SIACHEN GLACIER

The Siachen Glacier is a glacier located in the eastern Karakoram range in the Himalayas, just northeast of the point where the line of control between India and Pakistan ends. It is the longest glacier in the Karakoram and second-longest in the world’s non-polar regions. It falls from an altitude of 18,875 feet above sea level down to 11,875 feet above sea level at its terminus. The glacier’s region is the highest battleground on Earth, where Pakistan and India have fought intermittently since April 1984. A cease-fire went into effect in 2003. Even before then, more soldiers were killed every year due to severe weather conditions than enemy fire. India built the world’s highest helipad on the glacier at Point Sonam, 21,000 feet above sea level, to supply its troops. India’s Sonam post is the highest permanently manned post in the world. In 1997, the Indian army established an STD-PCO (subscriber trunk dialing-public call office) to enable soldiers stationed on the glacier to call home. From 1997 until it was replaced by cell service in 2009, it was the world’s highest public telephone booth.

HELIPAD AT SONAM POST ON SIACHEN GLACIER

HIGHEST RANKING OFFICERS (FIVE-STARS) IN U.S. HISTORY (PART 2 OF 2)

FIVE-STAR GENERALS
SENIORITY ORDER	RANK ORDER	OFFICER	SERVICE	HIGHEST RANK	DATE OF RANK	NOTES
14	2	William D. Leahy	U.S. Navy	Fleet Admiral	15 Dec 1944	First five-star officer appointed during the Second World War.
15	2	George C. Marshall	U.S. Army	General of the Army	16 Dec 1944	Second officer promoted to five stars. The initial promotion of these officers was spaced over a period of one week so as to match the original seniority held by the officers at the four-star level.
16	2	Ernest. J. King	U.S. Navy	Fleet Admiral	17 Dec 1944	Third officer promoted to five-star rank
17	2	Douglas MacArthur	U.S. Army	General of the Army	18 Dec 1944	Fourth officer to hold five-star rank and second within the U.S. Army (after George Marshall). MacArthur was further considered for promotion to the “six-star” position of General of the Armies, both during and following the Second World War.
18	2	Chester W. Nimitz	U.S. Navy	Fleet Admiral	19 Dec 1944	Fifth officer to hold five-star rank and the third within the U.S. Navy.
19	2	Dwight D. Eisenhower	U.S. Army	General of the Army	20 Dec 1944	Required to resign his commission as a five-star officer during his presidency; five-star rank was reinstated after leaving office by President Kennedy.
20	2	Henry H. Arnold	U.S. Army	General of the Army	21 Dec 1944	Last of the five-star appointments during the Second World War.
			U.S. Air Force	General of the Air Force	7 May 1949	Five-star rank was converted to that of General of the Air Force in 1949
21	2	William F. Halsey	U.S. Navy	Fleet Admiral	11 Dec 1945	First of two post World War II promotion to five-star rank (the other being Omar Bradley).
22	2	Omar Bradley	U.S. Army	General of the Army	20 Sep 1950	Most recent officer in U.S. history to be promoted to five-star rank.

Army service uniform shoulder strap with the rank of General of the Army.

HIGHEST RANKING OFFICERS (SIX-STARS) IN UNITED STATES HISTORY (PART 1 OF 2)

United States military seniority is the method by which the United States Armed Forces determines precedence among commissioned officers, in particular those who hold the same rank. Historical seniority loosely indicates the general significance of various generals and flag officers within the scope of the history of the United States. Historical seniority is typically only bestowed to those officers who were the inaugural holders of ranks or for those who served as the senior most military officer during a major armed conflict. The only case where historical seniority has been legally established by the United States Congress are for the two "super ranks" of the armed forces of the United States, these being the ranks General of the Armies and Admiral of the Navy. By clear precedent, the holders of these two ranks (three persons in all) are senior to all other officers of the United States military, past and present. By special Congressional edict, George Washington is considered the senior most officer of all time meaning he may never be lesser in seniority to any other military officer, although Washington technically shares the same rank with John Pershing. General of the Armies and Admiral of the Navy are equivalent to a six-star general/admiral.

SENIORITY ORDER	RANK ORDER	OFFICER	SERVICE	HIGHEST RANK	DATE OF RANK	NOTES
1	1	George Washington	U.S. Army	General of the Armies	4 Jul 1976	Declared by a Congressional Act in 1976 to be the senior most U.S. officer of all time. Held the rank of lieutenant general during his lifetime, as well as special rank of “General and Commander-in-Chief” of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.
2	1	John Pershing	U.S. Army	General of the Armies	3 Sep 1919	Only person to hold the rank of General of the Armies on active duty
3	1	George Dewey	U.S. Navy	Admiral of the Navy	2 Mar 1899	Inaugural and sole holder of rank.

Unofficial Army service uniform shoulder-strap design for the proposed insignia for a General of the Armies

COST OF TRAINING U.S. AIR FORCE PILOTS

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OBESITY IN THE MILITARY

About 7.8 percent of the military — roughly one in every 13 troops — is clinically overweight, defined by a body mass-index greater than 25. This rate has crept upward since 2001, when it was just 1.6 percent, or one in 60, according to Defense Department data obtained by Military Times. And it's highest among women, blacks, Hispanics and older service members.