternoon sir, my name is Sergeant Roars of 3rd Cavalry Regiment My question is sir with the proposed cuts to soldiers and their families benefits How do you see these changes affecting resources such as child care dental and medical coverage? And what is the Army's plan to combat these expenses to soldiers, sir? Yeah, so this is a this is a difficult question, but So first off child care is not going to change. We're going to maintain the child care system We have a I know sometimes if you're using it, it might not feel that way But we have a very affordable child care system and we're going to continue to have that that is not going away We are going to the medical coverage is not going to change for our soldiers and our And our families We're going to might change the system a little bit But but the system will cover our soldiers and their family members We've made it conscious that we're trying to make it more efficient So they might not be so instead of having three try cure options might just be one, but it'll still provide the care That's necessary So I think we're doing okay in terms of pay and benefits what we're doing is we're not decreasing pay We're decreasing the increase of pay. Let me explain what I just said there One of the problems we've gotten into is the rate of pay is increasing so quickly It's it's causing us a problem in affordability So for example the cost of a soldier has doubled since 2001 to today 2001 the average this is average the average cost of a soldier army was $45,000 a year today. It's 90,000 if we don't Get more efficient in seven or eight years from now It'll be up to 120 to 130,000 and if it continues to go up What'll happen is we'll have to reduce again the number of soldiers we have because we won't be able to afford it So we want to try to balance that so what we're trying to do is come up with methods that are still so instead of we're not Going to decrease pay But we're going to decrease pay raise so instead of a two point two percentage pay raise might be one percent pay raise And that saves billions of dollars actually in the out years if we do that We believe it will and we'll continue to keep track to make sure our soldiers are being paid commensurate with what Their services and how it compares to civilian employment and make sure that we stay in line with that as we make these recommendations But it's key that we really take a hard look at this So the other thing we're looking at for those who want to make a career is retirement It's not that we're going to make we're just going to there might be ways that people might like retirement better where where you get You're able to contribute and it's matching contra contributions To a 401k for example and in the end actually end up with more money But it actually is cheaper. So we're looking at that now So we got to look at all of these different aspects and see how we can give you great Benefits because of your service We'll make but see if we can do it a bit cheaper way than we are today more efficiently and that's really what we're trying to do I will the one thing i'll say to all our soldiers is i'm i'm absolutely focused on making sure That you are compensated for the sacrifices you and your family make And we're not going to walk away from that And that's number one on my mind as we have these discussions And and i think that's everyone's on everyone's mind as we go forward with this Sir lieutenant christianna fairfield 48th chemical brigade west point class 2014 Sir when you spoke to my class in september 2013 a question regarding syria was discussed In your answer you stated to the effect that syria is no longer about syria but much more complex In the year and a half since that discussion the complexity of the situation in the middle east has significantly increased As the islamic state of iraq and syria has emerged and yemen is descending into civil war What will be the army's role against isis and in the middle east and how much input will you and other senior army leadership Have in the formation of the policy and military objectives that will drive army missions going forward So here's what i would say is i would say i still stick by my statement i made back in september 2013 And the underlying nature is the sectarian nature of what's going on in the middle east the suni syria competition Which is spilled over into yemen that's really what that is you have the houthis and And some of the sunis fighting each other for control of yemen We're seeing that we're seeing that occur in iraq and syria that's kind of the basis of what's going on I think you're starting to see it spill a little bit in the Bahrain and some other places So that's that's going to continue to happen I think still what i would say is as we Go forward we part The united states by itself cannot solve this problem It's it's got to be solved by erips They've got to help solve this problem because If we try to insert ourselves in the middle of this Without help from other arab nations It's going to cause more problem more more problems than than solutions So what we're trying to do now is work through Arab nations trying to work this and solve this problem among themselves and there's several lines One has given them the capability to do it others is we got to have a moderate discussion About islam, you know 99 of all all Muslims are moderate The problem is that one percent who are radicals who are now driving the conversation Are driving the what's going on inside of the middle east and so we've got it They've got to help us with that we can't do that So I think our role is as we develop objectives and policies We have to come up with a total middle east strategy That allows us to think through how we solve this problem as a whole working through Our partners in the middle east And working with them to solve this problem over the long term This is something that's going to go on for another long period of time And what we don't want to do is say we're going to take this on ourselves and solve this problem because that won't work And so what we have to do is develop a total policy We have to we have to get we have to work it with our Arab partners that we have And then we have to make sure that militarily we're there to do what we're asked to do Which could be anywhere from training advising to if it if it continues to deteriorate Potentially conducting military operations with our Arab partners, not independently Good afternoon, sir. My name is prior first class Mendez And I'm from the 11th signal brigade and my question to you today is What opportunities will junior soldiers have for promotion and career advance despite the upcoming reduction and force structure? So one of the things that we're focused on Is ensuring that we maintain historical levels of promotion rates You know for the enlisted force, it's it's it's of course difficult because it's incumbent also on your mos So each mos has different promotion levels depending on how many people are in it And and and how many people are competing to be promoted, you know So historically for example 11 bravos have gotten promoted faster than everybody else And the reason is we have more in that mos anywhere else And and And there's less people competing for promotions frankly in the As we were growing the army as we were getting bigger In 2006 seven eight nine promotion rates were too high actually We were promoting too many people in my mind because we weren't promoting everybody that was qualified Well, we're now going to do is we're going back to historical levels Where we'll promote which I think is at the right level so there'll be opportunities in every mos to be promoted And it'll be competitive But everyone will have an opportunity to get promoted the way we've always have in the army at historical levels So I think there's plenty of going to be plenty of opportunity. That's one of the reasons Why we're downsizing frankly is is that as we downsize It will make sure that we can promote at the same levels that we always have because if we keep excess people and we take structure down Then you it'll slow down promotion. So so in a lot of ways you'll see that this is part of us Ensuring that we continue to have promotion rates. The army cannot survive if we're stagnant Where nobody can get promoted Our strength is allowing people to come in and those who are doing their jobs and excelling are able to to get promoted And get promoted as fast as as possible based on their experience level based on the technical level based on their physical Capabilities, and we don't we're not ever going to lose that And so, you know and for officers, you know promotion rates might be a little lower for a few years But they will go back to historical norms and a competition is good We want competition. We want it to be Reasonable competition where we continue to promote and people can set goals for themselves and meet those goals Good afternoon. Good afternoon. My name is sergeant king for first medical brigade Sir in recent years, we've seen many changes to our benefits program such as Minimum 1% annual pay raise BAH reduction Proposed changes to our retirement program And maybe many more changes to come in the future sir. My question to you is What is your message to our soldiers and family members to keep positive attitude? During these difficult times Great question So first off I would tell you the the 1% pay raises are temporary The two to three years and then it'll go back to normal because believe it or not by just doing for two to three years It saves like 25 billion dollars in the end It's an incredible number because it compounds as it goes forward So so it's only a two or three year time. We have to do this and it'll be done Let me let me talk a bit of for BAH because this is one of my pet peeves so Here's what I don't know if you realize but I'm going to tell you how I've been around this for a long time This is how BAH works So every year we do a survey and you fill out a survey at how much it costs to live wherever it is Let's take forward hood And you fill out the survey say it costs this much and then what we do is we say, okay We're going to raise BAH this amount and we publish it in the army times So what happens when that happens? rents go up So in reality, you're not getting any extra money It's going in the pockets of those who are renting. So what we're trying to do is break this cycle Of we want to make it reasonable. So You know, we're not just putting pockets in the in the landlords And that we're we're trying to stabilize the cost of housing and still provide you the amount of money necessary And so we're going to we're going to continue to review this over time And I think it's going to work out if it doesn't we're going to have to go back and review it And then see what we have to do to increase BAH again as we go forward I'm telling you I think the proposal in terms of retirement Every proposal we have first. I want to know everybody will be grandfathered who is currently serving And any retirement proposal that is put out there I think will be one that everybody considers to be that they like better Or they think it's more options than what we have today And so my hope is as we go as we come to a solution which we have not come to yet It'll be one that is gives people choices And and will allow them to think it which I think they'll like and I think I think for the new generation They might like that better Than than what we're doing today So so I would tell everyone that as I said earlier My goal trust we are we are very concerned to make sure that you remain compensated for the sacrifices that you make And and we're dedicated to ensure that you are We we give you what you need in order to to excel in your job Raise a family And do it in such a way that's appropriate with what we're asking you to do And and you know these are all really difficult questions, but Everybody is work watching this very carefully because we want to make sure That we sustain the all volunteer force one of my top priorities Is sustaining the quality all volunteer force that we have today. We don't want to walk away from that Our next question is from twitter, sir Do you think the military compensation and reform commission recommendations will harm retention after such massive downsizing? So we're actually having a conversation about this There are some of the recommendations in there that I do worry about one is the recommendation on healthcare I'm a bit worried about And the other one is the retirement. I think the The retirement Actually could discourage people from staying in from 10 to 30 years And so I worry about that a little bit. So we're working with the commission to adjust that To make sure that they don't Have a long-term impact on the army and so we're in kind of discussions about that now And I have had many many meetings on this and I have several more ahead of me because we're trying to work our way through it Because we do not want as I said earlier we do not want to A package that we believe actually hurts our ability to sustain the all volunteer force So we'll watch we're looking at very carefully and we will provide our recommendations on the commission here pretty shortly Good afternoon, sir. I'm sergeant davis with the 48 chemical brigade I know there are going to be some changes to our military payment benefits But what is the chance that it's going to affect the army tuition assistance program? Yeah, no the tuition assistance program is going to continue The only thing we're looking at tuition, tuition assistance is good. The only thing we're looking at Is when does tuition assistance start? So You know, do you have to serve two years before you can use tuition assistance? You know, so that's what we're kind of looking at now That's the only change that we're looking at is when do you start, you know You got to earn it, you know, maybe you're you know two years a good service and you get and then you can use tuition assistance throughout But we're still we're still having discussions about that But otherwise tuition assistance should stay we might We might reduce the amount of money you get per credit But if we do that it'll be in line with what we think people are charging for that So it shouldn't hinder you so those are just adjustments, but tuition assistance as a whole will stay Sir second lieutenant heater first medical brigade Sir in reference to the military compensation retirement modernization commission's recommendation for moving from a 20 year retirement plan to a 401k retirement plan Do you see this being implemented? And if yes, what does that time frame look like? Yeah, so I think uh, I So I don't know yet. I would say I think there'll probably some sort of a 401k option In the retirement plan And you know, it's a matching plan And actually the current the proposal is the first couple years It's a 2% and that goes to up to 5% depending on how much you put in It's pretty good But but we we have to look at So what'll happen is it's probably two or three years before we go into effect But again, everyone would be grandfathered or given a choice So anybody currently sir might you might get a choice to say I want to do that program or I want to stay with the current program That's the position that we're taking Good afternoon, sir. So our first class England with 85th civil affairs brigade Um sexual assault victims have filed a lawsuit Seeking to remove commanders from sexual assault cases alleging that commanders cannot be fair and impartial Because they often know the victims or the alleged offender If they're successful in having commanders removed from these cases, what impact would this have on the army and the sharp program? Yeah, so a couple things is so Two of the cases cited by the way the individuals got put away for Multiple multiple multiple years So I would argue the commanders did their job and prosecuted them Which I find odd The second thing I would just say is The problem with the bill they have out there right now It's actually greater than sexual assault. It deals with every felony, which is problematic I believe that the statistics bear out That the military prosecutes at a much higher level than anybody else in society When it comes to sexual assault sexual harassment We our rates are so much higher We go to court much fat much quicker and much much higher percentage than any civilian court Uh, our results are harsher than most civilian courts So, uh, I think we're heading in the right direction So I think it's a mistake If we change this and take it out of the commander's hands In fact, I would argue it might even make it worse And so there's nothing there's nothing that's shown me in their recommendation how it makes it better It's just different And I think commanders and and the chain of command is responsible for the morale welfare of the unit across the board And it's important that we continue to make sure that stays As as as we move forward Good afternoon, sir. I'm bright first class santic and the 36 engineer brigade lately There's been talk about changing and improving the pt plan and introducing mls specific pt test I was wondering when can we expect these changes and what will they consist of? So I just took a brief on this about two or three weeks ago Um, and so I think what we're going to end up doing is we're going to stay with a pt test that everybody takes Uh, that is a basic pt test That we'll use for promotion points and So it's even throughout Everything and then what we're going to do is we do a functional test that helps you to define whether How you're developing for a specific mls whether it's infantry artillery armor pick your mls That'll help you to better conduct your Your mls. And so we're still working on the details of that, but that's the direction we're headed I I don't we have not yet defined the events enough for me to really so I think it's still about a year or so away Before we'll look at going towards this and there's still some work in analysis that we have to do yet I thought it would be much simpler than it's been actually it's been a little bit more complicated than I thought I thought we'd be able to do this in an appropriate right way But the problem we have is I don't want to disadvantage soldiers I got to make sure everybody's treated fairly As we assess Promotions and other things and that plays a role in this and I got to make sure we do it right And so we've run into some obstacles Because we want to make sure it's fair for every soldier, but we're continuing to look at it So my answer to you is we're not quite there yet. It's going to be a little bit longer before we get there. Thank you, sir The next question is from twitter, sir Are there going to be any plans to allow prior service soldiers that deployed as part of another branch to where former wartime service Shoulder sleeve insignia So i'm assuming from another branch of service that is up to their branch of service I I can't All I can do is develop policies for the army And so the army is the only service actually that does wear combat patches The other services actually do not do that. I don't as far as I know And so but it's up to their services to decide whether they can wear a combat patch of the army On on their on their shoulder if you're talking about a patch of another Service that you might want to wear as an army soldier I'll have to take a look at that. I'm not sure there's that many out there But I'll have to take a look. I'm not sure where we are Afternoon sir sarin kovac from third cavalry regiment With the new uniform pattern coming out What is the army's plan for equipment standardization in the new uniform pattern with the current budget constraints? And when can units expect to see the new equipment? So first off it's cost-neutral so Because is but the money we're spending on buying these uniforms will be the same amount of money we spend on buying the new pattern So in terms of dollars it's cost-neutral So sometime at the end of this at the probably the fall Of 15 is when you'll start seeing those become part of the clothing issue bag And you'll start seeing them available in clothing sales stars Probably a little bit before that So of course, you know We issue your initial clothing issue bag and then we give you a clothing allowance to buy uniforms So you would use that then to buy this uniform, but the costs are about the same There's not not much different in the cost and the one thing we learned we did significant testing And that pattern is very important in protecting ourselves in a variety of environments And that's why we're going to it because it really gives us an advantage In protecting us as we get concealment as we operate in a variety of theaters And if I could just uh, we are issuing those to soldiers who are deploying now So if you're deploying to afghanistan or iraq and some other places you are being issued That uniform as you get ready to deploy Sir specialist ramy 89th military police brigade My question is since day one of the army we get We get uh briefs on Sharp eo tarp, but we never receive any briefs on retirement plan Is there any plan to incorporate that into the standard briefs? Yeah, it's funny that you say that so part of the recommendation that this commission worked Is actually it's twofold. I don't want to Builds in some costs and money in order to do Financial what they call financial literacy training What that means is it would train you not only it would help to train people on how you would develop a retirement program And how you would if we go to a new system would help us to educate all our soldiers on how We would do this and frankly what we want to do is Set up some independent would be some online uh Knowledge we're doing we probably set up some centers On each installation that would allow you to go get assistance in developing a long-term retirement plan So that's kind of part of what we're looking at now So I think you're going to find that get approved and we'll start to implement that here pretty in the next couple years Right, sir. Thank you sir. Great question. By the way, you know, one of the things I do worry about is You know, it is it's not easy to understand how to Plan long-term financially And it's not something that's easily to understand And so it's coming on us To help you to do that Especially if we go to a new retirement plan because it will if we go to a 401k system You want somebody who can help you to make sure you manage that properly because it'll be very important to you As you go towards retirement But it's also would be helpful even if you don't go towards retirement to build those knowledge of how you manage your finance I think that's important Sir, so i'm first-class pace 407th army field support brigade Sir when congress makes decisions on retirement benefits Does the chief of staff have any influence on their decisions? So what will happen is uh the joint chiefs of staff which are the chiefs of every service and the chairman Will provide our recommendations We will provide our recommendations to the President as well as to congress On what we think they should do And so We will also probably have an opportunity to testify About it and give us our give them give them our opinion and if they don't allow us to testify We will provide our opinion in writing So yes, we will we will absolutely give them input on what we believe the right thing to do is on this Uh, that will be That we will we take that very seriously Sir pfc campbell 857th affairs brigade. My question is for love density mrs How could we stay more proficient on our job winning? We're in a unit that rarely does the job So it takes you know a great question by the way it takes it really takes innovative leadership and training But there's lots of so let me take civil affairs you know I would hope that our subordinate commanders are there's a lot of opportunity to work with say here austin city government Dallas city government and other places where they're doing activities that are similar to what you might have to do If we deploy you somewhere in order to help build infrastructure anywhere and understand what it is to do civil affairs work And I think there's other things that we should we should be able to we should be able to do Really good innovative training right here no matter where you are whether it's here at ford hood or At ford brag or ford loose anywhere by using the surrounding communities to help and understand how they manage Many of the issues you're going to deal with and in fact We did that actually when we were deploying initially in iraq and afghanistan because we didn't understand some of the things We're going to have to do so we reached out to these governments So what we should be doing Is giving you the opportunity to do that and so I will in fact so now that you asked me that question I'm going to make sure that we Get our leaders to think about that and and provide that training because it's absolutely critical Because it's very difficult to train in that mls On a day-to-day basis, but there's ways for us to leverage civilian society to help do that Sir i'm special sterwin from the 69th air defense artillery brigade With the army downsizing in most units slowing down to nine month deployments the air defense artillery branch Is increased on deploying to more countries for security footprint as well as staying in 12 month rotation Soldiers in our branch are feeling more stressed on making up for the loss in our ranks With our branch being as small as it is Is there any plan to increase the number of soldiers for patriot brigades and to prolong more dwell time So there's a couple things that we're working on one is first. I i'm very concerned About our patriot Units because of what you mentioned is the amount of deployments are going on the repetitiveness of the deployments And it's something that's got our attention There's a couple of ways to go after this one is we got to reduce the requirement I think we're in the process of attempting to try to reduce the amount of deployments And make sure that every deployment we're making you do is absolutely necessary And so I think the first thing we want to do is try to reduce that so it reduces the amount of rotational And we're trying to work that now The other thing we're trying to do is get other countries who are asking for you to help them give assistance to buy systems themselves And train their own Individuals to do this on a more so we don't have to rotate so often as well And then in the end we're looking at you know, there's several things we'll take a look at is Do we have more people not by more equipment? But to get more people who then as somebody else is deployed we can train take more people and train on the systems that are behind That gives us more unit capability So we're going to look at all three of those things and try to come up with the right balance But we know we have a problem. We got to ease the strain on the air defense Units specifically patriot units and I think that'll go the same way as we bring on that units as well And I'm worried about that. So we're working our way through that Hello, sir specialist rose the third calvary regiment my question revolves around reclassification of options for soldiers I'm curious why we have under strength mos's that are approved to reclassify to But I have no advanced individual training dates for these mos's for the next year This then forces soldiers like myself to choose between re-enlisting and the current mos Or to separate from service first off great question And uh, I I want to take what what mos are you talking about a specific mos right now? More so the medical mos's medical mos's Okay So first off What we're trying to do obviously is we're trying to reduce those mos's that are over strength And move them into mos's that are under strength So I will I I will take back with me. I don't know the specific answer to your question on the a it availability But I will take that back and look at the medical mos is understand why we can't send you to a it as you want To reclassify into a shortage of mos because that's exactly what we want you to be able to do So I'll take a look at it. Okay, and get you an answer back, right? Sir, good afternoon. I'm sergeant burn from the area 69th air defense artillery brigade My question is focused on toxic leadership We all talk about identifying those individuals in our ranks But we have not seen any follow-up or for retraining or eliminating those leaders Is there an ongoing? process for identifying and following up on those leaders other than using OER or ncoer So, uh, we're starting out at the battalion and brigade commander level, but we're doing 360 They're required to do a 360 Anonymous 360 that everybody gets a chance both those below them peers and superiors to evaluate them And we're using that to collect data and then hopefully they use that as a training tool to improve them And if they don't we'll then eliminate those I will tell you We don't announce it, but we are we have significantly increased over the last three years Commanders who've been relieved for toxic leadership Uh, who have been identified and we have done an investigation and found that in fact Their leadership style is not what we Believe it should be and that's that's from general officer all the way down to battalion commander Um, I think at a lower level yet. We still have some work to do to go below that level In terms of trying to identify those leaders who are somewhat toxic But this is something we're taking very seriously. I think we're making some progress But we're not there yet. We still have a lot of work to do We're also this is also being vetted in all of our educational institutions as well as what's the right way To lead so we have this constant conversation It is very important to me personally That we take this on and again, I think I think we've made some progress, but we still have some work to do Sir i'm sarin thomas third cavity regiment Uh, sending off a preview previously asked question When can we expect the authorized wear of the army's new uniform and we'll previously purchased or issued gear and multi-gambia authorized for use with the new pattern Yeah, so again, I think I think we're looking at some time this fall In order for that to happen Um, and then uh, you'll start to see gear available that will then match the new design over time Um, that will be that will be the issued items will be brought in over over a period of time But I think you'll start to see the the uniforms and other materials show up in clothing sales stores here Probably by the end of the summer beginning of the fall Because we're moving forward with that So I think we're gonna we're gonna begin to see that pretty quickly Well, that's all the questions that we have to well first off those are great questions and uh You know, I always I I love having these sessions with soldiers because you ask actually the best question You know, I sit down with the officers a lot of times They ask me they don't ask me good questions So the tenants, you know new new to the army and And soldiers ask me the right questions every question you ask me is something that's current And something that is important to the army And so I appreciate that and you but what it tells me is you're paying attention and you're listening and you're You're also concerned about your army So thanks for that. I also want to thank you for your service and I tell everyone that Uh, you might not everybody comes into the army for a different reason We all have our own reasons of why you come into the army But in order to raise your right hand and swear and oath the constitutional united states I put you in one percent of the united states and you should be very proud of that That you're willing to serve and sacrifice and raise your right hand And and commit yourself to a time of service no matter how long that might be Whether it's four years or 40 years You should be proud of that and I want to thank you for doing that And I hope that you find an army of the place where you can improve yourself And then you find it where you believe you can progress and achieve any any goal you might want to achieve Because that's what we want it to be It is not a perfect institution. We have our own issues, but we try to work them as hard as we can So I hope you find that you'll have the opportunities for you to continue to improve yourself So thank you very much and thank you for your service. Appreciate it very much army strong. Thank you