Rep. Ike Skelton (D-Mo.), the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, told the Commission on National Guard and Reserves committee that there is a serious shortfall in the professional military education arena when it comes to the reserve components. His prepared statement did not address the issue, but Skelton felt compelled to talk briefly about PME, which he said needs “serious consideration.” Skelton noted that only a handful of Guardsmen and Reservists are picked to go to intermediate or senior war colleges. And that, he claims, will not do because Guardsmen and Reservists increasingly are being put in decision-making positions that would benefit from a war college education. Without that, said Skelton, “you might get an erroneous recommendation.”
The U.S. and Sweden signed a bilateral Defense Cooperation Agreement on Dec. 5 that will strengthen military ties between them and likely lead to U.S. troops and prepositioned gear on Swedish soil. Swedish Defense minister Pal Jonson said the war in Ukraine prompted Sweden's joining NATO and he laid out…