Army

The goal of the Red Team Mid-Level Ambassador Training is to ensure mid-level Army leaders understand the finer details of the Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention (SHARP) program and are equipped to disseminate essential knowledge throughout their formations. During the course, Troopers received instruction on Sexual Assault/Sexual Harassment Reporting 101, leadership and mental health, Special Victims’ Counsel capabilities, the role of mandated reporters, re-victimization, and the impacts of leadership.

Sgt. 1st Class James Varner, DIVARTY Sexual Assault Response Coordinator (SARC), and Staff Sgt. Jennifer Torres, DIVARTY Victim Advocate (VA), led the training with a mission to ensure Troopers receive education and resources to initiate a chain of information throughout the brigade and the Army.

“I am extremely proud of this program and how far it has come,” said Varner. “This is a program I wholeheartedly believe in.”

Both Varner and Torres are passionate about their work and have been recognized for their impact on the SHARP program.

“Coming from other units, I always noticed that most of the VAs and SARCs were men,” said Torres. “As a female, I know soldiers are more comfortable going to another female about something like this, so I decided to put myself out there and volunteer. I love taking care of soldiers.”

The next step for Varner and Torres is to involve more Troopers in the SHARP program, a key purpose of the Red Team Mid-Level Ambassador Training. The Army’s mid-level leaders are expected to serve as role models for junior Troopers, and to do that, they must be well-informed.

“It’s about more than just response and victim services,” said Varner. “It’s about prevention and intervention. All soldiers have the ability and responsibility to speak up and intervene if they see something.”

The SHARP program has evolved significantly since its inception in 2008. A more recent development is the Catch a Serial Offender (CATCH) program, which allows sexual assault victims who filed restricted reports, certain unrestricted reports, or no report at all to anonymously submit information about a suspect. This helps the Department of Defense identify serial offenders.

“The program works if you use it,” said Torres. “There have been a lot of updates, but taking the time to talk about it and spread the word will significantly increase its impact.”

With the SHARP program continually evolving, it’s essential to keep Troopers informed and up to date.

“As a leader, I like to run scenarios and have open discussions to get soldiers to buy into the topic,” said Varner. “I cover definitions and available services, but I spend more time letting soldiers discuss what they believe the SHARP program is.”

Tripler Army Medical Center was designated as a Pathway to Excellence hospital this year by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. This designation recognizes TAMC’s commitment to creating a positive practice environment that empowers and engages staff.

TAMC is currently the only hospital in Hawaii to hold the designation, and one of two Military Treatment Facilities — the other being Naval Medical Center Portsmouth in Portsmouth, Va. — to hold the Pathway to Excellence designation.

Overall, about 230 healthcare organizations carry the designation.

“This was an opportunity for TAMC to use ANCC’s Pathway to Excellence framework to ensure that we have structures and processes in place to support our nursing staff, create a positive practice environment and healthy work environment, and strive for nursing excellence in all we do,” said Lt. Col. Wendy Krull, Director of Professional Practice at TAMC. “All of these things ultimately improve patient care.”

The ANCC decided in June to award TAMC the designation, and both Krull and Lt. Col. Tanesha Lindsay, TAMC’s Deputy Commander for Impatient Services, attended the Pathway to Excellence Conference in New Orleans, La. and were recognized at a celebration event on Oct. 30.

Earning the designation was a two-year process, in which TAMC staff analyzed and developed a plan to meet the six standards outlined by the ANCC: shared decision making, leadership, safety, quality, wellbeing, and professional development. TAMC had many of these elements in place, and the team worked to submit documentation, Krull explained.

TAMC’s commitment to the six standards was confirmed by a staff survey.

“Our team spent a lot of time looking at our internal structure and improving focus areas,” Krull said. “We did a lot of staff education. It made us assess ourselves, give credit where credit was due, and discover our areas for improvement. The designation gives us validation that we are performing at the same high level as our civilian counterparts who are considered the best of the best.”

The Pathway to Excellence designation could have a positive impact on staff recruitment, Krull said. Civilian hospitals often use the designation as a recruitment and retention tool, and civilian nurses seek out organizations with that have earned the designation.

“Our nurses have dedicated their lives to caring for our service members, our veterans, and military families,” said Col. Robert Corson, Chief Nursing Officer at TAMC. “It is essential that our organization provides them the support they need to continue that critical work. The Pathway to Excellence designation demonstrates that TAMC is committed to maintaining a safe and collaborative work environment, in which our staff can continually progress to achieve their goals. All of this leads to a higher quality of healthcare, benefitting our patients.”

TAMC currently employs about 730 licensed civilian and active duty nurses — licensed practical nurses, registered nurses, and advanced practice registered nurses. Tripler Army Medical Center, located in Honolulu, Hawaii, supports 264,000 active duty and retired military personnel, their families, and veteran beneficiaries. In addition, the referral population includes 171,000 military personnel, family members, veteran beneficiaries, residents of nine U.S. affiliated jurisdictions and forward-deployed forces in more than 40 countries throughout the Pacific.

“The Pathway to Excellence designation is the result of years of hard work by our nurses,” said Col. Michael Ronn, TAMC Commander. “They have systematically built a comprehensive program that supports both our patients and our staff. The standards within the program are incredibly high, and I am extremely proud of our team’s dedication to creating and maintaining a culture that prioritizes both a positive workplace and high-quality healthcare.”

The Aviation and Missile Command’s Data Analytics Center recently became the Business Transformation Office — reflecting the office’s expanded mission of streamlining processes and improving decision-making through advanced technology and data management.

According to BTO Director Lisa Hirschler, it is more than just a new name; the change better represents the office’s evolving responsibilities and AMCOM’s overall digital transformation goals.

“We’re not just focused on data analytics anymore,” she said. “The BTO unites the three divisions: the Data Analytics Center, Knowledge Management and Innovation to help AMCOM become more effective and efficient in a rapidly changing environment.”

Hirschler said the divisions integrate three critical functions. The Data Analytics Center examines raw data to identify trends and guide decision-making. The Knowledge Management section organizes and shares information, so the right people have access to the right data. The Innovation section introduces new ideas and technologies to improve efficiency and solve problems more effectively.

Each area plays a vital role in how AMCOM collects, stores and processes data. By combining them, AMCOM ensures its operations are more effective and adaptable to new challenges.

“We’re building a foundation that will allow us to lead in Army readiness and innovation,” Hirschler said. The change was driven by the need to eliminate outdated processes, reduce redundancies, and better align with Department of Defense goals that prioritize artificial intelligence and machine learning.

“We need to ensure that our leaders have the right information, in the right format, at the right time, to make informed decisions,” Hirschler explained. “This transformation is key to making that happen.”

AMCOM G-3/5 Strategy and Concepts Branch Chief Johnnie Bradt recently completed an introductory AMCOM data course and said, “Data literacy is a requirement for operating in the future. [The data software collection used] is a powerful tool that levels the playing field and gives all employees the capability to create visualizations that can aid in decision-making. Whether someone is creating new data or analyzing data presented to them, the training provides a baseline to understand enough to ask the right questions.”

The transformation represents more than just an internal shift; it is a command-wide initiative that requires participation from everyone.

“Every AMCOM employee has a role to play in this,” Hirschler noted. “This isn’t just about one office. We need everyone on board to make this a success.”

Acknowledging that the transformation presents some challenges, such as older systems and processes, Hirschler said the focus will be on streamlining those processes, improving interoperability between AMCOM and its partners, and providing predictive analytics capabilities.

She said, “This is about future-proofing AMCOM and ensuring we remain a leader in Army readiness and innovation.”

Data Dictionary

Data Analytics: The process of collecting, organizing and examining raw data to gain insights and make informed decisions.

Knowledge Management: The process of collecting, organizing and sharing an organization’s information and expertise to improve efficiency and decision-making.

Innovation: The introduction of new ideas, technologies, or methods to improve efficiency and solve problems.

Artificial Intelligence: Technology that allows machines to perform tasks that would typically require human intelligence, such as recognizing patterns or making decisions.

Machine Learning: A type of AI where computers learn from data and improve performance over time without being explicitly programmed.

Predictive Analytics: Using data to make predictions about future events or trends.

LANDSTUHL, Germany – More than seven decades of Landstuhl Regional Medical Center’s legacy is built on the foundation of excellence in military medicine, providing healthcare to our larger military community while maintaining a ready medical force of soldiers poised and postured to move, shoot, and communicate as well as provide medical care in an event of a large-scale combat operation on the NATO’s eastern flank.

To hone those complex battlefield and medical skills in a realistic environment, LRMC and its network of combat medics from the Baumholder and Wiesbaden health clinics converged upon an urban training site in Germany to conduct a first-of-its-kind, multi-clinic, combined field training exercise Sept. 26, 2024.

More than 70 soldiers from LRMC’s Medical Readiness Battalion, the European Medical Simulation Center, 44th Expeditionary Signal Battalion-Enhanced along with detachments from the 421st Multi-Functional Medical Battalion, 254th Combat Operational Stress Control and 94th Veterinary Detachment took part in the training.

“It was an incredible event demonstrating the effectiveness of collaborating with other LRMC health clinics along with units across the Medical Readiness Command, Europe and our supported battalions at Baumholder to facilitate a demanding and realistic training for our soldiers,” said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Max Smith, commander of Baumholder Army Health Clinic.

According to exercise planners, for the individual combat medic, this event served to build their confidence in the ability to perform warfighting tasks, broaden the scope of understanding of field medicine, and to validate their proficiency in executing those tasks.

“We are tasked to train ourselves and our soldiers to fight, in tough, realistic environments, and to meet those standards and maintain our skills. This team, comprised of several different units, worked together to provide that caliber of training,” said U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Kaleb Richardson, the lead training facilitator and Baumholder Army Health Clinic Detachment Sergeant. “I was encouraged by the high spirit of our soldiers, rising to the challenges presented by the European Medical Simulation Center team, and provided by the beautiful rainy Baumholder weather. These troops brought the intensity honing their craft to answer the call.”