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Letter from the Editor

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Lt. Col. Erica L. Cameron

Happy New Year!

It is an exciting time to be part of the Army Press, as we have some big changes in store for 2017. First, this year our new website will become operational, enabling us to provide more content for our readers, additional opportunities for publication for our contributors, and enhanced search functionality for researchers. Furthermore, this year we are expanding U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO) authentication and archiving to cover our online content. This will ensure articles you publish online with Army Press, like our printed products, will carry the GPO Seal of Authenticity and will be archived on govinfo. (Govinfo is the new GPO site that will replace the Federal Digital System as GPO’s central portal for official government documents; access this site at https://govinfo.gov). Finally, this year we are adding a new affiliate to our family of publications, the Journal of Military Learning. This semiannual, peer-reviewed journal is dedicated to advancing ideas and insights that improve education and training for the U.S. Army and the overall Profession of Arms. Look for the first issue this spring.

With the presidential inauguration in January and Presidents Day in February, Military Review dedicates this issue to our commanders in chief. Our cover photo for this issue was taken in 2013 during the last presidential inaugural parade; it reflects the rich tradition of military participation in the event. Also, on the inside of our back cover, we present a montage to honor all the past presidents who have served in the military. You might be surprised by how many there are.

This issue of Military Review contains articles that will appeal to a wide range of interests. In “Reducing the Size of Headquarters, Department of the Army: An After-Action Review,” a team from the Office of Business Transformation led by Lt. Gen. Thomas Spoehr describes how the number of personnel in the Army headquarters was reduced by 25 percent to meet lower manning mandates. Maj. Adam Scher argues for a new brigade-level staff position in “The Need for a Brigade Politics-and-Policy Staff Officer,” and Col. Andrew Morgado discusses how the U.S. Army Cadet Command is changing its approach to leader development in “Leadership Innovation in the Reserve Officer Training Corps and the Future of the Force.” This issue also contains the second-place winner of the 2016 DePuy writing contest, “Writing: Maximizing Returns on the Army’s Investments in Education,” by Maj. Hassan Kamara.

Thank you all for supporting the Army Press and its flagship publication, Military Review. Find us online at www.armyupress.army.mil/Military-Review/, like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ArmyUniversityPress, and follow us on Twitter @ArmyUPress.

The U.S. Navy Parachute Demonstration Team, The Leap Frogs, jump out of a C-130H aircraft assigned to the 139th Airlift Wing, Missouri Air National Guard, and into Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, during the Kansas City Chief’s Salute to Service football game 11 September 2016. (Photo by Sr. Airman Sheldon Thompson, U.S. Air National Guard)

2017 General William E. DePuy

Special Topics Writing Competition

This year’s theme: “What needs to be fixed in the Army?”

Articles will be comparatively judged by a panel of senior Army leaders on how well they have clearly identified issues requiring solutions relevant to the Army in general, or to a significant portion of the Army; how effectively detailed and feasible the solutions to the identified problem are; and the level of writing excellence achieved. Writing must be logically developed and well organized, demonstrate professional-level grammar and usage, provide original insights, and be thoroughly researched as manifest in pertinent sources.

Contest closes 14 July 2017

For information on how to submit an entry, please visit www.armyupress.army.mil/Military-Review/.

Staff Sgt. Shelby Johnson, squad leader, Company C, 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, observes the area around Forward Operating Base Torkham, Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan, 26 September 2013, while wearing the Capability Set 13 communications suite. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Jerry Saslav, U.S. Army)

January-February 2017