(Editor’s note — This is a joint message from our Army’s senior leaders, including Jon M. McHugh, Secretary of the Army; Raymond T. Odierno, General, United States Army Chief of Staff; and Raymond F. Chandler III, Sergeant Major of the Army.)
During the past several years, our Army has reduced preventable accidents to near peacetime levels. This remarkable success has been achieved despite the high operations tempo of our continuing missions overseas, proving once again the diligence and dedication of our Soldiers. We commend each and every one of you for your hard work in making safety a top priority, both on and off duty.
While risk management deserves our attention and focus 24/7, our Army is again placing special emphasis on safety this summer by observing National Safety Month in June. This annual commemoration provides each of us with an opportunity to evaluate our safety programs and make necessary adjustments for the months ahead. One of four topic areas will be highlighted each week during the month – Civilian safety, ground safety, aviation safety and driving safety. To facilitate training, the U.S. Army Combat Readiness/Safety Center will release programs and tools targeted to each of these areas through the end of June, so visit their website at https://www.safety.army.mil often for products that will help you keep your Soldiers and Civilian employees safe.
Looking past June, the fourth quarter (July-September) is historically the deadliest time of the year for our Soldiers off duty. Privately owned vehicle and motorcycle accidents dominate fatality reports, but drowning and other water-related deaths have also been on the rise in recent years. Compounding the tragedy, indiscipline is cited as a root cause in most of these losses. Discipline and standards are at the core of our profession, and preventable deaths due to reckless behavior hit our units, our Families and our surviving Soldiers especially hard. Engagement between Leaders and Soldiers, and among peers, is the key to identifying high-risk behavior, addressing indiscipline and saving lives. We ask that leaders actively promote an atmosphere of risk mitigation for all activities both on and off duty to. ensure the safety and well being of the Force.
Thank you for your support of National Safety Month and for doing your part to reduce preventable accidents across our Army. Keeping our Soldiers safe is both a force protection and a readiness issue – and it is everyone’s responsibility. The smart decisions we make every day will have a lasting impact on our Army now and into the future.
ARMY SAFE IS ARMY STRONG!
