DefenceTalkRussia’s military will have 500,000 soldiers serving on professional contracts within a decade, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Tuesday. Half of the armed forces will be made up of professional service personnel by 2022 under plans to shift away from conscripts and more than double the number of contract soldiers from the present 220,000. But […]https://www.defencetalk.com/russian-military-to-recruit-500000-professional-soldiers-by-2022-49907/

DefenceTalkThe Army displayed energy-efficient technologies in the Pentagon courtyard that are used or being developed to make Soldiers more effective on the battlefield. The G-4 Operational Energy team hosted the event Nov. 14, showcasing technologies such as a rigid wall shelter, an Integrated Soldier Power/Data System, generators and portable solar panels. Army leaders who toured […]https://www.defencetalk.com/army-showcases-energy-efficient-technologies-for-warfighters-49663/

DefenceTalkGermany’s voluntary military service is a soldier’s taster course for young men and women. Almost 30 percent of those who take part abandon the training early. The army doesn’t seem to mind – it has other priorities. Homesickness, a career, false expectations: Those are the main reasons why young men and women decide to end […]https://www.defencetalk.com/germany-frets-over-high-military-dropout-rate-48829/

DefenceTalkExperts from the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs gathered Aug. 14 at the Military Health System Research Symposium to discuss the future of research on mental health and traumatic brain injury. Discussions turned toward the National Research Action Plan, or NRAP, which is the result of an executive order signed a […]https://www.defencetalk.com/dod-partners-to-combat-brain-injury-48799/

DefenceTalkWhat it all comes down to is keeping Soldiers’ minds on their missions in Afghanistan, rather than on their feet. That’s how Ben Cooper views the development of the Hot Weather Mountain Combat Boot, or HWMCB, at Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center, which began in spring 2011. Cooper thought it was so important […]https://www.defencetalk.com/putting-new-boots-on-the-ground-48148/

DefenceTalkSince 2000, more than 2,000 servicemembers have suffered amputated limbs. DARPA’s breakthrough research with advanced prosthetic limbs controlled by brain interfaces is well documented, but such research is currently limited to quadriplegics; practical applications of brain interfaces for amputees are still in the future. In contrast, nerve and muscle interfaces allow amputees to control advanced […]https://www.defencetalk.com/new-nerve-and-muscle-interfaces-aid-wounded-warrior-amputees-48022/

DefenceTalkThe Army’s fiscal year 2014 Equipment Modernization Plan, now working its way through Congress, prioritizes equipping warfighters in Afghanistan while simultaneously preparing for an uncertain future. Programs in the modernization strategy are grouped within ten “portfolios,” but some of those programs the Army has called out as being priorities for the service. Several programs that […]https://www.defencetalk.com/armys-2014-modernization-plan-prioritizes-soldiers-in-fight-47935/

DefenceTalkIt’s as easy as a click of a mouse or a tap on a smartphone, and in a few seconds sensitive Army information might be shared that could get Soldiers killed. With the ease of social media, in any part of the globe, at any time, a Soldier, Army civilian or family member can post […]https://www.defencetalk.com/soldiers-must-consider-opsec-when-using-social-media-47816/

DefenceTalkThe fiscal year 2014 budget “meets future challenges, strengthens global engagements, provides for resets, sustains the industrial base and fulfills commitments to Soldiers, civilians and families,” the Army’s top civilian leader told lawmakers. Secretary of the Army John M. McHugh and Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Ray Odierno testified April 25 before the […]https://www.defencetalk.com/army-says-fiscal-year-2014-budget-request-meets-future-challenges-47641/

DefenceTalkLast month, the Army’s senior-most officer told lawmakers budget cuts could result in a decrease in training readiness for follow- on forces to Afghanistan that could result in extended tours for Soldiers already there. That is no longer the case. During testimony on Capitol Hill April 23, Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Ray […]https://www.defencetalk.com/army-says-no-go-on-extended-tours-for-soldiers-in-afghanistan-47586/