Inside the Army highlights

Some must-reads from this week's edition of Inside the Army:

1. The fiscal year 2017 appropriation "stopped the bleeding" for the Army, and the FY-18 budget request should serve as a foundation for future growth, the service's chief of staff said last week.

Full story: Milley: FY-18 budget is a start, but real build comes in FY-19

2. Two senior Army leaders told lawmakers last week the service is prioritizing critical capability gaps as it budgets for the coming year.

Full story: Army will use FY-18 budget to address urgent capability gaps

3. The president's budget request for fiscal year 2018 includes $4.6 billion for Army aircraft procurement, with multiyear buys of the AH-64 Apache and UH-60 Black Hawk dominating the spending.

Full story: Army to spend $4.6 billion on aircraft procurement in FY-18

4. The Army is tapping a wartime account intended to deter Russia for over $1 billion to bolster its armored brigade combat teams in Europe. The move, however, is spurring concerns the Army is going well beyond the intended purpose of the supplemental fund.

Full story: Army seeks to use $1 billion in ERI funds to upgrade ground vehicles in FY-18