The address will take place 9 p.m. Eastern at Fort Myer in Arlington, Virginia. More information was not immediately available.  

The president’s speech comes at the end of a review of the U.S. mission in Afghanistan that has lasted several months and looked at options ranging from adding several thousand more U.S. troops to total withdrawal.

One option pushed by Erik Prince, the former CEO of the private military company known as Blackwater, involved having thousands of private security contractors to fight alongside Afghan troops and police in battle and using aircraft provided by his company Lancaster6 to fly intelligence and close-air support missions.

However, the contractor plan floated by the former Blackwater CEO appears dead in the water, according to a U.S. and Afghan defense official. That plan was rejected by the Afghan government, and was opposed by Secretary Mattis heading into Friday’s high-level meeting at Camp David. The two officials spoke to Military Times on condition of anonymity. 

On Aug. 14, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said that President Trump was still considering both withdrawing all U.S. forces from Afghanistan and relying on contractors to fight with Afghans. Mattis declined to say on Sunday which option Trump has selected.

“He really did come in with very different courses of action,” Mattis told reporters while traveling to the Middle East. “I think he now needs the weekend to collect his thoughts about how he’s going to explain it to the American people.”

One reason the decision-making process has taken so long is that President Trump often asked his advisers to refine the options presented to him, Mattis said. The president sought advice from a variety of officials, including the attorney general’s office, Homeland Security Department, State Department and Office of Management and Budget.

“The process was rigorous and it involved all members of the cabinet – of the national security staff, I would say, writ large,” Mattis said. “I’m very comfortable that the strategic process was sufficiently rigorous and did not go in with a preset condition in terms of what questions could be asked or what decisions would be made.”

The new strategy will involve the whole region, including Pakistan, Defense Secretary James Mattis said, adding: “It is a South Asia strategy. It is not just an Afghanistan strategy.”

Military Times’ reporter Shawn Snow contributed to this report.

Brains at the Army Research Laboratory have created just that – a device designed to hold your weapon, and displace the weight from a soldier’s arms to his torso.

Third Arm, an ultralight exoskeleton for soldier weapons is intended to “increase soldier lethality, while reducing soldier burden,” explained Zac Wingard, a mechanical engineer with the Army Research Lab’s Weapons and Materials Research Directorate. 

The Third Arm transfers the weight of a weapon from a soldier’s arms to his torso.(Tony Lombardo/Staff)

Wingard modeled the 4-pound, carbon-fiber exoskeleton during a presentation at the Association of the U.S. Army Global Force Symposium. It attaches to a soldier’s back, via the tactical vest, and connects to the gun’s Picatinny rail.  It is ambidextrous and can mount on either side of the body.

While the demo included an M4 carbine, the arm is capable of supporting bigger firepower, up to around 20 pounds, said Dan Baechle, the mechanical engineer leading the project. He specifically mentioned the squad automatic weapon as another option. It could also be used to carry a breaching saw or a shield, Baechle said. Important: The arm is not going to fire the weapon for you, you need your own arms to stabilize and aim, but it’s going to reduce the weight you carry. 

Soldiers are now testing the Third Arm. The plan for the next year is to ruggedize the device and continue testing. (Tony Lombardo/staff)

The prototype is brand new, and took about a year to develop, Baechle said. Researchers have already launched a pilot test with six active-duty soldiers assigned to the lab. Testing includes live-fire exercises to measure marksmanship and muscle activity. Future tests of the device will address: moving targets, shooting on the move, unconventional firing positions and recoil mitigation, Baechle said.

The Army has many hurdles to clear before the device could see real action. Even so, the engineer team is moving fast. They expect to test a ruggedized Third Arm within a year.

Soldiers are going to be diving into the dirt, Baechle said, and this device must do the same.

A problem with mass production has delayed the new meal offering, and it’s unclear when or if the issue can be resolved.

All Meals Ready-to-Eat must have a shelf-life of at least three years when stored at 80 degrees or below, explained Jeremy Whitsitt, deputy director of the combat feeding directorate at the Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center. 

To test this, MREs are placed in a 100-degree box for six months, simulating the 3-year span. When the pizza MRE underwent this test it became too brown, Whitsitt said.

“We’re disappointed,” he acknowledged but quickly added that roadblocks are not unexpected, especially “when developing something brand new and novel.”

It was not a safety issue, but “more a quality issue,” he added. In other words, you could eat the brown pizza, but it’s not something we really want to ship to our warfighters.

Initial forecasts called for a 2018 launch of the pizza MREs, which were to come in both pepperoni and cheese varieties.

Whitsitt declined to provide a new timeline. He said Natick has internal goals, but that he was hesitant to commit at this time.

He noted that the lab-made pizza could withstand the life cycle, but that farming the production out to industry at a larger scale triggered the current dilemma and delay. 

For those bummed readers out there, here are three words to cheer you up: caffeinated beef sticks. Yes, they’re truly on the agenda and coming soon to an MRE near you, Whitsitt said. 

The U.S. joined the Allies in 1917, making this year a big one for the WWI Centennial and a fitting time to honor the doughboys.

Here are our picks for must-haves on the battlefield in WWI, as described by retired Army Lt. Col. Ed Kennedy, a volunteer with the U.S. Veterans Memorial Museum here in Huntsville. 

1. Model 1918 Trench Knife. Big blade, with brass knuckles. This bad boy was considered a versatile trench weapon for close-combat fighting.

2. Trench periscope. Used by both sides, this device prevented head-shots from enemy snipers who frequently fired at anybody who went above the trench parapet. 

The Trench Periscope allowed soldiers to see outside the trench without facing enemy sniper fire. (Tony Lombardo/Staff)

3. M1917 Gas Mask. Poison gas was one of the most feared weapons on the battlefield. The rubberized US gas mask was based off the British “small box respirator.” It included a rubber face mask with lens and a hose to a box filter, strapped to a soldier’s chest. Some soldiers wore the M2 French mask instead. 

4. The M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle (Caliber .30-06). Introduced later in the war, this John Browning-designed rifle, could fire from a 20-round box magazine. While it did not reach the front in large numbers in WWI, it was favored by troops and remained in the Army inventory through Vietnam. 

5. Inflatable Pillow and Air Mattress. OK, this cushy-combo was really only used by officers – because they could afford it. This non-issue “camp gear” was heavy and bulky but gave officers a comfortable bed in the rear. It is unlikely it ever arrived in the trenches. 

6. Olive Drab Wool Balaclava and 7. Fingerless Trench Gloves. These items were often sewn by women at home and mailed by the thousands to troops overseas. “Severe conditions on the Western Front” eventually prompted the issue of fingerless gloves to protect the hands. 

8. Identity Disk. This precursor to the dog tag was the first time U.S. troops received issued identifiers. The disk was aluminum and contained the wearer’s name and service number. 

Identity disks were a precursor to the dog tag. (Tony Lombardo/staff)

9. Trench watch. Wrist watches at the time were considered effeminate for men, who preferred pocket watches. But the trench watch made practical sense – it could be worn on the wrist of soldiers who were already wearing a lot of gear. Pulling out a pocket watch to check the time no longer made sense. Trench watches included a cover to protect the face from hazards in the field.

The Trench Watch was a practical way to tell time from the front. (Tony Lombardo/Staff)

10. 1910 Entrenching Tool. This early version of the entrenching tool could not fold, but it could still dig a trench. It’s inclusion on this list is a bit of a no-brainer here. 

And now for a piece of equipment that soldiers truly reviled: 

The M1915 Chauchat Automatic Rifle (8mm). Americans (who couldn’t speak proper French) called this hated weapon the “Show show.” This is “arguably one of the very worst designed infantry weapons ever.” The French weapon was difficult to shoot and had a heavy recoil. Add on the straight-stock design, and it was quite painful to shoot. Finally, the open magazine welcomed a lot of dirt and mud, often causing jams. 

The M1915 Chauchat Automatic Rifle was hated in the field. (Tony Lombardo/Staff)

* The CWS can be operated from up to 1,000 meters away, allowing soldiers to seek a safer place to fire back at the enemy.

* An electric mast can be equipped with the Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station, or CROWS, technology. Optional weaponry includes the M2, MK19, M240, M249, M134 and a Javelin missile(which can provide 360 degrees of protection).

* The system is designed to the dimensions of a standardized shipping container, which helps with storage and movement.

* Two soldiers can set up the system in less than 30 minutes.

* CWS is already in use in Afghanistan and the Army says its operating in other locations as well.

* A Situational Awareness computer helps provide ISR. Digital terrain maps are also used for target location.

* The Firefly 360 uses six microphones and other detection technology to locate enemy fire. It can also specify whether it’s small arms, heavy machine gun or rocket/mortar fire. It can also calculate the necessary targeting information so CWS can quickly strike back.

Firefly 360

Photo Credit: Army

1. Retired Gen. Carter Ham, the next AUSA president, with outgoing prez Retired. Gen. Gordon Sullivan. Look at these two guys, just hanging out at AUSA.

2.  Broadcast journalists are always where the action is.

3. The return of Prevention Maintenance magazine (in digital form) is getting a lot of attention at the show. Here’s a life-size cutout of Sarn’t Half-Mast.

4. The conference was crawling with junior ROTC kids this year. ROTC is celebrating its 100th anniversary.

5. Supporting the local economy. Plus, beer.

6. Some workplace spirit, via Col. Donald Wols, commander of Rock Island Arsenal.

7. DRS Technologies busts out some cute foxes and a reference to this amazing song.

8.We’re not immune to a good trailer. Here’s a sizzle reel for the JLTV.

9. Speaking of trailers, is this a rough cut of the next Star Wars film?

10. We’re a little biased with this one. Also, we promise we’re going to stop asking the troops where the bacon is hiding.