• The US Army is testing a mechanical third arm designed to help soldiers wield oversized weaponry and hump heavy loads downrange without sacrificing their performance.
• The 3.5-pound prototype can support an M249 squad automatic weapon — or a 20-pound defensive shield for added protection and cover.

The Army wants to give soldiers an extra hand during their next firefight — literally.

Army Research Lab engineers are officially testing a mechanical third arm designed to help soldiers wield oversized weaponry and hump heavy loads downrange without sacrificing their performance, the service announced on Feb. 27.

While the service has been hacking away at the abdomen-mounted apparatus — creatively dubbed the “Third Arm” — since last year, the Army says the current 3.5-pound prototype can support an M249 squad automatic weapon — or a 20-pound defensive shield for added protection and cover.

Cool, sweet… but any warfighter worth their salt will recognize this solution as inspired by the asshole-perforating M56A2 Smart Gun toted by everyone’s favorite Colonial Marines from Aliens:

It’s unlikely soldiers will have to contend with creepy xenomorphs anytime soon, but the Army’s Third Arm has clear benefits for warfighters already laden with high-tech gear.

“We started out with just trying to think of a way to help improve the lethality of the dismounted Soldier,” Army Research Lab engineer Dan Baechle said in a statement. “Generally that means stabilizing the weapon or giving the Soldier a more powerful weapon. Can we stabilize that weapon to improve accuracy? But also if we’re stabilizing the weapon and taking the load off of the Soldiers’ arms, does that improve the Soldier’s readiness? Does it also improve the Soldier’s accuracy with the weapon?”

Aliens may be the most immediate pop-culture example of mechanical limbs in action, but the best description of the apparatus’ impact on lethality actually comes from Robert Heinlein’s Starship Troopers, in my opinion.

“If you load a mudfoot down with a lot of gadgets that he has to watch, someone a lot more simply equipped — say with a stone ax — will sneak up and bash his head in while he is trying to read a vernier,” says Rico. Sometimes, less is more.

Now, if only the Army could engineer a third leg…

SEE ALSO: The Army says its next-generation assault rifle will pack a punch like a tank's main gun

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FORT BLISS, Texas — I stepped into the rear hull of one of the two M109 Paladin self-propelled howitzers parked on a section of the desert training grounds at Fort Bliss. 

As the six-person Paladin crews, which were partaking in an exercise called Bulldog Focus, waited for the go-ahead to test fire, they showed me a dry run of how it loads and shoots. 

Then I jumped out and set up two cameras before watching the 155mm cannon fire, which, when it did, sent out a shock wave so strong that it felt like someone lightly punched me all over my body. 

Here's what I saw: 

SEE ALSO: We climbed into an Apache helicopter's cockpit and saw why it's one of the most difficult aircraft to fly

Join the conversation about this story »

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• The US Army mistreated a corps of bomb-sniffing dogs when they were discharged from the military, according to the Defense Department's Inspector General’s Office.
• Army personnel who handled them said that once the dogs returned to the US, some were left in kennels for up to 11 months.
• Several soldiers searched for and rescued their dogs from the Army kennels.

They made up a corps of bomb-sniffing dogs that accompanied brigade combat teams on potentially lethal missions, sniffing out roadside bombs in Afghanistan and saving human lives.

In return for their combat service, the U.S. Army mistreated these canine heroes when they were discharged from the military, the Defense Department’s Inspector General’s Office said in a report issued on March 1.

An investigation was started after soldiers who had handled the dogs complained about the fate of their four-legged saviors.

Army personnel who handled them said that once the dogs returned to the United States, some were left in kennels for up to 11 months, mistreated through lack of care and attention, and others may have been put down, according to the report. No screening was done of people who wanted to adopt the dogs.

Several soldiers searched for and rescued their dogs from Army kennels, the report said.

Army spokesmen did not respond to multiple telephone and e-mail messages seeking comment. Reuters was unable to reach former soldiers who had issued complaints containing accusations of mistreatment of dogs with which they had worked.

The dogs served in Afghanistan from 2010 to 2014. The report faulted the Army for ignoring multiple Pentagon rules concerning the handling of dogs serving in the military.

“The Army did not use the DOD Working Dog Management system, as required by the Joint Military Working Dog Instruction and Army Regulation 190-12,” the Inspector General said in its report.

The report also said that the Army improperly hired a private contractor to provide the dogs, breaking a rule that requires obtaining military dogs from the Air Force’s 341st Training Squadron, responsible for teaching and distributing new active-duty dogs to all of the military services.

(Reporting by Scot Paltrow; Editing by Toni Reinhold)

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FORT BLISS, Texas — Two self-propelled M109 Paladin howitzers sat idly by on the 1st Armored Division's desert training grounds, waiting to hurl 155mm shells about 10 miles away. 

Partaking in a large exercise called Bulldog Focus, the two Paladins were waiting for other convoys miles away to get in position before they could safely fire. 

"These guns are designed to kill," Captain Alan Bauerly, who oversaw a few batteries, had said to his troops before they dispersed and waited to fire. "It doesn't care who it kills."

But before the artillerymen displayed the cannon's incredible power, I got a chance to tour the Paladin and speak to the troops operating it. 

Here's what I saw:

SEE ALSO: We climbed into an Apache helicopter's cockpit and saw why it's one of the most difficult aircraft to fly

I first came upon the five-man crew of this M992A2 Field Artillery Ammunition Supply Vehicle, which was stationed behind the Paladins.

As the vehicle's name denotes, it supplies the Paladins with ammunition.

Mounted atop the ammunition supply vehicle is an MK19 automatic grenade launcher.

The crew showed me how they carry the 155mm projectiles, which weigh over 100 pounds. Some artillerymen said they carry it over their shoulders too.

The soldiers then challenged me to pick one up and, sensing a test, I couldn't back down. 

FORT BLISS, Texas — Spread across Biggs Army Airfield, and tucked in between the mountains surrounding it, were Blackhawks, Apaches— and yes, Chinook helicopters. 

The Boeing CH-47 Chinook has been the US Army's main soldier and supply transport aircraft since it was first put into service in the early 1960s. 

In 1982, the Army upgraded all of its Chinooks to the CH-47D versions, which, among many other improvements, received a much more powerful engine that can lift nearly 20,000 pounds. 

I got a chance to see the CH-47D up-close during our recent trip to Fort Bliss. 

Here's what I saw:

SEE ALSO: We climbed into an Apache helicopter's cockpit and saw why it's one of the most difficult aircraft to fly

Here's a wide view of the Biggs Army Airfield, with Chinooks and Apaches in the background.

The CH-47D is a tandem rotor aircraft, meaning it has two sets of blades, with two T55-GA-714A turboshaft engines that can lift and transport 19,500 pounds.

Source: Military.com

Its top speed is 184 mph, with a maximum range of 400 miles.

Source: Military.com

FORT BLISS, Texas — During my first couple days at Fort Bliss, I had heard smatterings from soldiers about a non-indigenous species of African antelope population that somehow inhabited the training grounds.

But no one really quite knew how the animals, known as the oryx, got there.

Many of the soldiers told me different theories that they'd heard. Some told me that they didn't even believe these antelope-looking animals were out there.

But on my last day at the post, as I was hanging out with a bunch of artillerymen waiting to see an M109 Paladin test fire, one of the creatures appeared before us.

Here's the true story about how the animal arrived in the US, and what I saw that day:

SEE ALSO: We got up-close with the US Army's M109 Paladin — armed with a machine gun, a grenade launcher, and a massive cannon

The artillerymen, combat photographers and I were waiting to watch the Paladin fire, when, suddenly ...

An oryx appeared out of nowhere — like something out of an M. Night Shyamalan movie.

For about 15-20 minutes, the oryx stood about 20 yards away, periodically nibbling on foliage and curiously looking at us. 

The oryx is an African antelope that is non-indigenous to the US.

On average, oryx weigh about 450 pounds and stand about 4 feet tall (not including their 34-inch horns). 

Source: National Park Service

FORT BLISS, Texas — Three public affairs officers and I found the command center shown above about a mile from one of many dirt roads along the training grounds at Fort Bliss.

Commanded by a colonel, the entire 3rd brigade of the 1st Armored Division was spread out for miles around the sandy grounds, partaking in a large exercise called Bulldog Focus.

On the periphery of the command center, we found a Bradley fighting vehicle, stationed in front of small berm. Its crew was snacking on some crackers, apparently taking a break — but they gladly showed us around.

Here's what I saw:

SEE ALSO: We got an up-close look at an M1 Abrams tank — the king of the battlefield

The Bradley is a light-armored vehicle that entered service in 1981 and has since been upgraded several times.

Source: Military.com

Powered by a Cummins VTA-903T diesel engine, it has a top speed of 41mph and a maximum range of 300 miles.

Source: Military.com

It's a fully-tracked vehicle that is able to keep pace with an Abrams tank.

Source: Military.com

The Medal of Honor is the highest and most prestigious award that can be given to American servicemen for distinguished service in the field of battle.

Since it was first given in 1863, the medal has been awarded only 3,517 times, 19 of which were double awards.

Today, the medal is given to any soldier who has distinguished themselves "conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States."

Many of the medals are awarded posthumously, either because they died in battle, or because so much time has passed before they were recognized for their acts. 

The award is usually given to the individual by the president during a ceremony. Because it is given in the name of Congress, it has often been called the "Congressional Medal of Honor." 

In honor of National Medal of Honor Day on March 25, here are 13 stories of those who received the nation's highest honor:

SEE ALSO: We took a rare tour of one of the US Navy's most dangerous warships — nicknamed the 'Sledgehammer of Freedom'

Jacob Parrott, Civil War

Private Jacob Parrot was the first person ever to be awarded the Medal of Honor. Parrot, along with six other Union soldiers, we awarded for their actions during the Great Locomotive Chase, also known as Andrews' Raid, during the Civil War.

The raid saw 22 Union volunteers sneak behind enemy lines to Atlanta, steal a train, and ride up North to Chattanooga. Along the way, they cut telegraph lines, destroyed railroad tracks, and attempted to burn bridges.

The objective was to cut off Confederate-held Chattanooga from reinforcements as the Union Army would attack the city. 

The raid ended in failure — some of the raiders were captured and executed, most of the damage was repaired quickly, and Union army postponed their attack on Chattanooga.

Despite the failure, the raiders who survived were hailed as heroes.

William Harvey Carney, Civil War

William Harvey Carney was the first African-American awarded the Medal of Honor. He was born a slave in Virginia, but eventually made his way to freedom in Massachusetts.

When the Union Army began accepting volunteers, he joined the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, the first African-American unit in organized by the northern states, though it was led by white officers.

The 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, led by Robert Gould Shaw, was tasked with taking Fort Wagner, a beachhead fortification that guarded the southern approach to Charleston Harbor.

A previous attack on the fort failed, and the 54th was chosen for the next attempt. As the soldiers stormed the fort's walls, the Union flag bearer was killed. Carney grabbed the flag and held it for the duration of the battle.

Carney, along with the rest of the 54th, was forced to retreat. Throughout the battle Carney never lost possession of the flag, despite suffering multiple injuries. "Boys, I only did my duty; the old flag never touched the ground!"he said after the battle. 

Carney was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1900.

Mary Edwards Walker, Civil War

Dr. Mary Edwards Walker is the first and only female recipient of the Medal of Honor in US history. She was an abolitionist and medical doctor who tried to join the Union Army as a surgeon, but was unable to because she was a woman. 

She declined to work as a nurse and instead accepted an unpaid volunteer position at military hospitals on the front line.

In 1863 she was finally allowed to work as a "Contract Acting Assistant Surgeon," and wore a modified uniform of her own designed that looked like a man's. 

During her service she "devoted herself with much patriotic zeal to the sick and wounded, both in the field and hospitals." She was captured by the Confederates, but released in a prisoner exchange.

Major Generals William T. Sherman and George H. Thomas both commended her for her service, and President Andrew Johnson awarded her the Medal of Honor in 1865.

Her award was temporarily rescinded in 1917 after it was determined that it was "unwarranted" because of her status as a civilian. She refused to give her medal back and wore it every day until her death in 1919.

President Jimmy Carter reinstated Walker's medal in 1977.

• President Donald Trump reportedly said that he would be open to staying in Syria for the time being, but favors an exit soon.
• US troop levels in Syria currently sit at around 2,000.
• Several branches of the US military are active in the country, including US special forces.
• The military is acting in coordination with other parts of the US government in Syria.

After suggesting last week that the US would be pulling out of Syria "very soon," President Donald Trump reportedly told his national security team that he is open to keeping troops in the country for the time being, but wants to look to pull them out sometime soon, a senior administration official told CNN.

The US has now been involved in Syria for about three and a half years, having started its military intervention there as part of Operation Inherent Resolve in September 2014. The military has carried out numerous operations in Syria against ISIS and other targets, according to the Department of Defense, and members of the US Marines, Navy, Air Force, and Army are active in the country.

As of December 2017, there are approximately 2,000 US troops in the country. Four US soldiers have been killed in action in Syria.

The US has carried out over 14,989 airstrikes in Syria since 2014, according to the Pentagon.

While it is difficult to ascertain exactly how much the US military spent in Syria specifically, Operation Inherent Resolve as a whole has cost over over $18 billion as of February 2018, according to the Pentagon. The majority of these funds were spent on Air Force operations.

Since the US mission began, ISIS has seen its territory dwindle in Syria, and now almost all of its holdings have been conquered by local forces on the ground with US support.

US forces are fulfilling a variety of roles in the fight against ISIS

The US mission in Syria is aimed at defeating ISIS and its offshoots, providing coordination between air assets and troops on the ground and the anti-ISIS coalition. So far this mission has largely been a military success — the group has reportedly lost over 98% of its territory since it stormed across Syria and Iraq in 2014.

The US has also been supporting Syrian Kurds in Syria's north, bolstering a coalition of forces led by the Kurds called the Syrian Democratic Forces by deploying coalition advisers to train, advise, and assist the group. The SDF has conquered swathes of territory from ISIS in northeastern Syria with support from US airstrikes and special forces, and according to the Pentagon, is leading the fight against the remnants of the Islamist group in the country.

But the incredibly fractured nature of the conflict lends itself to additional challenges, Pentagon spokesman Eric Pahon told Business insider.

"It's the most complex battlefield in modern warfare," he said, explaining that there are active lines of communication open between US forces and other actors in the conflict like Turkey and Russia, which serve to avoid accidental military engagements and as deconfliction hotlines.

Pahon said that now that the active fight against ISIS is drawing down, the US is pivoting to civilian reconstruction efforts, clearing IEDs, and rebuilding civilian infrastructure.

"That's a big challenge for getting people back into their homes, especially in populated areas like Raqqa," Pahon said, citing numerous ways in which fleeing ISIS fighters have booby-trapped abandoned homes with explosives.

Pahon said part of the US civilian effort is training people on the ground on how to de-mine former urban battlefields.

He also pointed out that in addition to the military aspect of US operations in the country, other parts of the US government like the State Department and USAID are also active in reconciliation efforts, recovering water access, and rebuilding the power grids in destroyed towns and cities. 

"It's more than a military effort, it's a whole of government effort," he said.

SEE ALSO: 2 speeches happening at the same time across Washington show how deep the Trump administration is divided on Syria

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NOW WATCH: Why Russia is so involved in the Syrian Civil War

Two US Army soldiers were killed in an Apache helicopter crash late Friday during routine training at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, the Army announced Saturday morning.

The two soldiers were members of the 101st Airborne Division's 101st Combat Aviation Brigade. They were training in a AH-64E Apache helicopter.

Their names are being withheld by the Army until the families have been notified.

"This is a day of sadness for Fort Campbell and the 101st Airborne," said Brig. Gen. Todd Royar, acting senior commander of the 101st Airborne Division and Fort Campbell. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the Families during this difficult time."

The Apache crash follows a week of tragic military aviation accidents. Earlier this week, the military experienced three crashes in two days, with five deaths.

The Pentagon said Thursday that while the recent crashes are "not normal," the military is not considering it a "crisis."

"Certainly, that's not normal and our response to it is not normal," but "I'm not prepared to say right now that it is some kind of crisis," Marine Lt. Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, director of the Joint Staff, said at a Pentagon briefing Thursday.

SEE ALSO: After 5 deaths in 2 days, US military aviation could be facing a looming struggle

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NOW WATCH: Why Russia is so involved in the Syrian Civil War

An Army Magazine article from 1956 that made the rounds on Twitter predicted what the soldier of the future would look like.

In many ways, it was surprisingly accurate.

The author, Lt. Col. Robert R. Rigg, prophesized that these advancements — from night vision goggles, to helicopter warfare, to drone strikes — would come after 1974. While he was technically correct, many came later than he foresaw.

Here are 10 pieces of gear the "soldier of the future" has — right now.

SEE ALSO: Here's every weapon the US Army gives to its soldiers

Radios that offer constant communication with fellow soldiers.

"The FutureArmy soldier ... will gain independence and action from an ultra-small radio transmitter and receiver," Rigg wrote. "This transceiver will ... place the individual soldier in communication with all other members of his fighting team."

Most radios aren't built into helmets, but many soldiers are in constant communication with their squad mates through the use of intra-squad radios. Troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, for example, are typically carrying around small, lightweight radios that offer secure communications.

Some, like special operations forces, use throat microphones (as the magazine also predicted) that transmit when the operator speaks. 

Night vision goggles that help troops own the night.

"The soldier will be able to ... change darkness into day with one flick of a wrist on the infrared dial and switch."

Night vision was developed in the 1940s, but was not fielded in goggle form until 1977. 

Night optical/observation devices, or NODs as soldiers call them, are standard issue for most troops in the field these days. However, even Rigg couldn't predict the rise of even better gear, such as thermal devices that can pick up on the human body's heat signature.

Automatic carbine rifles to give troops more firepower against the AK-47.

"The individual weapon of the Futurarmy soldier will be an automatic carbine which will replace at least four of today's weapons: the M1 rifle, the carbine, the AR, and the submachine gun."

The automatic carbine, known as the M16, was first put into service in 1964, and was standard issue by 1969 — five years before Rigg predicted. Though the M16A1 gave soldiers in Vietnam plenty of problems, it's been continuously updated and improved.

Many soldiers and Marines carry the M4 carbine — a shorter and lighter version of the M-16 — though most are no longer fully-automatic.

• The Trump administration is reportedly lobbying for an Arab army to replace US troops in Syria.
• Officials are said to have spoken to Egypt, Qatar, the UAE and Saudi Arabia about it.
• President Trump has asked several Gulf states to pay up to stabilize the region in the wake of ISIS's defeat.
• In April, the US reportedly began drafting plans to increase its military presence in Syria.
• This is despite President Trump pledging that the US would "be coming out of Syria like very soon." 

The Trump administration reportedly wants to build an Arab army to replace US troops in Syria. 

US officials told the Wall Street Journal that the Arab personnel will help stabilize the northeastern parts of Syria once Islamic State militants are defeated. 

According to the Journal, administration officials have spoken to Egypt about the plan, and have considered involving Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Officials told the Journal the president's new national security advisor, John Bolton, recently called his Egyptian counterpart to see whether Egypt would back the initiative. 

A spokesman for the National Security Council declined to comment on reports of the call, according to the report.

However other officials told the Journal that "Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE have all been approached with respect to financial support and more broadly to contribute." 

Last month, President Trump reportedly called Saudi Arabia's King Salman to ask for $4 billion to help rebuild and maintain order in parts of Syria recently freed from Islamic State control.

According to the Washington Post, the US's goal is to prevent Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his Russian and Iranian allies from creeping into newly-liberated areas and establishing control while the US continues to battle the remaining dissidents. 

The US announced in February that it had pledged $200 million to stabilize the region.

President Trump has previously criticized the amount US allies were prepared to spend on regional security efforts.

He previously said he was prepared to walk away from supporting the conflict in Syria if countries like Japan, Saudi Arabia and Germany don't increase their financial contribution.

The request follows US-led "precision strikes" on Syria in response to a suspected chemical weapons attack in Douma earlier this month.

President Trump hinted at global efforts in Syria in his Friday announcement, saying: "We have asked our partners to take greater responsibility for securing their home region, including contributing larger amounts of money."

In April, CNN reported that the US was drafting plans to increase its military units in Syria, despite President Trump pledging that the US would "be coming out of Syria like very soon."

SEE ALSO: US, Britain, and France hammer Syria with missile strikes in response to suspected chemical weapons attack

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NOW WATCH: Why Russia is so involved in the Syrian Civil War

Fighting in the dark has always been a difficult task in warfare, but soldiers, sailors, and airmen today can conduct their operations at night almost as well as they can during the day thanks to the invention of night vision.

Whether on the decks of an aircraft carrier or destroyer, in the deserts of the Middle East and Afghanistan, or in the skies above it all, warfighting doesn't stop at night.

Photos captured while the US military performs nighttime training provide viewers with a unique look into the world of war. Military equipment, as well as the troops themselves, takes on distinct colors when seen outside the light of day.

Here are 26 striking photos of the US military operating at night:

The US Navy guided-missile cruiser USS Monterey fires a Tomahawk land-attack missile.

A C-130 Hercules from the 36th Airlift Squadron conducts a night flight mission over Yokota Air Base in Japan.

Aircraft land aboard the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise during nighttime flight operations in the Arabian Sea.

FORT BLISS, Texas — I wanted to ask the soldiers about their stories.

I wanted to ask them why they joined the service, if and where they had been deployed, what their experiences were like overseas, what it was like coming home, and more. 

But it was difficult.

I only had a few chances to speak to individual soldiers in-depth as I toured a number of different weapons systems during my trip to Fort Bliss.

The conversations were sometimes difficult. "I feel like a d--k for asking those questions," I told one of the public affairs officers after interviewing one officer who became emotional while describing an incident in Afghanistan. "But I think it's important for people to know these things."

"Yes, it is," the PAO said.

SEE ALSO: Soldiers don't believe this rare antelope-like animal is roaming around a Texas army base — but we saw one up-close

The first chance I got to speak to soldiers in-depth was when I met a couple of Abrams tank crews.

Name and rank: Sergeant T. Wilder.

Wilder, 27, of Athens, Tennessee, is an Abrams tank commander who said he's been in the service for eight years. 

"I joined right out of high school, like any typical high school kid does to get out of their hometown, pay for college, make something of themselves," Wilder told me. "I got about 12 more years, and I can retire."

Wilder said he deployed to Iraq in 2011 and 2012. 

"I was part of the initial drawdown," he said. "I was everywhere from Kalsu all the way down to Echo and K-Crossing."

"It was fun," he said. "I deployed in an infantry platoon so I was out doing route clearance patrols, patrols, convoy overwatch, and stuff like that."

Wilder said clearing IEDs was "slow, long, about 16 hours at about 20 mph," and that he saw all different kinds. "We saw several that were made out off 155 rounds, 105 rounds, saw one out of a propane tank, bunch of stuff stuck in water bottles and coke cans and stuff."

He said he took "a little bit [of contact], but nothing major."

When I asked him if he'd share any particular stories, he understandably shook his head no.

Name and rank: Specialist Christian Pena.

Pena, 22, told me he has been in the Army for two years.

"I'm originally from Mexico, but I moved to Arizona when I was 10," he said.

"I joined the Army 'cause this country has given me so many opportunities that I'm so grateful for — and it's my way of repaying it," he said.

He said he hasn't deployed yet, but that "it's definitely something I look forward to."

"Man of few words," the PAO said jokingly.

• The Alabama National Guard recently posted a picture of a snake slithering over a sniper's rifle as he remains perfectly still. 
• The Alabama National Guard is even using the photo, which has gone viral, as a recruiting tool. 

The Alabama National Guard recently posted a photo of a sniper remaining still as a non-poisonous southern black racer snake slithers across his rifle.

The picture of Pfc. William Snyder practicing "woodlawn stalking" was taken in early April during a 1-173 infantry training exercise at Eglin Air Force Base.

"Our snipers are trained to remain perfectly still for hours on end when in position and remain invisible to enemies and even wildlife," the Alabama National Guard wrote in the caption of the photo on Facebook. Here's just how close the snake got:

“It’s by far our best-performing post,” Maj. Andrew Richardson, a public affairs officer for the Alabama National Guard, told the Northwest Florida Daily News. 

The Alabama Guard is even using the picture as a recruiting tool, the Northwest Florida Daily News reported. 

You can check more of the photos from that day here. 

SEE ALSO: I took portraits of combat-tested soldiers at Fort Bliss — and they told me their incredible stories

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: How all-you-can-eat restaurants don't go bankrupt

They're one of the most elite fighting groups in the world. They silently slip into hostile countries to train and lead guerilla forces. 

The US Army's Special Forces are known to the public as Green Berets — but they call themselves the quiet professionals.

They work in 12-man teams, known as an "A-Team," with each member having a specific job. 

The ranking officer is the team leader, the weapons sergeant knows just about every weapon in the world, the communications sergeant tees up ordnance or extract, and the medics can take lives as quickly as saving them.

Here's what they do:

SEE ALSO: I took portraits of combat-tested soldiers at Fort Bliss — and they told me their incredible stories

The US Army Special Forces are known for their exceptional skill and professionalism in modern war.

Alongside the CIA, they were the first Americans on the ground in Afghanistan only one month after 9/11.

There they linked up with the Northern Alliance and brought Hamid Karzai into Kabul.

• America's oldest World War II veteran, and the oldest man in America, turned 112 years old on Friday.
• Richard Overton is an Army veteran who served in the South Pacific, including Guam and Iwo Jima. 
• Overton still smokes 12 cigars, drinks multiple cups of coffee and even whiskey and coke every day. 

He smokes cigars, drinks coffee, whiskey, and even Dr. Pepper — and he just turned 112 years old. 

Richard Overton, America's oldest World War II veteran, as well as the oldest man in America, turned 112 years old on Friday, according to the Dallas Morning News. 

Born in Austin, Texas, in 1906, Overton is an Army veteran who served in the South Pacific from 1940-1945, including Guam and Iwo Jima, according to USA Today. 

After his discharge, he sold furniture in Austin, and later worked in the state Treasurer's Office.

"I feel fine every day," Overton said on Thursday, according to the KSN, the local NBC affiliate. "No pain and no aches."

Every day, he smokes 12 Tampa Sweet cigars, drinks multiple cups of coffee and Dr. Pepper, the Dallas Morning News reported. He also eats waffles, pancakes, cinnamon rolls, ice cream, peach cobbler, and other sweet foods. 

He even drinks whiskey and coke. 

"I may drink a little in the evening too with some soda water, but that's it," Overton previously told Fox News. "Whiskey's a good medicine. It keeps your muscles tender."

In 2017, Overton's family set up a GoFundMe page to help pay for his in-home care, which has raised more than $234,000.

When comedian Steve Harvey asked Overton in 2012 how he has lived so long, Overton said: "Just keep living, don’t die."

SEE ALSO: I took portraits of combat-tested soldiers at Fort Bliss — and they told me their incredible stories

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: I ate nothing but 'healthy' fast food for a week — here’s what happened

• Business Insider spoke to Mike Martin, a former British Army Officer and conflict expert.
• Martin's new book Why We Fight is about the evolutionary psychology of warfare. 
• He told us about the two reasons that people fight in wars.

Read the full transcript below:

Mike Martin: Hi, my name's Dr. Mike Martin, I'm a former British Army Officer and an expert on conflict, and I've just written a book called Why We Fight, about the evolutionary psychology of warfare. Why is war part of human nature? Well, I think there are a number of reasons for that.

Firstly, and this is the most obvious one, everybody practices warfare. Every society throughout history, almost up to including the current day, practices warfare. Another key reason why war is part of human nature is that humans are part of the animal kingdom and in the animal kingdom, individual animals of every species compete against all the other individuals in that species. And they compete for mates, and for food, and for territory, and for social status.

Humans are just the same, the only difference is that we, as part of the primates, and primates with slightly bigger brains, have got the ability to generate larger social groups. So all that war is is the individual competition that we see throughout the animal kingdom timesed up by our ability to build bigger groups.

So when we're looking at how to free the world of war, particularly when we've argued that it's part of human nature, you have to look right across human history, so you go back 200,000 years and you come right up to the present day.

Now, if you look across human history at that scale, there are two big trends that come out. One is a massive decline of violence.So from the stone age through to the present day, in some cases violence has fallen up to 500-fold. Today is the safest time, without fail, to be alive.

The other macro trend over that period of history is ever-increasing group size. When one group is fighting another in a war, effectively it's the outsides of those groups that are fighting, and the bigger the group the larger the peaceful interior of the group.

So, relatively speaking, the levels of death ie violence, are lower when the groups are bigger, when those groups are fighting a war or having inter-group conflict. But the other reason is this strange statistical relationship that was discovered in the sixties, and that relationship is this: that groups tend to go to war with each other, human groups tend to go to war with each other at the same rate, no matter what the size.

And if groups are part of security structures, like NATO, that counts as a group, but it effectively means that conflict is minimized, 'cause if you have larger groups, you have less groups by definition. Now, these two trends, ever-decreasing violence and ever-increasing group size, correlate.

If we want to rid the world of violence then we need to focus on building the biggest social groups possible. And of course that means a global polity.

Produced by Charlie Floyd.

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• The US Air Force is adopting the Army's Operational Camouflage Pattern as its new combat uniform.
• It will begin incrementally phasing it in beginning October 1, and expects all airmen will wear it by April 2021.
• The OCP's colors vary by location — desert vs. forest, for example. It generally has a four-to-six color palette incorporating greens, beiges, browns, tans and greys.
•  Maj. Gen. Robert LaBrutta said the Air Force will benefit in terms of readiness and joint integration.

The US Air Force is adopting the Army's Operational Camouflage Pattern as its new combat uniform and will begin incrementally phasing it in beginning October 1.

The service will ditch the Airman Battle Uniform, known as the ABU, for the OCP over the next three years, with the expectation that all airmen will be wearing the OCP by April 2021, said Maj. Gen. Robert LaBrutta, Air Force director of military force management policy, and deputy chief of staff for manpower, personnel and services.

"Enhancing our readiness, the OCP is a uniform for form, fit and function," LaBrutta told reporters May 9. "It is the best-of-breed of utility uniform that we believe is in the inventory."

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein agreed. "The uniform works in all climates -- from Minot to Manbij -- and across the spectrum of missions we perform,” he said in a service release. "It's suitable for our airmen working on a flight line in Northern Tier states and for those conducting patrols in the Middle East."

The breakdown

The OCP's colors vary by location -- desert vs. forest, for example. It generally has a four-to-six color palette incorporating greens, beiges, browns, tans and greys.

Those airmen who are already authorized to wear the uniform can currently sport desert sand or tan boots, but the service will transition completely to the coyote tan boots sometime in 2020, LaBrutta said.

The Air Force will differ from the Army in velcro patches, name tape and insignia by using a "spice brown" color, he added.

First lieutenants and lieutenant colonels will have black rank insignia and patches to differentiate them from second lieutenants and majors, LaBrutta said.

Airmen will have the option to sew on their name tape, service tape or both. Officers will have their rank on their patrol caps. Both officers and enlisted airmen will have their last names on the back of the cap.

Patches used for commands down to the squadron level will be reworked to incorporate the spice brown color in some way, LaBrutta said.

"Everything on the configuration is the same as the Army wears the uniform; we're just going to make some small color variations," he said.

Airmen will also wear tan undershirts and "DLA green" socks, which are actually more of a tan color.

There will be a standard, adjustable unisex version, but also a secondary female-only uniform, LaBrutta said.

"The Army is transitioning into that right now, and we're excited we're right in the part of that transition. When we field this uniform, we believe that that's going to be a better fit for the women that wear the OCPs," he said.

The timeline

The three-year transition will cost the service about $237 million, LaBrutta said, but added the Air Force will "break even" in the end.

"We've done the cost analysis, and I know we're going to have some upfront costs to this … and then we're going to have cost avoidance because as we transition into the OCPs, instead of having to have both ABUs and OCPs, we'll realize some cost avoidance there … because we will no longer be purchasing an extra uniform," he said.

Airmen who already own an OCP can begin wearing it Oct. 1, LaBrutta said, following a new memorandum on how to properly wear the uniform. The new guidance should be delivered to airmen sometime in July, he said.

"We drew the Oct. 1, 2018, date to give production capacity an opportunity to build inventory so that we could outfit some [Army and Air Force Exchange Service] locations, but it's going to take some time to field this across the US Air Force," LaBrutta said.

At that time, airmen at Aviano Air Base, Italy; MacDill Air Force Base, Florida; and Shaw Air Force Base and Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina, will be the first see the uniform on sale at base stores.

Enlisted airmen will get a clothing bag allowance increase since the OCP is about $20 more expensive than the ABU, the general said.

"Many of our airmen already have this uniform from their numerous deployments, so they will be able to make the transition easily," said Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Kaleth O. Wright.

"For other airmen, we must provide enough time for their clothing allowance to fund the items to avoid out-of-pocket expenses," he said.

LaBrutta said there will be no buyback or trade-ins for the ABU and airmen should not expect to be reimbursed. A guidance on how to properly dispose of them will be unveiled along with the guidance memorandum.

The service is weighing providing excess uniform gear associated with the ABU to junior ROTC programs across the country, he said.

Depending on the Defense Logistics Agency's production rate, the service anticipates more AAFES locations to start selling OCP by April 1, 2019, LaBrutta said.

The Air Force will not start handing out the uniform to new recruits in Basic Training, ROTC or Officer Training School until October 2019.

Promoting jointness

LaBrutta said the uniform also promotes joint integration. Since 2012, nearly 100,000 airmen have worn the uniform when deployed overseas in places like Afghanistan or while operating outside the wire.

Roughly 20,000 airmen already wear it day-to-day at Air Force Special Operations Command, as well as some security forces airmen at Air Force Global Strike Command.

Airmen and pilots operating downrange wear the Army Aircrew Combat Uniform, known as the A2CU, which has OCP-patterned fabric and the same fire-retardant properties as a flight suit.

Some airmen also wear a two-piece, OCP-pattern camo utility pattern that does not have the same fire retardant material. It does have different pocket placement and velcro closures, among other characteristics.

Just like their Army counterparts, airmen who go outside the wire in a deployed location will receive the fire retardant OCPs, which is standard now, LaBrutta said.

"This celebrates joint warfighting excellence as OCPs will become the joint combat uniform for  airmen and soldiers while patches and nametapes will identify our respective services,” Goldfein said. "We'll maintain our distinctive Air Force uniforms in blues, service dress, mess dress, and PT gear.”

Airman feedback played a big role in the decision, officials said.

Service members have asked about the uniform at almost every town hall, said Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson.

"The focus has been, 'How do we make it easier [and] what works for airmen,' " she said May 4.

The uniform must be right "for both men and women. From a cost perspective, but also from a functional perspective," Wilson said.

Reiterating feedback from airmen during a trip to Hurlburt Field, Florida, last week, she added, "[A] uniform isn't only a uniform, it's a piece of equipment. And that's not a bad way to think about it. How do we give our airmen the equipment that they need to be lethal and do their job?"

LaBrutta added, "The benefit that we're going to get out of this, in readiness, joint integration and of course the airmen demand signal that's out there are the reasons why we're doing this."

"[They're] very worthwhile," he said.

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• The Army has ordered aviation techs to widen their search for a broken part that can send Apache helicopter rotors catastrophically ripping loose mid-flight.
• The Pentagon stopped accepting deliveries of AH-64E ‘Echo’ Apaches months ago over safety issues concerning strap pack nuts, which keep the rotor blades from separating from frame, and now all Apache models in "severe coastal" areas are being inspected.
• But the Army is still flying the Apaches, "accepting the risk, knowing the issue, and using increased inspections and distilled water rinses to mitigate the risk,” according to one Apache pilot. 

The Army has ordered aviation techs to widen their search for a broken part that can send Apache helicopter rotors catastrophically ripping loose mid-flight, according to documents obtained by Task & Purpose, a terrifying defect that has resulted in recent deadly Apache mishaps.

In April, Defense News reported the Pentagon ceased accepting deliveries of the AH-64E ‘Echo’ Apache months earlier due to a “critical” safety issue over the copter’s strap pack nut, the component that keeps the rotor blades from separating from the airframe. But a February Army Aviation and Missile Command (AMCOM) guidance goes even further by explicitly expanding new inspections from Army aircraft flown in “severe coastal” areas to include “all AH-64 aircraft, regardless of location.”

The Safety of Flight guidance, dated February 18 and framed as an addendum to earlier inspection guidelines issued on October 23, 2017, also lays out new pre- and post-flight inspection routines. But many Apache pilots believe the Army is recklessly passing on this risk to its aircrews without actually fixing the systemic problem.

“The Army is continuing to fly the fleet of AH-64s, accepting the risk, knowing the issue, and using increased inspections and distilled water rinses to mitigate the risk,” one Apache aviator, who asked for anonymity out of concern for their career, told Task & Purpose. “The pilots aren’t a fan of that tactic.”

The threat of corrosion is a constant enemy of airframe integrity for aviators operating in coastal areas. Indeed, the failure of the strap pack nut was responsible for the in-flight rotor separation and crash of an Apache AH-64D in Galveston, Texas on December 28, 2016, killing both soldiers on board. The Pentagon’s halting of Apache Echo variants in April triggered yet another update to the guidance regarding inspections.

“The Army has issued ‘Safety of Flight’ messages requiring units to increase standard maintenance inspections of the strap packs,” AMCOM confirmed to Task & Purpose in a May 15 statement. “As part of that process, the units are also executing daily borescope inspections of the main rotor strap pack retention nuts for all Apache models.”

The new procedures for assessing the faulty component are primarily focused on increasing the frequency of inspections, according to AMCOM, a major problem facing airframes across an increasingly strained aviation fleet. They include visual borescope inspections of all airframe strap packs prior to every Apache flight, and, according to the Army aviator, “distilled water rinses of the strap pack nut after the last flight of the day.”

When taken in the context of the Pentagon’s halted Echo deliveries, AMCOM’s broad expansion of strap pack inspections implies renewed concerns over the Apache itself. Indeed, strap pack issues plagued the airframe following a deadly crash of the newly-adopted airframe in 1987; a subsequent investigation revealed several cracked rotor hub retention nuts, according to 1992 report from AMCOM predecessor Army Aviation Systems Command.

The active-duty aviator claimed that Army engineers have identified “over a dozen” cracked strap pack nuts on Apache airframes since the new inspection procedures were implemented in February, as well as dozens more strap packs that were “replaced or removed due to unsatisfactory condition or evidence of corrosion.”

AMCOM could not provide information regarding how many Apache aircraft had been designated non-mission capable as a result of the additional inspections, citing the branch’s PEO Aviation office as the primary release authority.

“These inspections, some which occur daily, look for corrosion, sealant errors and/or strap pack nut cracks,” AMCOM said. “This is an additional requirement for our soldiers and crews, but this is how we are currently working to mitigate risk and keep the fleet safe to fly.”

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