Some Tips When Guest Posting in Miliblogs

Government / Infantry, ,

Guest blogging is popular in the so-called US military blogosphere, and in small websites with “Write For Us” invitations. Actually known as miliblogs, they represent the modern versions of the personal journals written as diaries by soldiers of the World War I and II events.

Miliblogs however, offer spaces for interactions and for sharing of insights. It became phenomenally influential in the military circle.

Military reports have it that the popularity of miliblogs rose concurrently with the campaigns against terrorism. The soldiers who created and maintained blogs considered them effective as a means of communicating with soldiers of other nations, as well as with other US military personnel deployed in other parts of the world. The miliblogs also proved useful in keeping their respective families informed through shared photos of activities and military life away from home.

About the Early Years of Military Blogging

During the early years of military blogging, military commanders, through the Public Affairs Office (PAO) wanted to maintain control of the content being published in miliblogs. A PAO officer screened the journals, insights, photos and other materials to be featured as contents of the the milliblog before they were published in the military blogosphere. That being the case, miliblogs had limited reach as far as markets are concerned and therefore not so feasible as vehicles for brand marketing strategies.

Fortunately, advancements in digital technology made it possible for bloggers to remain anonymous while appearing in public to give guest bloggers the chance to share their personal adventures, journeys and lessons learned , by posting content as guest bloggers.

Comprehending the Military Blogosphere

When looking for miliblogs in which to contribute guest posts, do thorough research on the most recommended type of content to contribute as guest blogs. The online military blogosphere is already full of content delving on friendships and sometimes rivalries, it might be difficult for one’s content to get noticed. Not unless they delve on interesting news items that could draw spirited commentaries and exchange of opinions.

Bear in mind that when guest blogging in guest-friendly websites, the backlinks embedded in your guest post work effectively only if they are relevant to the niche, which in this case are often military-themed topics.
Adding content about lifestyle products and services being promoted by the guest blogger’s website should therefore have relevance to the aspirations and interests of a military soldier for his wife, or for her husband; or for that matter, for every member of the family. Otherwise, lack of relevance and posts containing mostly promotional content will not be considered as worth publishing in the military blogosphere.

What the US Armed Forces Learned After Failing to Meet Recruitment Goals

Government, , , , ,

The United States military is known to utilize cutting edge propaganda in promoting new high-tech weapons, recruitment campaigns and military placement efforts. Yet in recent years, the armed forces had struggled to find new recruits, while sectors failed to meet recruitment goals. The circumstances led to the military’s comprehensive audit review of the marketing efforts and promotional departments of each armed forces sector.

Failures in Marketing and Promotions Strategies of Military Recruitment Ads

The recruitment failure left a massive gap in the army’s frontline service, despite the relaxation of some recruitment requirements. Some of which included eliminating certain grounds pertaining to behavioral issues and bad health, which would have otherwise disqualified an applicant. The audit review resulted in the downsizing of the marketing department and the dissolution of the Army Marketing and Research Group (AMRG).

According to US Army Public Affairs Media Relation Chief, Colonel Kathleen Turner, the US Army wanted to rely on its own people. That way they can better align marketing and advertising efforts with the Army’s recruiting priorities. The results of the audit review led to the reorganization and relocation to Chicago, of the Army’s national office for marketing and advertising.

Then Acting Secretary of the US Army, Ryan McCarthy admitted that they were not performing well in marketing. He said that amidst the challenges they faced, they did not have the right talent mix between uniformed personnel and civilians, including the right types of market analysts.

He added that they noticed they had issues with quality in the way they are communicating with the American people in every demographic. Older recruitment campaigns seem to suggest that a career in the military as part of a combat troop, is analogous to living a life at the tip of a long spear. Present-day campaigns carry a message of strength, giving focus on soldiers tasked to provide military support as drivers, cooks, gardeners, and mechanics: stating that they are just as important as those who go to the front lines.

The Move to Reorganize and Restructure the US Army Marketing and Promotional Departments

The restructuring and reorganization of the US Army’s marketing and promotional department enabled the United States Army Recruiting Command (USAREC) to gradually achieve its goals. The shift in strategies involved embracing modern marketing techniques —- including having army memes, short videos of army training and recruitment and not just campaign ads to appear in the Internet, specifically in the top pages of Google’s search engine results pages (SERPS).

The US Army embraced modern viral marketing techniques in grabbing the attention of Gen Zs by way of the TikTok social networking platform and video game streaming platform Twitch. The US Army finally understood that Gen Z’s attention tends to move at a faster pace and that marketing materials can fail quickly.

Apparently, today’s US Army marketing campaigns resonate with younger people. They have helped the USAREC make up for the shortfalls of the previous years. Adopting the modern ways of launching and running military marketing and promotional ads have kept enough armed forces boots on the ground to achieve military goals.

A Glimpse of the ISV Being Manufactured by GM for the US Army

Government / Infantry, , , ,

The US Army is into increasing the operational readiness of infantry servicemen by providing small tactical units with relevant Infantry Squad Vehicles (ISVs). The purpose of which is to equip soldiers with operationally relevant transportation equipment that allows for better comfort and readiness.

According to Steven Herrick, the representative of the Army’s Exec. Office for Combat Support and Combat Service Support, doing so enhances the physical and mental conditions of infantry men when about to go into battle.

In 2020, the US Army awarded the contract to build the ISVs, to General Motors (GM) after a developmental testing of the options submitted by three vendors. General Motors Defense won the contract to produce a total of 2,065 ISVs, with a commitment to produce 649 units at the end of Army’s 2024 fiscal year. The contract fot the 649 vehicles alone is valued at $214.3 million.

Overview and Assessment of GM’s ISV

General Motors actually delivered the first ISV 120 days after the contract was signed, which a report says is designed after GM’s 2020 midsize truck model, the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2. The GM ISV delivered consists of 90% commercial parts, including the 2.8-liter Duramax turbo-diesel engine with its 186-horsepower. In addition to the vehicle’s performance race components it’s also customized with rollover protection system.

While the related assessment report states that the GM ISV “is operationally effective for utilization as a troop carrier,” it isn’t operationally effective to use in terms of combat and engagement. Although capable of launching air assault missions, it’s deterrence capability and security cooperation against a near-peer threat, is dependent on a permission environment.

Issues Noted Were Mostly with the ISV’s Combat Readiness Features

The report mentioned that due to the poor results of the developmental tests with regard to the reliability and efficiency of the ISV for training, safety, maintenance and integration with human systems, the GM ISV prototype delivered was deemed “not operationally suitable.“

By the way, the assessment and report, which was published in January 27 of this year, came from the office of The Pentagon’s chief weapons tester, the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation. Aside from the repeated issues pointed out in the FY 2020 version, new problems emerged after the ISV was tested in the rigid Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona.

GM designed the vehicle to make transport to operational environments easier in line with the infantry division’s rotary- and-fixed-wing transport platforms. However, this leading original equipment manufacturer (OEM) must figure out a way of meeting the key performance parameters required by the Army. The ISV must fit inside a CH-47 Chinook cargo helicoptenot, while not exceeding 5,000 pounds, including the weight nine soldiers that it will carry. GM is expected to meet the requirements by May 2022.

The Army’s chief weapons tester remarked on the vehicle’s lack of protection against ballistic threats and incapability to avoid enemy detection. In the majority of test missions conducted, the vehicle was unable to return fire accurately as well as avoid ambushes.

However, readers are reminded that such requirements are for army standard Infantry Squad Vehicles or ISVs. The deficiencies noted by the chief weapons tester in the prototype delivered were mostly about combat readiness rather than operational efficiency. Those looking to purchase a standard GM Chevrolet Colorado ZR2, can easily find one at Earnhardt Auto Centers in any of the 19 dealerships located in Phoenix, Arizona.

FPS Games – Do They Make Players Become Good Soldiers?

Military and Gaming, ,

First-person shooter (FPS) games, ever since “Doom” sold over 2 million copies in 1996, has dominated the gaming market’s best-seller category. A gamer’s perspective of being the person in control of a gun became the most satisfying video gaming experience, not only for millions but billions of gamers. One sector that has been showing great support for FPS games is the U.S. military as the institution encourages soldiers to engage in such entertainment during their off-duty hours.

Many first person shooters are into this game genre for fun because they are transported to a world where they know they can’t fit in real life. After all, military training is not just about learning how to handle and control firearms. Across different times and cultures, military training regardless of gender or status involves developing physical strength, instilling discipline, forging endurance, and improving readiness and flexibility in all types of stressful situations.

Not all gamers see themselves becoming combatants in real life, but they can at least be the person behind a virtual firearm in simulated combat scenarios.

Does the Military Use Popular Commercially-Sold Video Games for Training ?

Those looking to enlist in the military as future careers, should know that their FPS gaming experience are mere introductions to weapons and warfare.What military groups actually use are game-inspired technology to make the learning process easier for many of today’s games-oriented enlisters. One such example is the Army’s Engagement Skills Trainer (EST), a training tool designed to give new recruits the feel and sound of different firearms before they actually get to handle the real ones.

The Army’s EST provides real-life scenarios as an advanced form of practice firing. The purpose of which is to develop decisions-making skills on when to take shots; where to shoot, who to shoot or when not to shoot at all.

Another example of the military’s game-inspired training technology is the Virtual Convoy Operations Trainer (VCOT). This training tool focuses on training soldiers to work and communicate as a team by placing them in different virtual combat scenarios.

What about Paramilitary Forces?

All 50 states in the U.S. do not recognize private paramilitary activities as legal. Yet some countries in Asia tolerate the existence of paramilitary groups to help the government’s military forces quell insurgency movements and drug-trafficking operations .

In Southern Thailand, the military has been criticized for its increasing support of civilian militias that pose as paramilitary forces. The regional government points out that supporting civilian militias equates to cheaper costs, while having regular combatant forces in place. However, due to lack of military training and loose command structures, civilian militias have been noted as causing tension in many of Southern Thailand’s communities.

A Quick Look at the Most Popular FPS Game in Thailand

While we cannot say for sure that FPS games influence the desire of Thai civilians to join paramilitary forces, there’s a good chance that many of them have inner desires to apply in real life, the combatant actions they play out in video games.

Free Fire is the most popular mobile shooter game in Thailand, featuring civilians from all walks of life, fighting for survival battle royale style. The characters are ordinary citizens dropped by a plane on an island by an organization known as FF, but against their will. Here, they need to buy diamonds with real money, so they can purchase powerful weapons for their chosen character. Yet in Free Fire, the economical way to acquire diamonds is playing successfully via in-games.

However, many Thai players are not so skilled and as a result lose more diamonds via the in-game process. While it’s all part of the game’s monetization aspect, there are โปรเพชรฟีฟาย (pro petchfifi) players who can help weak players acquire all the free diamonds they need to get ahead in the game. Such cases only show that their interest in Free Fire is purely for entertainment.

In Focus: The Vulnerability of Military Men in Using Social Media Sites

Media, ,

Military officials warn military personnel about the dangers of using social media sites in sharing photos and info about their military life with their family. Although social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and/or Snapchat provide excellent tools that they can use to communicate closely and in real time with their loved ones, many cyber criminals are on the lookout for photos and stories that they can use for unscrupulous purposes.

The first major area of concern is the potential loss of confidential military information as certain photographs can be analyzed for location, and other useful statistical information. While having access to Instagram statistics is the best way to analyze data about an Instagram post if for legitimate marketing and brand promoting activities, analytics can also help seedy terrorists and scammers in using statistical data to extract information about military bases and their personnel.

Apparently, U.S. military analysts are in the know about such vulnerabilities, as they are also into analyzing the social media posts of persons of interests, especially if they have been flagged as potential terrorists, scammers or even military service deserters.

Romance Scams Exploit the Social Media Photos of Military Men

In recent months, several U.S. military offices have received numerous complaints from women civilians regarding military men they came to date online. They claim that after convincing them of an emergency need, they later find out that they have been scammed into giving most of their life savings. Many of the romance scams purportedly involved U.S. service members serving in Afghanistan, Syria, or other conflict-affected countries.

As it is, romance scammers usually look for U.S. military service men whom they can impersonate. Mainly because military servicemen are reputable examples of people who have been trained to be honorable and respectable in their deportment. At the same time, members of military personnel earn steady and regular income, but tend to be lonely since they are far from home; or are feeling depressed over some romantic betrayal of a former girlfriend.

Once romance scammers are able to sweet talk their online victims about the promise of a future visit and possibly even a betrothal, they’ll start to ask their victims for money. On the days of their supposed arrival, some may claim having been held up at the airport and being wrongfully accused of smuggling expensive items such as a smartphone, a diamond engagement ring and other valuables — items that a bogus military boyfriend purportedly bought as presents for his victim.

Through the help of a third person who will act as enforcer or person of authority, lovesick victims will frantically transfer the money requested to an ewallet account; just so they can save their beloved soldier from getting entangled in unlawful issues.

As the number of complaints about failed online romances with military men increased in the past few months, a military task force was assigned to find out more. First off, the task force wanted to find out if any military personnel are actually involved in perpetuating such online dating scams.

However, the task force found out that military men are victims themselves as photos taken from social media sites were used in scamming the victims. Generally, the scammers operate from some African nation, using cyber cafes and untraceable email addresses, while routing their accounts across another part of the world. That being the set up, the identities of these scammers and their actual locations have been difficult to trace.

Strained Sexual Relationships in Military Marriages: The Causes and Potential Consequences

Family,

Military marriages are no different from civilian marriages as the union can always be put to a test. Military spouses find it even more difficult once their husband is on active duty, deployed to face a dreadful mission. The anxiety, the worries and the longing, combine with having to put up a brave face in front of the children. Experiencing all of those all at the same time can be strenuous and stressful.

Not forgetting to mention that as wife of an enlisted man, she has an unspoken obligation to the military organization to keep the affairs of the home in order. The role is vital in ensuring that a deployed husband will not be distracted by family problems while in active duty.

Signs a Military Wife is Stressed Out with Her Domestic Role in the Military

Falling in love with an enlisted personnel is easy, as a man in uniform holds a lot of appeal. Add to that the security of having a home and environment in which a military couple can build their family. However, a military wife will soon learn that stresses of all kinds could present themselves to her, during times of togetherness with her military husband.

Problems of the division in which her husband is assigned can also be her problem, as her husband may come home too stressed out to perform is husbandly and fatherly duties. Often times, she will be put in a position where she is both father and mother, but rarely a wife who also needs affection and attention.

If in case her husband feels the urge to perform a sexual act, it will be just that; an action taken to release tension and not to express love and devotion. The worst instances are when the sexual drive comes when a military wife is herself, too tired or too physically spent. Her rejection or lack of enthusiasm and responsiveness, will bewilder a husband who expects more from her. In some other cases, both husband and wife are too caught up with their own set of troubles, sex becomes the least important thing in their lives.

The scenarios presented above are signs that marriage counselling must be sought while they are still together. That way, problems affecting their marriage can be threshed out before a husband receives a mission order.

Otherwise, her husband’s deployment becomes more of a reprieve for a military wife, who now sees sexual obligations as part of her to-do list. However, she will also start entertaining doubts about her husband’s fidelity, knowing fully well that a strain of some sort has affected their sexual relationship.

Even worse is when in her times of solitude, she begins having doubts on herself and her capability to endure marriage with a military man. After all, she can never tell if the temporary separation will help solve their problem or result in other developments that will make things worse.

Seek Counseling and Take Proactive Steps to Ensure the Survival of Your Marriage

In having awareness about the effects of stressful problems over your marriage, it would be wise for you and your husband to seek marriage counselling. At the same time, make efforts to communicate each other’s need for support and understanding. If necessary, rekindle romance by spending a weekend without the kids, to make sure both your attention will be focused only on each other.

You may even try the so called natural aphrodisiacs if lack of sexual drive is one of the issues you have to hurdle. Well if it does work, gather all information about all aphrodisiacs here, as you may need them to continue with whatever progress you made in improving the state of your marriage.

Military Moms and Military Children: Highlights of an Overprotective Military

Family,

The Department of Defense Military Community and Family Policy has designated the month of April as the Month of the Military Child. As dependents of enlisted personnel serving the country, the U.S. Department of Defense recognizes the difficulties faced by military children.

Branded as “military brats,” which when used with derogatory inference indicates a perception of military children as privileged lots. People outside of a military environment, usually do not comprehend the difficulties faced by military families. Frequent transfers in connection with different deployments or re-assignments, present difficulties for children who do not understand the nature of their parent’s occupation.

Adjustment to new environment and to different culture, combined with struggling to communicate with a different language, are some of the challenges faced by military offsprings. The older children who understand the dangers and risks faced by their parents, are likewise affected, as worries over a military parent’s safety while on active duty, can act as stressors.

Still, such factors can bring life-defining experiences to those children, making them more resilient. Military programs and regulations provide support, all geared toward ensuring their safety and well-being. As a matter of fact, the military organization encourages military moms not only to care for and protect their children, but to be overprotective if necessary.

A Cursory Look at Overprotective Military Moms

A military wife carries the responsibility of seeing to the welfare and safety of her children not only out of her natural caring tendencies and abilities. As a participant in the military organization, her role includes ensuring that her husband has peace of mind while on active duty. That way, circumstances that can affect a soldier’s mental alertness and focus to the current mission on hand, can be avoided. That being important not only for his safety but also for the safety of those working around him.

The moment a military offspring is brought into the world, he or she will be exposed to military culture, attention and to a long list of military programs and regulations. Travel is imminent while growing up, to which the number of relocations experienced by a growing military child averages at 10; some even have as many as 36 on record. On her part, a military mom does her best to ensure her child’s safety and well being in their new environment.

As much as possible, a military mom purchases the best tools and devices available for child caring, the best convertible car seat, baby monitor, crib, strollere, carriers and any other travel equipment that will let her baby travel in comfort. She will go to the extent of testing smoke alarms, poison gas and carbon monoxide alert systems, as well as check if the nursery furniture have all been properly re-assembled by movers.

When in a new neighborhood, she will check the safety of their new yard to make sure everything is secure and devoid of objects that can do harm. She looks into the community’s social support, write down the numbers of emergency hotlines, look for the most-child friendly school, and. research on recreational facilities. Actually, there is a long list of must-dos that a military mom must accomplish every time the family relocates, all for the sake of ensuring that her military family has minimal risks of encountering potential problems.

Anosmia: An Olfactory Disability that May Disqualify a Person for Military Enlistment or Appointment

Health,

When enlisting for military service, being diagnosed for an olfactory disability called anosmia may disqualify you from entering the military service. Although this disability pertains mainly to a person’s loss of smell, the implications of the disorder can greatly affect a person’s fitness for military service.

However, if it at the time of testing that loss of smell result is temporary due to a present nasal condition such as having colds or chronic sinusitis, the examiner may instruct you to take the exam on some other day.

It is different though if your medical history shows you have at some point, been treated for brain injury. Failing a test that determines your ability to smell combined with an inability to taste food, plus a medical history of brain injury, gives the medical examiner reasonable grounds for assessing your olfactory dysfunction as an anosmic condition.

If you are aware of this condition, know beforehand that anosmia is one of several disorders that disqualifies an enlisting person from military service.

What Exactly is Anosmia and Its Causes

Anosmia is simply stated as a condition in which a person loses the sense of smell. Several research and medical studies have confirmed that scents, smells, odours or fragrances can have a powerful effect on how a person thinks or behaves. That is mainly because the human olfactory system is connected to a part of the brain that processes information transmitted by the type of smell entering through the nose. .

The nose not only serves as a passageway for air to enter in and out of a bodily system. It is part of an olfactory system in which a network of olfactory and receptor nerve cells sends impulses and messages to the olfactory bulbs located in the brain. The olfactory bulbs on the other hand transmit the smell signals to the olfactory cortex, which is a nucleus located in the cerebral cortex, responsible for processing and interpreting the smell signals transmitted by the olfactory bulbs.

Now if a person loses his or her sense of smell, it is more than likely that his or her sense of taste is also impaired. Such an impairment can greatly impact a person’s way of life. Having a “nose blindness” as some people would call it, also impairs one’s ability to recall memory. Unfortunately, there is no known treatment to reverse an anosmic condition caused by head injury.

Anosmic Conditions that Can Still be Treated

Anosmia caused by chronic sinusitis, fractured nasal bones or cartilages, allergic rhinitis or viral infection may cause long term  loss of smell. A partial or potential loss of connection between the olfactory system and the brain can still be reversed through proper therapy.

The first step taken to assess this type of anosmic condition is to undergo proper nasal examination that employs the use of an endoscope. The latter provides an imaging of the olfactory interior by inserting flexible tube with light and camera directly into nose. Images will then be projected in a monitor and viewed by the medical practitioner in charge of assessing the extent of a disorder.

If after a long period of treatment, you or any member of your family notice an inability to smell the aroma of food coming from your kitchen or even from a hot cup of coffee, make effort to assess such conditions. If your spouse or mother is using scent diffusers, scented candles or warmers and a host of cleaning implements like those sold by grain and gram, and that you can at least smell a whiff of the fragrances, there is a chance that a potential anosmic condition can still be treated.

Why Money Management is Important to Military Personnel

Money Management,

Servicemen and families are encouraged to utilize money management services and programs provided by their military branch. First off, basic military service pay is a great deal lower when compared to compensations received by civilian counterparts.

Although enlisted personnel receive non-taxable benefits such as housing, health care, and food allowance during active duty, they qualify to receive such benefits after 2 years of military service. Moreover, pay grades depend on the rank, number of years in service, as well as the size of the soldier’s dependent family.

In numerous studies conducted by scholars and related organizations, information gathered disclosed that most servicemen regard money issues as the most weighty stressors. As a result, not a few deployed military personnel beset by financial problems, experience extreme difficulty in giving full focus to their current mission.

Common Financial Challenges and Problems Faced by Servicemen

Rising costs of basic commodities that accelerate faster than pay grades, including Family Separation Allowances. Although service members receive annual pay raise to help their family meet continuing rise in prices of commodities, the gap between cost of prices and pay raise is quite wide. Moreover, rates of adjustment are not fixed, as they are dependent on the amount jointly approved for the upcoming year, by Congress and the incumbent executive head of the government.

Housing needs are a common stress aggressor, particularly for those faced with relocation notices served at a moment’s notice. Existing family budgets are instantly disrupted since there will be new day-to-day financial costs to consider on a hardly increasing budget. This can be aggravated if the serviceman is already dealing with a home financing loan or personal debts.

Such issues though, stresses the importance of learning money management practices through services and programs offered by the government.

A Brief Synopsis of What Money Management is About

Basically, money management entails practices that involve formulating a budget plan based on present income and necessary expenses incurred by the family. The budget plan must of course eliminate unnecessary expenses as well as consider relevant money saving tips. The main objective of money management is to eventually save money to be allotted as emergency fund. That way, they can easily meet unforeseen emergency expenses.

Sticking to a sound budget plan eliminates resorting to payday loans and regular use of credit cards. Instead of seeking for ways to augment income by borrowing, a military spouse in-charge of handling day-to-day expenses should look into verifiable and veritable money saving offers. Some of which include offers of promotional coupons or discount codes. However, they must also be wary of the sources, since they can still end up as victims of predatory marketing techniques.

The great news is that there are online websites furnishing information on promotional discounts offered by well established and reputable online stores like Amazon, eBay, Groupon or Studio. Studio Discount Codes for one, pose as extra reductions on prices of items currently on bargain sale.

Since discounts tend to vary from period to period, budget plans must take into account the regular prices. Once a discounted purchase has been made, set aside the actual money saved as addition to the emergency fund, rather than treat it as extra money to spend.

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