On Saturday, 3 October, 32 cadets from the Combating Terrorism Center’s Irregular Warfare Group participated in the annual IWG Unconventional Warfare Challenge. The day-long event featured multiple tasks for cadets that tested their physical abilities and mental acumen. The Challenge featured planning and team-building exercises, a link-up with a resistance auxiliary, advising a guerrilla force through an ambush, reacting to an enemy vehicle checkpoint, recovery of a downed pilot, and pistol and rifle engagements at Range Tronsrue. The IWG Unconventional Warfare Challenge is designed to mimic operational situations outside the traditional bounds of warfare to prepare West Point cadets for circumstances they may encounter in their careers as Army officers. The Irregular Warfare Group, which is led by the CTC’s USASOC Fellow LTC Kent Solheim and CIC Matt Sims, is open to all cadets.

On the evening of 30 September, the Combating Terrorism Center hosted its annual Yearling Lecture, which featured distinguished speaker Mark Giuliano, deputy director of the FBI. Mr. Giuliano shared his insights on effective interagency cooperation as well as the importance of law enforcement as related to national security. The Combating Terrorism Center hosts the Yearling Lecture each fall as a professional development opportunity for yearling cadets. Through this platform, cadets are able to learn about counterterrorism policy directly from a current or former senior government official. The goal of the event is to educate and inspire cadets as they consider available majors, summer enrichment activities, and future career paths.

38 Cadets enrolled in ME 481 (Aircraft Performance and Static Stability) toured the Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum on 6 Oct 2015 to gain an up-close look at the history of aviation. Cadets chose an aircraft on display at the museum and conducted briefs to the class on the innovations and design characteristics of that aircraft. This trip allowed cadets to see first-hand numerous design features in aviation and gain an understanding of the scale of the aircraft components, as well as interact with a number of veterans and civilians who chose to follow the group listening to the Cadets brief on the engineering aspects and history of each aircraft. The USS Intrepid Museum is an aircraft carrier permanently docked at Pier 86 in New York City and has 28 restored aircraft and the Enterprise, the world’s first space shuttle.

Cadets from CE390 (Civil Engineering Site Design) conducted a site recon on 16 SEP 15 as part of their course Engineer Design Project (EDP), which involves developing a proposed schematic design for a new layout of the Stony Lonesome II housing area. The CE390 course provides Cadets the necessary background to select and develop sites for civil engineering structures. Proper site selection and engineering have a significant impact on the economics of a project and long-term utility of the constructed facility. One of the primary goals of the EDP is to apply information learned in class to develop an attractive and livable neighborhood that encourages Families to choose it instead of living off-post. The designs developed by the Cadets will be presented to Balfour Beatty and may be used in a future redevelopment of the Stony II housing area. Cadets also enjoyed a picnic style lunch and had the opportunity to interact with BG Mark Toy, USMA class of 1987 and Commander of the US Army Corps of Engineers South Pacific Division. BG Toy leads a professional workforce of more than 2,300 military and civilians and manages a $1.24B military and civil works program. BG Toy shared some of his experiences an Army officer and talked to the Cadets about the important role civil engineers play in supporting society.

Cadets from the Departments of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership and Systems Engineering visited Thailand and the Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy (CRMA) from 19-25 September 2015 as part of a leadership development exchange and cultural immersion opportunity. Cadets Avrie Welton, Michael Evans, Jordan Komm, Grant Van Orden, Morgan Rennekamp and Sean Monsees, under the leadership of LTC Paul Evangelista and MAJ(P) Nicholas Bugajski, represented USMA and furthered strategic USARPAC objectives through engagements with Thai counterparts at CRMA. After receiving a country in-brief from JUSMAGTHAI, the U.S. Security Cooperation Office in Bangkok, Thailand, USMA representatives traveled to CRMA located about two hours outside of Bangkok in Nakhon Nanook, Thailand. While there, USMA representatives had the opportunity to talk with CRMA leadership and cadets about USMA programs and leadership development systems. Key topics included the West Point Leadership Development System (WPLDS), character development initiatives, a discussion on characteristics of effective leaders, and the Sandhurst competition. USMA cadets briefed the CRMA Dean and academic leaders on WPLDS and facilitated a leader challenge exercise with CRMA tactical officers. USMA Thai exchange cadets supported the leader challenge exercise with a video recorded translation of the script in their native language. Other events included a tour of CRMA facilities, attending a significant retirement parade, Muay Thai kick-boxing instruction from the CRMA physical development Muay Thai instructor, and an out-brief with the CRMA Superintendent of cadets followed by a traditional dinner hosted by CRMA leaders. USMA representatives concluded the trip with a number of cultural experiences to include visiting the grand palace, Bang Pa-In Royal Palace, and attending a professional Muay Thai kick-boxing fight in Bangkok.

On Tuesday, 29 September 2015 four West Point Negotiation Project fellows traveled to NYC to engage with the Tunisian Prime Minister. In a 24 person audience, Prime Minister Habib Essid shared his story of leading the democratic government in such a volatile area of the world. He highlighted the challenges of reconciling differences amongst both his party and those he is entrusted to lead. At the end of the discussion Cadets had the opportunity to ask questions about collaborative problem solving (Negotiation). The West Point Negotiation Project is a USMA faculty effort to improve the ability of military leaders to negotiate and is an activity within BS&L’s Leadership Center.

On 26 September, Cadets Simone Askew (Co. C4), Samuel Crump (Co. F1), and Zachary Riggenbach (Co. F1), from the class of 2018, traveled with faculty advisor MAJ Matthew Mogensen to Shippensburg Pennsylvania to compete in the 7th Annual Cumberland Valley Math Modeling Challenge. Teams from six area universities in the Pennsylvania State university system other invited universities such as West Point competed over a 24-hour period to determine the best solution to the following problem: How to allocate current and future Syrian refugees among European countries in response to the ongoing crisis. Models were evaluated based on feasibility, acceptability by the host nations, and plausibility of the results.

The team from the Department of Mathematical Sciences swept first place in all categories. Not only did the judges deem the West Point team to be the Outstanding Winner (first place) for their written executive summary and model, they also received first place in the oral presentation category as determined by peer vote at the competition. Following their victory, Cadet Riggenbach shared that “the Cumberland Valley Math Modeling Challenge was a great opportunity to apply some of the concepts we have learned throughout our time here at West Point on an important, real world problem."

US Circuit Court Judge Gerard E. Lynch visited with cadets in the Constitutional and Military Law course taught by Department of Law Asst. Professor and Constitutional Law Chair, Tony DiSarro. Judge Lynch was appointed to the federal appeals court by President Obama in 2009. Prior to that, he served as a federal district court judge, having been appointed by President Clinton in 2000. He has taught criminal law and procedure at Columbia Law School and practiced criminal law as both a prosecutor and a defense attorney. Judge Lynch discussed searches and seizures and the 4th Amendment

On 29-30 September, Professor Tim Bakken and CPT Amy McCarthy took three Firstie Law Majors (Cadets Ben Andrews, Eric Fenton and Joshua Bell) to Brown University for a defense policy forum, “The U.S. Military in a Dangerous World: How Much is Enough?” Panelists included former Senator Carl Levin, former Ambassador Nicholas Burns and BG(Ret) Dr. Paula Thornhill. The panel discussed issues ranging from current resourcing for the military, to military and political options for defeating ISIS. The following day, attorney and author Steve Cohen, author August Cole and President Clinton’s former Ambassador to the Human Rights Conference Jeff Robbins held a workshop for Cadets where they discussed insights into writing about public policy issues.

WEST POINT, N.Y. – Fans will have a chance to be part of Saturday's game telecast with CBS Sports Network by using Burst technology when Army hosts Bucknell at Michie Stadium. Fans near and far are encouraged to upload a quick video of anything related to the game, in Black Knights Alley, inside Michie Stadium, at a watch party, their view of an Army scoring play or something unique.

Fans should shoot the video horizontally. Those videos will be uploaded and the best videos may be worked into the telecast of the game. The technology has been used at major sporting events all over the country. Uploading is quick and easy and just takes a few simple steps. Read More

The West Point Marathon Team won first place in the Military Academy & ROTC category at the Army Ten-Miler, Oct. 11. All men finished in under an hour with Cadets Aaqib Syed and Jake Schmitz both leading the way with a time of 54:45. Close behind was Christopher Boyle who ran a 56:36. The women also ran very well with Jennifer Moore running a 1:11:27 and Nikita Price running a 1:12:23. Story

From 2-4 Oct., CDTs Austin Yun ’17, Vincent Vu ’17, and Bill Waters ’18, of the West Point Cadet Catechists, travelled to New Haven, CT, to meet with student leaders from across the country at the Knights of Columbus (KofC) Annual College Council Conference. During the three-day conference, the cadets participated in discussion groups focused on sharing actionable methods for leading and developing their peers and living lives consistent with their faith and value system. The cadets also met with KofC executive leadership, toured the KofC headquarters, and toured the KofC historical museum to more deeply understand the council’s mission and historical involvement around the world over the past 130 years.

On 7 Oct., the West Point Civil and Military Engineering Club hosted Mr. John Vickers ’86, Di-vision Chief of Western Operations Division in the NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Bureau of Water Supply. During Mr. Vickers visit, he had dinner and gave a presentation to the cadets, staff and faculty in the Civil and Military Engineering Club, and local professional engineers from the ASCE Mid-Hudson Branch in the Eisenhower Hall Ballroom. Mr. Vickers discussed the history of the NYC water supply, current upgrades to the system, and some of the current challenges he faces.

On 10 Oct., eighteen members of the West Point Glee Club travelled to New York, NY, in order to perform the National Anthem at the home opener of the NHL’s New York Rangers. In front of a crowd of more than 18,000 in Madison Square Garden, the club brought a bit of West Point to Manhattan, and helped to enhance the Academy’s relationship with NYC. The performance was well-received by the boisterous crowd.

On 9 Oct., Army West Point Men’s Volleyball travelled to the Canadian Military Academy in Kingston, Ontario. The trip provided the cadets quality competition, as well as a chance to learn about the cadet life at the Canadian Military College. The cadets had multiple interactions with their Canadian counterparts. On the court, the cadets performed well pushing the Varsity level RMC to a 3-1 match score, but each game was tightly contested.

From 2-4 Oct., seven cadets from the Army West Point Ken-do Club travelled to Ithaca, NY, to attend the 15th Annual Cornell Kendo Tournament. On Saturday, four of the cadets participated in the individual tournament (bracketed by rank) and competed in the first portion of the team tournament. On the conclusion of the competition on Saturday, all seven cadets participated in a two hour training seminar. On Sunday, the team competition continued; during the team competition, West Point defeated Harvard and RIT, but were beaten by Cornell and NYU.

This past weekend, the West Point Orienteering Team travelled to Hancock, NH, for its second nationally sanctioned meet of the AY16 season. The event consisted of one classic course on Saturday and another classic course on Sunday. Despite difficult terrain, the team performed exceptionally well. Notable individual accomplishments include first place finishes for CDTs Justin Augustine ’19, Joshua Allyn ’16, and David Weinmann ’17 in their respective course categories. Additionally, new team members from the Class of 2019 showed considerable progress and proved their potential to extend the Army West Point Orienteering legacy into the future.

On 4 Oct., the Army West Point Judo Team competed in a Judo Tournament in Princeton, NJ, in order to prepare for Collegiate Nationals and future competitions against the Navy Judo Team. For this tournament, the Army West Point Judo Team took sixteen Novice Competitors, which means they have the rank of Green Belt and below. The Judo Team also brought along two Senior Fighters with a rank of Brown Belt and above. Because of the team’s warrior ethos, preparation, and training, eighteen Judokas competed in over forty 3-minute matches in both the Novice and Senior Divisions. Overall, the team won a total of nineteen matches, and had several places in their weight class. The first place winners were CDTs Sheldon Dillman and Nicholas Chinea; the second place winners were CDTs Alexander Cauduallo and Tiara Hansen; and the third place winner was CDT Aiden Baxter. Overall, the primary mission of preparing for Collegiate Nationals was accomplished and the cadets were ex-posed to a variety of fighting styles.

On 9 Oct., the Army West Point Cycling team travelled to High-land Mountain, NH, to compete in the MTB Championship for the DIV II Eastern Collegiate Cycling Conference (ECCC). The Army West Point Cycling team won and are now the MTB Champions. In her debut season, CDT Gabrielle Alford ’19 placed 3rd in the season omnium while specializing in XC events; great things are to come from her as she expands to gravity events next fall. CDT Sarah LaRue ’17 and CDT Ellen Barry (USAFA ‘17) upgraded to Women’s A partway through the season, and established themselves in the top 10 omnium. Additionally, CDT Ammon Okazaki ’19 came away with 1st in Men’s C Omnium for the season. Many riders upgraded mid-season and have set themselves up for big things next fall.

On 10 Oct., the Army West Point Crew Team travelled to Philadelphia, PA, to compete in the annual Navy Day Regatta. The 2.5 mile course along the Schuylkill River gave the team an opportunity to race against some of the best teams in the Northeast, and to build valuable experience on the same course where the National Championships will be held in the spring. This early season regatta allowed Army to face the elite rowing program from the Naval Academy in the only head-to-head competition for the year against the Midshipmen. Despite being only one of the handful club teams at the event, Army West Point Crew rowed very well against larger, more experienced crews from NCAA DIV I Programs including U Penn, Syracuse, Drexel, St. Josephs, Temple, Rutgers, Lehigh, La Salle, Delaware, and Washington College

The team entered a total of twelve boats in the regatta, with eight boats finishing in the top ten for their event. Of note, the Novice Women’s eight started their race very strong in 4th place, close behind the Navy boat, while finishing ahead of St. Josephs, Lehigh, and eight other collegiate crews, including Navy’s second Novice entry. The Novice Women also took 4th in their four’s event. The top Novice Men’s entries finished 9th in the eights’ race and 10th in the fours’ competition. The Varsity Men fielded boats in two races with the first varsity eight finishing 9th out of 25 entries in the Collegiate Open Eights event, beating the DIV I entry from St. Josephs on their home course. The top men’s JV eight finished in 8th place. The Varsity Women’s collegiate four finished in 9th place out of 25 entries; they rounded out their day finishing as the top club program in the premier Women’s Open Collegiate eight event, crossing the finish line in 11th place (in front of Lehigh and Philadelphia). Given that most teams in the competition had significant advantages in terms of training time and professional coaching, the Army West Point Crew’s performance was indeed commendable.