Sgt. Maj. of the Army Daniel A. Dailey received a Unified Video Dissemination System (UVDS) mission brief, toured the Defense Information Systems Agency’s Command Center, and met with DISA Soldiers during a visit to the agency’s headquarters July 27, DISA said in a release.
UVDS is a DISA-provided capability that enables intelligence analysts to view live, full-motion video feeds collected by manned and unmanned aerial platforms.
Dailey, a career infantry Soldier, spoke about the significance of communications and information technology in operational missions during his visit to discuss Army priorities with DISA’s Army enlisted force.
“We have a superior technical advantage over our adversaries because of the work that you do here at DISA,” Dailey said. “Soldiers see the live feeds all the time, and we don’t always realize all it takes to make it work, but we know it works.”
As sergeant major of the Army, Dailey is the Army Chief of Staff's personnel adviser on matters affecting the enlisted force.
The sergeant major fielded questions about the Army’s future and was also asked about the Army’s on bringing back the World WarII-era “pinks and greens” service dress uniform. Regarded as the best uniform the Army has ever fielded, Army officers wore the iconic uniform from the early ’30s to the early ’50s.
The historic uniform was a familiar sight during World War II when almost 13 million Americans were in uniform at the end of the war; with more than 8 million serving as Army Soldiers, according to the U.S. Army Center of Military History.
The decision regarding use of the uniform, which advocates believe will strengthen pride, bolster recruiting and enhance readiness, is not final. However, Dailey explained the purpose for adopting the iconic uniform is to recognize the professionalism of the men and women who serve in the Army, and to pay homage to past generations of Soldiers, as well as to connect the current generation of warfighters to their rich heritage.
Dailey said the American people are accustomed to seeing Soldiers in the Army Combat Uniform, but not in the dress uniform, so people may be unaware the Army has highly skilled IT specialists, like the Soldiers who serve at DISA.
If the uniform is officially fielded, Dailey explained, every enlisted Soldier will receive it at no cost, and, Soldiers will have the option to keep their “Class A” blue Army Service Uniform.
Daily also discussed the new Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT). Earlier this summer, Secretary of the Army Mark T. Esper released the Army Vision for 2028, which explains how the Army will adapt to retain its tactical advantage over its adversaries.
Included, in the series of objectives from the Army Vision, is a plan to develop and retain high quality, physically fit, mentally tough Soldiers who can deploy, fight, and win decisively on any future battlefield.
As a result, the Army developed the ACFT, which is designed to reduce costs and injuries from physical exercise, while better preparing soldiers for the harsh demands of combat.
The Army’s current physical fitness test measures a Soldier’s muscular and aerobic endurance. The new test measures muscular strength and endurance, power, speed, agility, aerobic endurance, balance, flexibility, coordination and reaction time, according to the release
“If you’re in shape, it’s not going to be a problem. If you’re not in shape, you need to start training for this, and you need to get in shape,” Dailey said.