ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

Army spouses: If you could go back in time and give your newly minted military-spouse self some advice, what would it be?

That was the question posed to a trio of Army leaders’ spouses during a Military Family Forum at the Association of the U.S. Army’s Annual Meeting and Exposition.

Amy Bushatz, editor of Spousebuzz.com and Military.com’s managing editor of spouse and family content, moderated the panel consisting of Hollyanne Milley, spouse of Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Milley; Holly Dailey, spouse of Sgt. Maj. of the Army Daniel A. Dailey; and Stacie Pogoncheff, who with her husband...

Russia is back – unfortunately.

After a quarter-century of not having to worry much about confronting and deterring the Russians, the U.S. is suddenly challenged by a resurgent Russia in Europe, Ukraine and the Middle East.

It’s "an unwelcome development," Defense Secretary Ashton Carter at the Sustaining Member Luncheon held during the Association of the U.S. Army’s Annual Meeting and Exposition.

For the Army, Russia’s newfound belligerence means greater presence with allies in Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and elsewhere to reassure allies and remind adversaries of U.S. strength, Carter said.

For the...

The U.S. military’s ability to respond swiftly and appropriately to homeland disasters and emergencies has increased dramatically in the past decade, a panel of Army and civilian officials said at a form titled "Homeland Defense/Homeland Security: The Army-DHS Partnership," during the Association of the U.S. Army’s Annual Meeting and Exposition.

Soldiers assigned to the South Carolina National Guard unload sandbags to help prevent further residential flood damage, Parkers Ferry, S.C., Oct. 9, 2015. (U.S. Army photo) 

Although its main job is to fight the nation’s wars, the military also plays...

Stealing a moment of drama from the annual Academy Award presentation, Master Sgt. Michelle Johnson, public affairs NCO for the Sergeant Major of the Army, opened the sealed envelope containing the names of the winners and runners-up in the 2015 NCO and Soldier of the Year competitions.

Gen. Daniel Allyn, Army vice chief of staff and luncheon speaker, right, and Sgt. Maj. of the Army Daniel Dailey, left, honor the winners of the 2015 Army Best Warrior Competition – Spc. Jared Tansley, Soldier of the Year, and Staff Sgt. Andrew Fink, NCO of the Year. (AUSA News Photo) 

Staff Sgt. Andrew Fink, U...

Former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, in accepting the Association of the United States Army’s highest award Oct. 14, said, "The United States must remain the strongest military power on the face of the earth" and it must provide leadership globally because if it "does not lead in these times of crisis, no one will."

Former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta receives AUSA’s highest award, the George Catlett Marshall Medal, for his ‘selfless service to the nation’ from Nicholas Chabraja, chairman of the Council of Trustees, left, and Gen. Gordon R. Sullivan, USA, Ret., president and CEO. ...

The Army’s top two leaders on Oct. 12 repeated the warning that the continuing clash of declining budgets and growing global commitments threatens the ability of the Army to meet future challenges.

In his speech at the opening ceremony of the Association of the U.S. Army’s Annual Meeting and Exposition, Secretary of the Army John M. McHugh warned, “If we continue to strip resources from this Army, the time will come when somebody is going to have to say there are things we cannot do.”

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Milley, in his joint news conference with McHugh, noted that while the U.S...

Steve Samer was a helicopter door gunner with the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam. He is grateful to the other veterans who helped him adjust after the war.“It was difficult for me to talk to people and explain to them what had happened to me and what I had gone through. Some World War II vets understood. Since then, I’ve just wanted to do some payback for all those who helped me along the way,” Samer said.For the past four years, Samer, 68 and a retired publisher, has been paying it back as a volunteer at the Capt. James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center in North Chicago. He teaches...

In recent years, more than 65,000 active-duty soldiers have separated from the Army annually, according to Department of the Army statistics. In fiscal year 2014, for example, more than 20,000 retired, while the remaining 45,000 separated either by choice or requirement.No matter why they leave, most soldiers are seeking second careers. Many military occupational specialties mirror career opportunities in the civilian and federal sectors including logistics, intelligence and law enforcement. According to G.I. Jobs’ Top 20 Hot Jobs for Veterans 2015, operations management, information...

Generals and admirals are mistaken if they believe their only job in war is to execute the policymaker’s war aims, requiring of them merely an “end state” and the time and resources to accomplish the job. Political leaders are wrong if they believe their job in war is to make policy decisions, getting only options from military leaders that are to be used in discussions from which military leaders are excluded. While convenient because each can “blame” the other when things go wrong, such attitudes are based on a false understanding of the civil-military relationship necessary to wage war...

I stood at the podium, looking out across the packed, 500-seat auditorium. Having served as Gen. Raymond T. Odierno’s political adviser from 2007–2010 in Iraq, I had been asked to brief III Corps ahead of their deployment back there.“I’m honored to be back at Fort Hood, [Texas],” I began. “There is no place that has borne the cost of the Iraq War more.”I paused. I saw only one face I knew in the audience. “How many of you have served in Iraq?” I asked. Hundreds of hands went up. And it was at that moment that I recognized every person in the room. My hesitancy left me. These were battle...

Here’s a Blueprint for Not Wasting the WinArmy Diplomacy: American Military Occupation and Foreign Policy After World War II. Walter M. Hudson. University Press of Kentucky (An AUSA Title). 395 pages. $50.Lt. Col. James Jay Carafano, U.S. Army retiredThe occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan would have gone much better if leaders in Washington, D.C., had paid more attention to U.S. military history. Not that the past has a playbook for post-conflict operations—it doesn’t. Like the cauldron of combat, every engagement has to be dealt with on its own terms. Yet the legacy of World War II offers a...

Here’s a Blueprint for Not Wasting the WinArmy Diplomacy: American Military Occupation and Foreign Policy After World War II. Walter M. Hudson. University Press of Kentucky (An AUSA Title). 395 pages. $50.Lt. Col. James Jay Carafano, U.S. Army retiredThe occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan would have gone much better if leaders in Washington, D.C., had paid more attention to U.S. military history. Not that the past has a playbook for post-conflict operations—it doesn’t. Like the cauldron of combat, every engagement has to be dealt with on its own terms. Yet the legacy of World War II offers a...

Here’s a Blueprint for Not Wasting the WinArmy Diplomacy: American Military Occupation and Foreign Policy After World War II. Walter M. Hudson. University Press of Kentucky (An AUSA Title). 395 pages. $50.Lt. Col. James Jay Carafano, U.S. Army retiredThe occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan would have gone much better if leaders in Washington, D.C., had paid more attention to U.S. military history. Not that the past has a playbook for post-conflict operations—it doesn’t. Like the cauldron of combat, every engagement has to be dealt with on its own terms. Yet the legacy of World War II offers a...

Here’s a Blueprint for Not Wasting the WinArmy Diplomacy: American Military Occupation and Foreign Policy After World War II. Walter M. Hudson. University Press of Kentucky (An AUSA Title). 395 pages. $50.Lt. Col. James Jay Carafano, U.S. Army retiredThe occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan would have gone much better if leaders in Washington, D.C., had paid more attention to U.S. military history. Not that the past has a playbook for post-conflict operations—it doesn’t. Like the cauldron of combat, every engagement has to be dealt with on its own terms. Yet the legacy of World War II offers a...

Here’s a Blueprint for Not Wasting the WinArmy Diplomacy: American Military Occupation and Foreign Policy After World War II. Walter M. Hudson. University Press of Kentucky (An AUSA Title). 395 pages. $50.Lt. Col. James Jay Carafano, U.S. Army retiredThe occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan would have gone much better if leaders in Washington, D.C., had paid more attention to U.S. military history. Not that the past has a playbook for post-conflict operations—it doesn’t. Like the cauldron of combat, every engagement has to be dealt with on its own terms. Yet the legacy of World War II offers a...