ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

Soldiering Continues After Shooting Stops

Real Soldiering: The US Army in the Aftermath of War, 1815–1980. Brian McAllister Linn. University Press of Kansas. 336 pages. $44.95

By Col. Kevin Farrell, U.S. Army retired

Brian McAllister Linn has found an important but largely overlooked question in the history of the U.S. Army: What happens when the battles are over and peace (or at least a truce) is in place?

His new book, Real Soldiering: The US Army in the Aftermath of War, 1815–1980, is an interesting investigation of what any Army veteran would know as the “Old Army,” that...

Patton Proves Himself During World War II

Patton’s War: An American General’s Combat Leadership, Volume 2, August–December 1944. Kevin Hymel. University of Missouri Press.              480 pages. $39.95

By Col. Cole Kingseed, U.S. Army retired

Nearly 80 years after Allied forces invaded France on D-Day, June 6, 1944, Gen. George Patton Jr. continues to fascinate military historians and students of World War II. In the second volume of his acclaimed Patton’s War trilogy, Kevin Hymel provides a more comprehensive understanding of his subject’s leadership from the time Third U.S...

When the 17th sergeant major of the Army is sworn in in August, he will be the first in the Army’s history to have earned the job by going through a tough new assessment and selection program.

Senior nominative sergeants major competing for the Army’s top enlisted position have always been evaluated with a physical fitness test, a review of their enlisted record brief, a letter of recommendation from their current commanding general and high-level interviews.

Those elements are still part of the new assessment program, but this time, candidates also were evaluated on written and oral...

Just as it was on his first day on the job, Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville’s top priority—and top concern—remains the men and women in the ranks.

During his four-year tenure as the Army’s top general, McConville has repeatedly emphasized the importance of putting people first. From soldiers and family members to veterans and Army civilians, the Army is about people, McConville said during his Aug. 9, 2019, swearing-in ceremony.

Since that day, he has pushed initiatives to transform the way the Army selects its battalion and brigade commanders and senior enlisted leaders...

When students step off the bus at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, to attend the Future Soldier Preparatory Course, it quickly becomes clear that they’re not on a school campus.

They are met by drill sergeants in campaign hats. Haircuts happen, uniforms are issued, posture is corrected, formations take shape, drill and ceremony begins, phone use is curtailed, and Army Values are introduced.

But it’s a reception that is intentionally gentler than it is for basic trainees, because the students are there for a purpose: to improve their military entrance test scores or to slim down, or both, so...

In his 2003 book, Armed Servants: Agency, Oversight, and Civil-Military Relations, Peter Feaver says that “in a democracy, civilians have the right to be wrong. Civilian political leaders have the right to ask for things in the national security realm that are ultimately not conducive to good national security.” That pithy phrase, “the right to be wrong,” is often repeated. Repetition, however, does not confer meaning or validity.

A close look at this asserted right finds that the actual right is quite different. The actual right that certain civilian political leaders have is a right to...

“Centurion Wings” are an informal award given to a jumpmaster who has conducted 100 static line jumps. Many of the U.S. Army’s airborne units celebrate this accomplishment by adding the soldier’s name to a plaque in the battalion area or conducting a simple ceremony with fellow jumpmasters after an airborne operation.

Centurion Wings are not worn on a uniform, nor is there any official documentation. But with units already informally celebrating the award, Army leaders should consider formalizing the award and creating a new badge—a Centurion Parachutist Badge—to recognize this career...

Thucydides is often credited with stating, “The nation that will insist on drawing a broad line of demarcation between the fighting man and the thinking man is liable to find its fighting done by fools and its thinking by cowards.” However, the quote is most likely and accurately attributable to British author Lt. Gen. Sir William Francis Butler in his 1901 biography of Maj. Gen. Charles George Gordon, a controversial British war hero.

Regardless, the message is clear—nations must expect and demand that military leaders are both warriors and scholars. Therein lies the rub.

For as long as...

I dealt with barracks management for 30 of my 32 years of service. I lived in the barracks as a young soldier and NCO. I managed three barracks rooms as a team leader and 6,000 barracks rooms as a division command sergeant major. But on a self-evaluation, I would give myself a C-minus on barracks management for most of my career. I am ashamed of this.

I did not become fully invested in ensuring that barracks provide the home that soldiers deserve until I became a division command sergeant major. This is a difficult admission. My epiphany came as my eldest child got ready to enter the...

As a young captain in 1990, I was excited to be asked to give a presentation at the annual Association of the U.S. Army Annual Meeting and Exposition in Washington, D.C. I had written a number of articles on maneuver warfare and looked forward to the event, which promised to include a large audience. Facing a crowded room, I noticed an elderly gentleman in the front row who seemed to grow more agitated as I spoke.

Wrapping up the presentation, I invited questions from the floor. Rising to his feet, the old fellow intoned, “I don’t have a question. I’d just like to say I’m damned tired of...

On the 50th anniversary of the all-volunteer force, the important question is: “How has the move to manning the Army without relying on conscription fared?” The short answer: Quite well.

Over the past half-century, the Army has transformed from an organization of largely first-term draftees and draft-motivated volunteers into a career-oriented force of experienced, motivated soldiers, proven in peace and war.

While some still regret that most American citizens will not serve their country in the military, few in service or out would vote to reinstate the draft. The reasons are the same...

No. 353. That was my draft number. Drawing a very high number made the likelihood of being drafted remote. As the troop requirements for the Vietnam War declined and the transition to the all-volunteer force began, the military draft ended in 1973, with the last draftee entering the Army in June of that year.

I went to college after high school, largely because that’s what most of us graduating from our large public high school in suburban Cleveland were expected to do. Cleveland was not exactly a hotbed of military activity in those days. Most of our dads had served in World War II or...

The Association of the U.S. Army 2023 Warfighter Summit and Exposition in Fayetteville, North Carolina, will be a rally point for thousands of soldiers, Army civilians, military families and partners seeking a glimpse of the future. Throughout the two-day event in late July, attendees will explore cutting-edge technology, next-generation tactics, and leadership and readiness trends that will directly impact soldiers in our formations.

This year’s Warfighter Summit will highlight how the U.S. Army is training to fight and win the nation’s wars. The event’s speakers and exhibits will...

The Army Software Factory, a first-of-its-kind venture launched by the U.S. Army Futures Command in early 2021, is forging new digital avenues for the U.S. Army and joint force to dominate future battlefields.

The concept of dynamic problem-solving is at the forefront of Army Software Factory efforts. The fast-paced and highly kinetic nature of future warfare means relying on contracted support—particularly off-site support—will, in many scenarios, no longer be a viable option. The Army recognizes that ground forces will need to quickly wield and conduct data and software operations in...

Armed Forces Evolved After Draft Ended

The All-Volunteer Force: Fifty Years of Service. Edited by William Taylor. University Press of Kansas. 344 pages. $49.95

By Brig. Gen. John Brown, U.S. Army retired

The U.S. has defended itself with an all-volunteer force for 50 years. Relying on conscription during World War I and World War II and the early Cold War, Americans soured on the draft during the prolonged Vietnam War. Running for president in 1968, Richard Nixon promised to end the draft and established the Gates Commission to assist in that purpose once elected. Congress...