The National Guard is “ideally suited” for peacekeeping missions, said Amb. David Satterfield, director general of the Multinational Force and Observers. “You have proved yourself in the most challenging of combat situations around the world, and you are proving yourself in this non-combat, but still extraordinarily challenging mission,” said Satterfield. MFO is the international organization with responsibility for overseeing the peace between Egypt and Israel in the Sinai Peninsula. Last week, he hosted a troop visit and fact-finding tour there led by Gen. Craig McKinley, National Guard Bureau chief. “This is not . . . a kinetic undertaking. It requires a different set of skills,” said Satterfield. He continued, “The Guard has performed superbly.” Members of the Maryland and Missouri National Guard are currently in the Sinai supporting MFO. The Guard has been the lead American MFO contributor for almost a decade, said Satterfield. (El Gorah report by Army SSgt. Jim Greenhill)
A provision in the fiscal 2025 defense policy bill will require the Defense Department to include the military occupational specialty of service members who die by suicide in its annual report on suicide deaths, though it remains to be seen how much data the department will actually disclose.