No U.S. military service sacrificed more than the Army in the 14 years of continuous combat that followed 9/11. Over two-thirds of American casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan were soldiers, and the service’s plans for a transformed force of the future were eclipsed by the unceasing demands of multifront counterinsurgency warfare. So now a grateful nation is preparing to reward its Army by restoring the service to a reasonable level of peacetime readiness, modernization and force structure—right?Wrong. Just as it sacrificed more in wartime, now the Army is suffering more in the fitful peace...
America’s post-9/11 war is not over—far from it. Who will win and what kind of world will emerge are still open questions. As retired Brig. Gen. John S. Brown put it, “We’re in the third inning.” So no final lessons can be identified or learned, but an in-process review is necessary if we are serious about ending the war in a way that both creates a better peace and secures U.S. strategic interests in the process.Toward that end, I will present seven propositions. These propositions may not be self-evident, but there is a sound case that can be made for each. Further, each has implications for...
Developing soldiers and civilians for the IT workforce begins with training, education, experience and opportunity, said Karl Schneider, the principal deputy to the assistant secretary of the Army for manpower and reserve affairs."Everybody across the United States Army, regardless of branch or position, needs to have some grounding in IT," Schneider said, speaking at AUSA’s Institute of Land Warfare Army Network Hot Topic forum in July."We need to think about the training that the Army provides" and augment that with training from industry and education institutions, Schneider said, adding...
Greetings from the Association of the United States Army (AUSA), our Army’s and our soldiers’ professional organization.For all of us in and around our Army, there is no doubt we are all busy keeping pace with the events of a modern world.This year we celebrate the Army’s 240th birthday.Celebrating the Army’s birthday is not much different than celebrating our own.Birthdays are a time to reflect on our life – where we have been, where we are now and what lies ahead.I had the opportunity to celebrate the Army birthday twice this year with soldiers and their families, first at Fort Drum, N.Y...
Sustainment is not only an Army core competency, it is an Army competitive advantage that is unique among other armies around the world," said the Army director of strategy, plans and policy, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-3/5/7."We cannot concede this advantage to anyone, and we have to continue to nurture it over time," Maj. Gen. William Hix said, speaking at the Association of the U.S. Army’s Institute of Land Warfare Hot Topic forum that focused on Army sustainment.Hix said the Army faces "potential overmatch due to technology proliferation and access to knowledge that did not...
A new report says that inconsistent education standards of K-12 schools in and around military bases could pose a serious retention issue for the Army."Soldiers expect family care as part of the overall package of compensation provided in exchange for their service and could perceive the value of their compensation as lower if the quality of their children’s educational experience is inconsistent," it concluded."Soldiers facing moves to new school systems cannot be certain that the standards from one school will set their child up for success in a new school, in part because of gaps in...
The Association’s Institute of Land Warfare (ILW) has recently released two new publications."Malaysia, Singapore and the United States: Harmony or Hegemony?" (National Security Watch 15-2, May 13, 2015), examines the complex relationship between Malaysia and Singapore and its strategic implications for the United States’ vital interests.The partnership between Malaysia and Singapore is a testimony to the triumph of pragmatism and cooperation in spite of ethnic divisions, long-running resentments and the presence of religious extremism and is a model for productive collaboration between...
It is summer in Washington and the perennial problem of authorizing and funding our Army is in full flower.As I have reported before, seemingly endlessly, defense authorization and appropriations legislation is moving forward in both houses of Congress at its usual slow pace.This year, the process is shadowed again by the specter of defense sequestration that would cut enormous amounts of money out of the DoD budget.Since Congress seems unable to end sequestration for the defense portion of the budget, it is using overseas contingency funding to make up the difference.The problem with this...
A biography in the Association of the U.S. Army’s Book Program has just won its fourth award."Alvin York: A New Biography of the Hero of the Argonne" was written by Army Col. Douglas V. Mastriano, a military historian who teaches at the U.S. Army War College.Mastriano has written chapters in several books but his 2014 biography of York – part of AUSA’s American Warriors series – was his first time as the sole author. The book was published by University Press of Kentucky.The AUSA Book Program sponsors authors of military books and assists them in publishing their works with military...
The Army needs to "adapt, plan, execute and assess faster than the enemy" in order to win in a complex world, the commanding general of the Army’s 8th Theater Sustainment Command said in early June.To accomplish this goal, the Army must develop "sound, competent and confident leaders who create an organizational climate of innovation," said Maj. Gen. Edward Dorman.He said that if leaders foster a climate of innovation, peers and subordinates "are empowered to apply innovative thinking to solve problems, develop new methods, capabilities and, most importantly, valued outcomes."Dorman chaired a...
The Army Materiel Command (AMC) is adapting and preparing for an uncertain future by optimizing global sustainment, readiness and support for combatant commanders, said Lt. Gen. Larry Wyche, AMC’s deputy commanding general."Today, we are providing materiel readiness by realigning our Army field support brigades and battalions, building equipment activity sets, and modernizing Army pre-positioned stocks, or APS," Wyche said, delivering the keynote address at the Association of the U.S. Army’s Institute of Land Warfare Hot Topic on Army sustainment June 3."Activity sets allow each combatant...
There is a lot of uncertainty that exists in this world today, in spite of predictions by others that we are entering a period of peace," said Secretary of the Army John M. McHugh.Adding, "But even with declining budgets, I know this to be certain: America is the world’s indispensable nation, and you are her indispensable Army."The more than 1,000 soldiers, civilians and family members who had gathered for the 2015 Army Birthday Ball, June 13, in Washington, D.C., unanimously approved of McHugh’s summation of the Army they serve now celebrating its 240th birthday.The evening began with a...
Secretary of the Army John McHugh officially approved the Army’s participation in the Association of the U.S. Army’s Annual Meeting and Exposition, to be held October 12-14 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C.McHugh’s decision increases last year’s funding for Army attendance at the event, which he described as one of three key strategic communication and outreach platforms for the Army each year, and one that serves the professional development of the entire Army, including civilians and family members.His decision allows up to 600 people stationed outside the...
Kicking off a week of events for the Army’s 240th birthday, Army Secretary John M. McHugh laid a wreath at the tomb of George Washington, and honored the men and women who selflessly serve to protect the nation.As part of the events at the Mount Vernon estate, June 9, McHugh presented Purple Hearts to three soldiers – Spcs. Marcelino Biz, Clay Casteel, and Spencer Jacobsen.The Army’s birthday, June 14, marks the day in 1775 when the Continental Congress approved the establishment of an army. Washington, in addition to being the nation’s first president, was the first commander in chief of the...
On March 18, the Army launched its new "White Pages," open to anyone with either a Common Access Card or Department of Defense Self-Service Logon account.Designed by the U.S. Army Human Resources Command, the new "White Pages" are available through a link on the bottom of the Soldier for Life website (http://soldierforlife.army.mil/).First-time users will be asked to opt in to provide their contact information to others in the Army community – active Army, Army Reserve, Army National Guard, retired, veteran, Department of the Army civilian.Users may opt in or out and update their contact...