A Far East District contracting leader in Korea just won a USACE Manager of the Year award. Jisun Kang’s team shows what NCOs can gain from mentoring, cross-team exchanges and careful use of new tools like AI. Three military contracting members earned $100 million warrants under her guidance. Her story offers a practical model for small-team leaders who want to grow their people while keeping sound judgment at the center. Read the full NCO Support article to see the lessons and discussion points for your own unit.

Crew chiefs, pilots and maintainers helped shape the MV-75 Cheyenne tiltrotor aircraft during an August 2026 hands-on evaluation. Their feedback on cockpits, virtual trainers and maintenance tasks goes to engineers while the design is still in development. Read how Soldier input moves from the flight line into the aircraft’s development, and what junior NCOs can learn from it.

Soldiers in the Spartan Brigade just added armed drones to their company live-fire training. The 2nd Mobile Brigade Combat Team (Airborne) ran a series of exercises at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, that included the first kinetic drone strike in the Richardson Training Area. Leaders say test flights with unarmed explosive payloads helped crews understand how added weight affects flight. Read the full article to see how sniper teams, reconnaissance elements and a gun truck fit into the training.

Soldiers at Fort Stewart used their meal entitlements at Club Stewart on Oct. 26 as the post’s family and morale office joined the Army’s FEED pilot. The U.S. Army reports the club now serves three buffet meals a day. Small-unit leaders can learn how one installation is trying to improve food access for Soldiers. Read the article for hours, details and discussion points for your team.

Soldiers who work around drones should know about a new Department of War task force. The Joint Interagency Task Force 401 (JIATF-401) was set up in August 2025 to get counter-drone tools to troops faster. Its first year brought a shared online marketplace, a layered defense approach and new training programs. Read the full NCO Support article to see what these changes could mean for small-unit leaders and their Soldiers.

Close to 50 Marines from recon and intelligence units are joining a NATO mission that watches undersea cables and pipelines in the Baltic Sea. Task & Purpose reports their drone and surveillance skills drove the choice. For junior NCOs, it is a useful example of how a small, skilled team can plug into a larger partner effort. Read the full article for the details and discussion points.

Soldiers who ride in or maintain vehicles should know what the Army is considering next. The Army has published a market survey asking defense companies whether they can build and support nearly 21,000 Infantry Squad Vehicles. The survey covers two versions, the nine-passenger ISV-9 and the five-passenger ISV-Utility. It is a feasibility check, not a contract award. Read the full article to see the requirements and what they could mean for small-unit leaders.

The Pentagon plans a new advisory council to guide how troops improve physical, mental and emotional performance. The Federal Register notice describes a $1.4 million committee of up to 20 outside experts in fields like nutrition, sleep medicine and combat stress. For NCOs, it signals how fitness, injury prevention and stress management may shape future training and readiness programs. Read the full NCO Support article to see what this means for your squad and what questions to raise with your leaders.

The Army is studying high-altitude balloons that could watch the battlefield, relay communications and carry strike payloads in the Pacific. Officials say balloons could be cheaper and harder to spot than exquisite missiles. These ideas remain experiments, not fielded systems. Soldiers who work with drones, sensors or communications may see how these tests shape future small-unit teams. Read the full explainer to see what the Army is testing and what questions it raises for NCOs.

Could your Soldiers find the rally point if the alarm sounded today? The U.S. Army says safety officers can assign Percipio emergency courses in ASMIS 2.0, the Army Safety Management Information System, and record completion. The publisher stresses that online lessons are only a start. Leaders still need to tie them to local exits, run drills and fix gaps. Read the full article for the steps NCOs can discuss with their teams.

What if a robot checked the hill before your squad climbed it? Task & Purpose reports that DARPA tested four experimental ground vehicles at Fort Knox that searched for simulated enemy targets. A human operator stayed in the decision loop for any strike. The technology is still experimental, but the test gives NCOs useful questions to discuss about scouting, risk and trust in machines. Read the full article for details.

Training plans are only part of the conversation. At Fort Drum, Soldiers attended an H2F event covering nutrition, sleep, recovery and other readiness topics. They also had chances to meet performance professionals and support staff. For NCOs, it offers a unit example to discuss when planning Soldier education. Read how the brigade organized the event and what leaders can take from it.