Tuesday morning saw the ribbon-cutting of the Armed Forces Wellness Center on Fort Belvoir, showing a continued adaptation to the overall fitness needs of the whole, military community. Nicole Leth, Wellness Center director, said, “It’s important in the naming in that it’s ‘joint,’ in nature, because we’re in the National Capital area, with warfighters from each branch of service.”

As Soldiers, civilians and families gear up for the upcoming PCS season, the Army has streamlined processes and policies to enable a safe, convenient, predictable, and user-friendly move. Improvements to make this year’s moves easier include updates to the Army PCS Move App, increased reimbursements for personally procured moves (PPMs), more quality-assurance inspectors and a longer window to submit claims.

In Bob Dylan’s 1970 song “Day of the Locust,” he describes the sound of the Brood X cicadas serenading a Princeton graduation as a “high whinin’ trill”, and, if you do not know what he means by that, you soon will. As noted by an abundance of media outlets, millions of these creatures will emerge from the soil to greet us after their 17-year stay underground. With nerves already frayed by the pandemic, many will find these visitors to be an unwelcome nuisance, but I urge everyone to temper your annoyance with some appreciation of these wondrous oddities.

One, simplified definition of industrial hygiene is, “science and art devoted to anticipating, recognizing, evaluating and controlling environmental factors that may cause sickness or impaired well-being.” And, Fort Belvoir’s newest industrial hygienist, born in D.C., comes here with a vast career and knowledge; and an enthusiasm for his science.

The Independent Review Commission on Sexual Assault in the Military has presented initial recommendations to Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III that would take the responsibility of prosecuting sexual assault offenses out of commanders' hands, and Austin and Army Gen. Mark A. Milley are willing to contemplate the change.