On July 8, Brig. Gen. Malcolm Frost, chief of public affairs for the U.S. Army, visited MSU to host a media roundtable at Demonstration Hall, home of MSU’s Army ROTC.
There, he talked about the state of the Army as it draws its forces down.
The Army has about 492,000 individuals in the active force. Although, a decision was made to downsize to 450,000, Frost said.
In the 27 years he has been in the Army, Frost said this is the most uncertain, volatile and complex time of his service due to diverse threats in multiple areas around the world.
Even so, he said there are always young Americans willing to serve something greater than themselves.
“I think that our young Americans are smart enough to look at the varied threats around the world and that they want to defend our freedom and justice not just at home, but around the world and make sure our nation is secure,” Frost said.
Compared to their peers, soldiers that serve in the U.S. Army through their lifetime make more money than their peer group, he said.
“The Post-9/11 GI Bill® allows for tremendous educational benefits,” Frost said. “Four years of education -- 36 months of it is paid for by the U.S. Government to include a stipend for living -- for serving in the U.S. Army during a time since 9/11. You can use the bill to go to college yourself, or for a family member to go to college.”
Communicating to college-aged students can be a difficult task if a group or organization isn't plugged into social media.
But, Frost said the Army trains its public affairs professionals to use social media.
“We have a long way to go, and we also have to be agile because social media is always changing,” Frost said. “We have a social media division that manages the 10 social media accounts and websites the U.S. Army runs."
“It’s very important. It’s a growing industry and we’re investing a lot of time to get better at it.”
While Frost was at MSU, he also introduced a performance by the U.S. Army Concert Band and Soldiers’ Chorus at Wharton Center’s Cobb Great Hall.
“The Army bands help to build morale and camaraderie,” Frost said. “They help to show our veterans and the American people the quality of the soldiers we have in the Army. They are not only vital in our outreach to communities, but also outreach to other nations.”
Frost said the band performances give the public an opportunity to see soldiers doing their duty, but also to entertain veterans and citizens of the community.
“Having an Army presence here is a good connection with the college campus, so I couldn’t think of a better place to hold the performance,” Frost said.
GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government website at https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.