Secretary of the Army visits Belvoir

By Adrienne Anderson, Belvoir EagleJune 9, 2016

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Secretary of the Army, Eric Fanning, visited Fort Belvoir Monday, for a variety of missions, including speaking with Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention personnel.

Fanning also came to Belvoir to discuss cyber threats from adversaries, making sure the Army is ready to handle emerging threats, he said. Many of the Soldiers Fanning visited with are from Army Cyber Command and Second Army.

One of Fanning's top priorities is to take care of Soldiers, families, and Department of Army civilians, he said.

"Fort Belvoir is one of those important parts in the Army for cyber training, for the cyber workforce," Fanning said. "So, it's making sure they are properly trained and have good career paths in front of them, if they stay in the Army."

There's a lot of growth in the Army technology career field, he said.

"I think what a lot of people don't understand about the Army, especially when they compare it to the other services, is how important technology is to the Army now, and how embedded it is in everything we do in the Army," Fanning said.

One of the biggest challenges that Army faces is budget uncertainty, he said.

"Long-range planning is every two years with these budget agreements," Fanning said. "That creates incredible instability; unpredictability; anxiety for our Soldiers, families and civilians; not knowing what the Army's going to look like in two years or five years or 10 years."

Fanning said enjoyed his visit to the installation.

"I had a great visit today. It's always good to get out of the office and get out into the field. Even though it's only 10 miles away from the Pentagon -- it's not the Pentagon," Fanning said. "I'm committed, during my time as the Secretary of the Army, to do everything I can to take care of the Soldiers, families and civilians."