West Point cadets minoring in Terrorism Studies with the Combating Terrorism Center traveled to Washington, D.C., for the yearly academic trip section. Cadets first visited the Pentagon, which included meetings with the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for South and Southeast Asia, Dr. Joseph Felter; the Vice Director for Intelligence, BG Charles H. Cleveland; the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict, COL(R) Mark Mitchell; and briefers for Secretary of Defense James Mattis. Next was the Defense Intelligence Agency where cadets met with the director, LTG Robert Ashley then traveled to the White House where they met with National Security Advisor LTG H.R. McMaster and members of his NSC staff. The following day cadets visited the Defense Intelligence Agency – Defense Combating Terrorism Center (DCTC) in Reston, Virginia, where they received a command brief, met with the deputy director of DCTC, toured the operations center, and had a discussion with analysts. In the afternoon, cadets visited FBI Headquarters to meet with Michael McPherson, Chief of the International Terrorism Operations Section, and agents involved in the FBI's counterterrorism mission.
Terrorism Studies Visits Washington D.C.
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The Importance of Studying American Politics
Mr. Jon Cheatwood, a current member of the Nuclear Security Working Group in the U.S. Senate, and former Instructor of American Politics at the United States Military Academy, spoke at the First-Class Club to approximately forty cadets majoring in American Politics. Mr. Cheatwood discussed the importance of studying American Politics, its relevance to future U.S. Army officers, and the significance of the relationships cultivated among classmates at the Academy. After Mr. Cheatwood's speech, John Reynolds '18 served as master of ceremonies for farewells of all first-class cadets, followed by hails of all fourth-class cadets. Following the hails and farewells, James Zimmerman '19 and Joseph Asemah '19 led all attendees in an American Politics-themed trivia competition. The event concluded with closing remarks from CPT(P) Quinn Sorenson, an American Politics instructor.
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Softball Claims 5-1 Win Against Iona
The Army West Point softball team cruised to a 5-1 victory over Iona in a non-conference game on Wednesday afternoon at the Army West Point Softball Complex. The duo of Macey Newbary and Renee Poirier combined for seven strong innings in the circle, allowing just one run on four hits. Newbary picked up the win for Army (16-21) after tossing four innings, while Poirier came on in relief in the fifth and shut down the Gaels (13-16) through the final three frames for the save. For the second straight contest, it was the top of the Black Knight order getting it done offensively. Amelia Trotter shined in the leadoff spot, batting 3-for-4 with three steals and a run scored. As the cleanup hitter, Carrie Reilly tallied a pair of base hits in four trips to the plate with an RBI and a run scored. Read More
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Polish Language Forum Visits Poland
Kosciuszko Squadron Polish Culture Forum cadets traveled to Poland on a spring cultural immersion trip. They started in Warsaw where they walked through the restored Old Town, the historic battlements of the Barbican, the Monument to Child Insurgents, the King Sigismund Column, the Royal Castle and the cathedral basilica. They traveled to Poznan where they visited several cultural sites including Poland's oldest Cathedral on Cathedral Island, and the Historical Museum at the castle of the Silesian kings. Cadets met the US Defense Attaché to Poland at the US Embassy, LTC Brykowytch, along with his team members, MAJ Miles, MR Jon Anderson and MS Alice Chu and went to the Presidential Palace where Andrzej Duda, President of Poland, personally led them on a personal tour of his office and library. Cadets went to the Kosciuszko Mound for a private tour led by Mieczyslaw Rokosz Professor of History, Jagiellonian University and President of the Kosciuszko Mound Committee. They ended the trip at a meeting with former ARMA, COL(R) Ray Wojcik who spoke about Polish history and Foreign Area Officer career opportunities.
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Nine Gymnasts Qualify for NCAAs
For the third year in a row, nine members of the Army West Point gymnastics team have solidified their spots as individual qualifiers for the 2018 NCAA Championships April 20-21. The NCAA Championships will kick off with the annual awards banquet on Thursday night. Individual qualifying rounds begin on Friday, April 20, with the first beginning at 1 p.m. and the second at 7 p.m. from the University of Chicago Pavilion. The top-three individual finishers in all-around and on each event during each session, who are not already qualified on the team (top three teams qualify) or as an all-around competitor, will advance to Saturday's finals round to begin at 6 p.m. This is the fifth time in the last seven years that the No. 15 Black Knights have sent nine qualifiers to the championships. The Black Knights return a wealth of their roster to the NCAA Championships with Seth Cannon and Nathan Goff leading the way. The pair advanced to the finals round on Saturday a year ago. Cole Casanova makes his return to NCAAs as an All-Around qualifier. Read More
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Cadets at the Law of Armed Conflict Competition
Law and Legal Studies Majors Compete Against International Military Academies in Law of Armed Conflict Competition. Cadets Joshua Ramsdell, Luis Weierbach-Chainey, and Seth Gonzales with their Team Leader, LTC Christopher Jacobs participated in the 17th Annual Law of Armed Conflict (LOAC) Competition for Military Academies. The competition took place at the International Institute of Humanitarian Law in Sanremo, Italy, and included teams representing military academies from France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Malawi, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Uganda, and the United Kingdom.
The aim of the competition is to teach cadets the LOAC and its application within the context of contemporary armed conflict. The competition complements the national training of LOAC and ensures that military cadets develop an early appreciation of the critical importance of LOAC in multinational military operations. The competition also offers a unique international forum where cadets from various countries with different cultural and linguistic backgrounds learn to work together in mixed teams to solve challenging LOAC issues - just as they might one day experience in a coalition-based military operation. Joshua, Luis, and Seth represented the United States Military Academy in excellent fashion. Various team leaders, Joint Operations Cell leaders, and competition judges remarked on the professionalism, teamwork, and military bearing of the West Point cadets. Cadet Joshua Ramsdell took 5th place overall in the competition.
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Cadets Visit the Universidade de Brasília
CPT Huxel led cadets studying abroad to the Palácio Itamaraty, the headquarters of the Ministry of External Relations of Brazil. While there they discussed the intersection of architecture and political messaging in the capital city. The Palácio Itamaraty stands as the site where Brazil receives foreign heads of state and dignitaries.
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Climbing in the Gunks
The Army West Point Climbing Team recently headed to their favorite local climbing area, the Shawagunks Mountain Range in New Paltz, NY., "The Gunks", to participate in a day of out-door rock climbing. It was cold, there was snow, and the conditions were not ideal. They persevered, practiced systems and set up some climbs. Although they were unable to meet their goal of summiting the higher cliffs, they will try again on their upcoming practice.
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Cadets Visit Mohegan Lake Islamic Center
Eight cadets from the Arabic Language Forum had the opportunity to visit the Hudson Valley Islamic Community Center located in Mohegan Lake, NY. This is their second visit to this Islamic Center. Cadets had the opportunity to foster civil-military relations between USMA and the Hudson Valley's Islamic community. While at the Center, cadets practiced their Arabic, observed a prayer session, and ate dinner with the local worshippers. The cultural experience will help build a mutual understanding between this Islamic community, the cadets, and the Academy.
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DEP and Physics Instructors Recruiting Trip
MAJ Caldwell and MAJ Capps (Physics) toured six Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) to increase the faculty applicant pool at West Point. Approximately 200 cadets from various ROTC programs learned about opportunities to teach, coach, and mentor at West Point. While there, they participated in a branch panel to promote the Combat Arms branches, dispel common myths about the profession of arms, and encourage ROTC cadets to explore bigger opportunities. They returned to West Point with over 100 ROTC cadet prospective faculty names and contact information to ensure continuity for years to come.
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Cycling at UCONN for the ECCC
The Army West Point Cycling Team traveled to the Eastern Collegiate Cycling Conference (ECCC) sanctioned races hosted by the University of Connecticut (UCONN). The racing consisted of team time trials (TTT), road races (RR) and criterium racing (CRIT). The team competed in all three events. The team led captain, Aiden Doyle who served as Cadet in Charge (CIC) for the trip. Army women placed 4th in the Women-A TTT, while the men placed 2nd in the Men-C and 6th in the Men-B TTTs. In the Women-A RR, Liz Huuki and Monte Ho captured 2nd and 11th place respectively. On the men's side, Andrew Mergen took 9th place in the Men-B RR. Some of the notable performances in the CRIT were Monte Ho placing 4th in Women-A, Andrew Mergen placing 5th in Men-B, cadets Keller Balsam and Jacob Murdock placing 7th and 8th respectively in Men-C, Sarah Morrow placing 5th in Women-C and Phoebe Lee placing 7th in Women-D. They placed fifth amongst the teams racing. For the road-racing season, the cycling team is now ranked 7th.
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Facilitated Reparations Discussion Among Cadets
MAJ Trivius Caldwell (English) and CPT(P) Thomas Carnes (Philosophy) facilitated a discussion among cadets and faculty about the issue of whether reparations ought to be paid to the descendants of slaves as compensation for the injustice of slavery. MAJ Caldwell and CPT(P) Carnes presented what the philosophical question is and what each side of the debate has offered as reasons for or against the idea that reparations should be paid for slavery. The discussion that followed was lively and covered several important related topics such as what could constitute reparations, what the practical obstacles to paying reparations are, what our divergent personal perspectives mean for our prospects for reaching a consensus, and why it is so important to think about this question today despite the injustice of slavery formally ending over 150 years ago. This event takes its place in a long line of exceedingly important conversations the Department of English and Philosophy is asking cadets and faculty to engage in for the purposes of individual, community, and institutional moral development.
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Fall Library Celebration of West Point Authors
On behalf of the Dean, the library hosted the third Celebration of West Point Authors. Covering the period between July – December 2017, they collected 254 citations from thirteen academic departments, as well as the Military Instruction, Combatting Terrorism Center, Army Cyber Institute, Office of Economic and Manpower Analysis, USMAPS, and the Library. Scholarship included journal articles, conference presentations, book chapters, and book authorship. At the event, the featured theme was the intersection of civilian and military technology, policy, and innovation. The moderator was LTC Heidi Demarest, Academy Professor. The library is continuing to collect published scholarship by USMA authors, and will host the event again next fall. Submit your citation information to your department’s library liaison, available at http://www.usma.edu/library/SitePages/DeptLiaisons.aspx.
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On Point: An American Dream
The American Dream is a force that drives people from around the world. Millions of people have immigrated to the United States in pursuit of that dream, including the parents of Army West Point men's tennis Firstie Michael Nguyen. Nguyen's parents came from Vietnam in the early 1980s in pursuit of a better life and more opportunities for their family. Now Nguyen, a first generation American, is chasing his version of the American Dream as a Division I athlete and a future Army officer.
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International Red Cross Moot Court Competition
Law and Legal Studies Majors Compete in International Red Cross Moot Court Competition. James Palmer, Morgan Aiken, and Hunter Sperry, competed in the Clara Barton International Humanitarian Law Competition at the Georgetown School of Law. The Clara Barton Competition is a simulation-based competition that required the cadets to assume the roles of legal advisors in a non-international armed conflict. This unique experiential learning opportunity strengthened the cadets' understanding of the law of armed conflict by enabling them to identify and resolve the complex legal issues that arise in the field of international humanitarian law. Throughout the two-day competition, cadets briefed senior legal advisors from the Department of Defense, Department of the Army, and the International Committee of the Red Cross. In addition, the competition provided a platform for our cadets to interact with the greater civilian legal community and share their experiences at West Point.
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Glee Club Performs for a Packed House
The West Point Glee Club traveled to the 180-year-old First Presbyterian Church in Freehold, New Jersey to perform a diverse concert for the community. The church was packed with about 600 guests in attendance, to include the Mayor of Freehold, many West Point graduates, and several veterans from all branches of the service. The concert featured numerous pieces from the World War I era, several other patriotic tunes, and a handful of West Point favorites. After the concert, the town of Freehold presented the Glee Club with several awards. Congressman Christopher H. Smith of New Jersey's 4th District offered his sincerest greetings to the members of the Glee Club with a framed and signed letter. Moreover, the Senate and General Assembly of New Jersey and the Borough of Freehold also declared Saturday, February 24, 2018 as "West Point Glee Club Day." The concert provided cadets with the opportunities to socialize with members of the community and represent the Academy well in a professional, musical way.
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Cadets Tour the Hagley Museum
Major David Lambert and Professor Samuel Watson took six cadets to tour the Hagley Museum, Eleutherian Gunpowder Mills, and the Winterthur Manor in Wilmington, Delaware. This trip allowed cadets to trace the history of the DuPont family and chemical company in America, and provided cadets a deeper understanding of relationships between wealth, power, politics, and warfare in 19th century America.
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Kendo at the Rutgers Tournament
Eight members of the West Point Kendo Club traveled to Rutgers Tournament at New Brunswick, NJ, to compete against Eastern Kendo Federation clubs. Cadets Jackson Szczerbik '20, Grace Ko '21, and Bryan Kim '21 competed for the first time and fought well against more experienced opponents. The highest-ranking Cadets Kenny Lee '19 and Thomas Koizumi '20, both Dans (black belt equivalent in Kendo) competed in the upper echelon brackets. Lee went 1-1 being eliminated in the 2nd round of a highly competitive bracket, while Koizumi swept 3rd place. During team matches, West Point Team Alpha, Bravo, and Charlie represented the Academy in a 3 vs. 3 tournament. It was an educational and invigorating experience for all.
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Dr. Mattox Conducts Three-hour Exercise with Cadets
Dr. John Mattox from the National Defense University conducted a three-hour interactive exercise entitled "Making Sense of Deterrence" for 55 cadets enrolled in Nuclear Engineering Seminar. During the exercise, the cadets were presented with multiple academic points of view on deterrence theory before engaging in small group discussion on how to best solve the strategic and international issues related to a nuclear armed North Korea. At the end of the exercise, cadets gained a better appreciation of the purpose and strategic importance of our nation's nuclear weapon complex and stockpile.
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Cadets Visit Indian Point Energy Center
Cadets enrolled in Fundamentals of Nuclear Engineering went to Indian Point Energy Center to enrich their knowledge of nuclear reactor operations. They began the day with a briefing by Pat Falciano who has worked at Indian Point for 48 years. He covered three important topics with the cadets: radiation dose rates, nuclear reactor operations, and nuclear security. After lunch, the cadets took a tour of the power generation side of the plant. Currently, IPEC utilizes two nuclear reactors to produce over 2000 MW of electricity accounting for over 10% of the electricity consumed by New York State. Due to political conditions creating an unfavorable economic environment, IPEC'rsquo;s unit two reactor will close in 2020 followed by unit three in 2021.
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