We live in a busy world with a lot of information being thrown at you. Don’t feel overwhelmed. OpsLens will give you a weekly briefing on the major stories you need to know about and cut out all the extra information that isn’t important. Here’s your weekly briefing on what’s going on in national security and military news.
Remains Return Home from North Korea
North Korea returned some of the remains of U.S. troops killed in/missing from the Korean War. The remains were flown out of South Korea and arrived at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam on a pair of Air Force C-17 transport planes where they were met by a military honor guard.
The next step is for forensic analysts to attempt to identify the remains and return them to their families. The return of the remains signals progress in the ongoing talks with North Korea. The White House has expressed gratitude to Kim Jong-Un for keeping his word. One dog tag was found among the 55 cases of war remains and the military has contacted the family. It is believed that the dog tag came from the area around the Chosin Reservoir, the site of one of the bloodiest battles of the Korean War. More than 3,000 Marines and Soldiers were killed in the battle at Chosin.
More than 5,000 U.S. remains are still missing in North Korea.
New Army Physical Fitness Test is Coming
The United States Army is officially rolling out a new physical fitness test in the coming years. A year-long field test will begin in October, and the Army will assess the test’s effectiveness while it is still determining standards for gender, age, and military occupational specialty.
It will be a few more years before the new test replaces the current Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT).
Here’s what the new test will look like:
- Deadlift
- Standing power throw
- Hand-release push-ups
- Sprint-drag-carry
- Leg tuck
- Two-mile run
Army Sergeant Major Dies in Parachute Accident
An Army Delta Force Sergeant Major died last month during free-fall parachute training. Sergeant Major Christopher Nelms died from wounds suffered while training in North Carolina when his parachute failed to fully open during a jump on June 27. Nelms died on July 1, although his death was not reported by the Army.
Nelms, 46, was from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and enlisted in the Army in 1990. He served in Special Forces in the Army National Guard and on active duty. Nelms had completed numerous deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Niger.
IED Kills Three Czech Troops in Afghanistan
Three members of the Czech Army were killed by an improvised explosive device (IED) on Sunday in Afghanistan. The IED attack also wounded one American while the joint patrol moved on foot in Parwan province. The Taliban immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.
The Czech Army has around 300 troops in Afghanistan and a plan was recently approved to keep their troops in the country until at least 2020.
The NATO combat mission in Afghanistan ended in 2014, but 16,000 US and NATO troops remain in the country, conducting counterterrorism missions and providing support to Afghan security forces.
