***UPDATE: It took awhile to put together the court, which consisted
of many panels of framed plywood and 2x4s, but after a few hours of
work - plus a minister's prayer and short speeches by two Tuskeegee
Airman who captured the attention of the dozens of young men and women,
including military personnnel - games of racquetball ensued under a
bright sun.

"We learned a lot," organizer Steven Harper said about
erecting the portable court on a parking lot with a less-than-level
surface. Harper hopes to find other venues to put up the court for free
demonstrations. *****

****

There's not much development going on in Knightdale these days. But the town just might get a major new tenant.

The U.S. Army wants to build an army reserve training center in Knightdale.

If approved by the town, the center will be located on Hinton Oaks Drive. It's no small center either. It has a $25 million price tag and will be 81,000 square feet. It also includes a maintenance building to support its vehicle fleet.

Reservists in engineering and transportation units will be assigned there or 700 soldiers. The center will have from 13 to 20 full-time employees and about seven of those positions will be filled by civilians.

I spoke with Colonel Brian Griffin, a project officer for Army Reserve Division, about the project. He said Knightdale was selected because of its location and access to major highways. He also said it seemed like a good place to support the soldiers assigned to the center.

Griffin said the work done at the center will prepare units for possible deployment.

A day after forging a working relationship with a special operations unit from Fort Bragg, UNC system President Erskine Bowles was still excited.

On Thursday, the UNC system created a formal partnership with the United States Army Special Operations Command, the Fort Bragg-based unit that trains Green Berets, Army Rangers and the like for the sorts of overseas missions we don't always hear a lot about.

During a Friday meeting of the UNC system's Board of Governors, Bowles spoke of the new partnership as the university's way of making a difference.

"It's not only a chance to serve a market where we can bring a great deal of expertise to bear," he said. "It's our chance as civilians to really do something to positively impact our national security."

Click here for more.

The UNC system and the U.S. Army created a formal relationship today aimed at lending academic expertise to the unit that trains special operations soldiers.

The relationship between the university system and the United States Army Special Operations Command, at Fort Bragg, will make it easier for military personnel to better their specialized training by tapping into instruction at UNC campuses.

USASOC is the unit that trains Green Berets, Army Rangers and the like for behind-enemy-lines combat.

The relationship is a formal offshoot of smaller links campuses have historically had with military installations across North Carolina. Under the new relationship, UNC campuses will provide training in all manner of disciplines, from language and culture to medicine and technology. 

"This is an enormous opportunity for the university," said UNC President Erskine Bowles. it's a whole new market for us."

For the military, the relationship will bring a higher level of skill to training in many disciplines - like a UNC-CH medical school program in the works to train combat medics.

And the UNC system will, in part, be able to expand its online programs by making them more accessible to soldiers, officials said.

Read more in Friday's News & Observer.

The UNC system and the U.S. Army Special Operations Command are partnering to share expertise.

The two agencies will announce their partnership Thursday morning during UNC system Board of Governors meetings. UNC officials are billing the relationship as a "collaborative partnership" allowing the military and academic communities to share expertise and interest in national security.

Army Special Operations is headquartered at Ft. Bragg near Fayetteville. It is charged with the full range of special operations from unconventional warfare to civil-military operations, according to a UNC news release.

The working agreement between the two agencies will encourage: the exchange of medical, culture, language and management negotiation training instructors; business school suppor for an Army course; degree opportunities for soldiers and their spouses and families; a relationship with UNC-sponsored Fulbright Scholars, and other initiatives.

For more on this new partnership, click on the memo attached to this blog post.

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