The Army has agreed to award the Expeditionary Medal to troops who served in the Gulf and Turkey during Operation Desert Thunder (11 Nov - 22 Dec 98) and Operation Desert Fox (16-22 Dec 98).--Stephen V Cole

The Army is annoyed that two commands traditionally held by soldiers (Southern Command and European Command) will go to others. Europe will be taken over by Air Force General Ralston, while Latin America was given to Marine General Wilhelm in 1997. Even worse, Central Command (which has rotated between Army and Marine officers since it was created) may go to an Air Force general or Naval Aviator next year since the most likely use of US combat power in the region is by air. The Army has its sights set, however, on taking over the key Atlantic Command, a traditional naval stronghold that has, in the last few years, been transformed into a laboratory to conduct tests on joint warfare tactics.--Stephen V Cole

The US Army has admitted that at least part of the problem with sending Apaches to Albania during the Kosovo conflict was due to budget cuts which had effectively shut down flight training for the combat pilots. This lack of training is blamed for the two crashes that occurred once the unit arrived in Albania. The Army had been caught unprepared for the conflict and had hoped for a few weeks of training (a' la Desert Storm) before actually having to fight.--Stephen V Cole

September 7; Israel has opened its first Military Academy south of Herzliya. This is co-located with the National Defense College which for decades has awarded Masters Degrees to senior officers. Israel has relied on a system similar to ROTC to provide a basic college education to junior officers.--Stephen V Cole