ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

Every December it seems like I report that defense appropriations legislation remains incomplete more than two months after the beginning of the new fiscal year.

This year was no different.The defense appropriations legislation was tied up in the middle of negotiations between the House and Senate until Dec. 13th, when a compromise agreement was passed and sent to the president for signature.The compromise resulted in an enormous omnibus funding bill that will fund the government until Sept. 30th 2015.However, nothing with Congress is ever easy and clean. The omnibus bill funds all of the...

Brig. Gen. William L. Lemnitzer, USA, Ret., died Nov. 27 at his home in Arlington, Va. He was 85.A 1951 an honors graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, where he was born, Lemnitzer also received a Master’s degree in industrial chemistry from Columbia University in New York.The son of Gen. Lyman L. Lemnitzer, USA, Ret., who served during his Army career as Army chief of staff, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and supreme allied commander, NATO, Gen. William Lemnitzer’s service included a variety of important command and staff positions and tours of duty in Germany...

The Association of the United States Army will hold a one day Hot Topic forum titled "Army Aviation: Fully Committed in a Complex World to Winning Today, Tomorrow and in the Future," on Jan. 29 at the Crystal City Gateway Marriott in Arlington, Va.This will be the first of seven Hot Topic events in 2015, to include:Army Air & Missile Defense, Feb. 12, Crystal Gateway MarriottArmy Installation Management, March 10, Crystal Gateway MarriottArmy Sustainment, June 3, Crystal Gateway MarriottArmy Network, July 16, TBDArmy Medical, Sept. 22, TBDArmy Cyber, Nov. 10, TBDThe Army provides our nation...

Gen. Vincent K. Brooks, the commanding general of U.S. Army Pacific, met with troops and senior leaders recently at Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) to discuss the Army’s strategic vision for the Pacific and how I Corps units will be part of the Army’s continued focus on the region.During his remarks, Brooks acknowledged that the Army will face certain challenges, but said the Army will maintain its focus and commitment in the Pacific and forecasted that the region would remain a top priority.Units from I Corps took part in Pacific Pathways 14 earlier this year as part of that emphasis on the...

The U.S. Army Cadet Command, headquartered at Fort Knox, Ky., has named the top 10 Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) cadets on its FY 2015 national Order of Merit List (OML).The OML ranks all Army ROTC seniors across the nation, with the top 20 percent earning the designation of Distinguished Military Graduate.This year there were 1,124 Distinguished Military Graduates out of the 5,617 cadets on the list.Cadets’ OML rankings are determined by a number of criteria, including grade point averages, strong athletic performance on the Army Physical Fitness Test, college athletic...

The Airborne and Ranger Training Brigade selected 31 female soldiers to serve as observers and advisers for a potential Ranger Course Assessment that would begin this spring.The observer/advisers include 11 officers and 20 noncommissioned officers.These soldiers recently completed a week-long training event to prepare them to understand the mental and physical demands placed on Ranger students."I was very satisfied with both the quality and quantity of the volunteers we received," said Maj. Gen. Scott Miller, commanding general of the Maneuver Center of Excellence, Fort Benning, Ga.Adding,...

Soldiers of the 1st Cavalry Division and later replacement units will rotate to locations in Eastern Europe through the end of next year as part of Operation Atlantic Resolve, and those rotations could continue even longer into the foreseeable future, said the commander of U.S. Army EuropeLt. Gen. Ben Hodges recently spoke to reporters at the Pentagon from Vilnius, Lithuania, via a video teleconference.The rotations – part of the Army’s regionally aligned forces concept – are taking place in Eastern Europe to provide "important assurance" to NATO allies of U.S. commitment and "deterrence to...

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has directed a policy change in new paycheck allotments to prevent unscrupulous commercial lenders from taking advantage of troops and their families, Pentagon officials announced Dec. 4.According to a Defense Department news release, effective Jan. 1, 2015, the change in DoD’s Financial Management Regulation will prohibit service members from allotting pay to buy, lease or rent personal property, a senior DoD official said.Improving protectionAccording to the release, this policy change will eliminate that aspect of the allotment system most prone to abuse by...

Greetings to all of you from the Association of the United States Army (AUSA), our Army’s and our soldiers’ professional organization.The AUSA Annual Meeting and Exposition in October provided the Army leadership and our attendees with an opportunity to recognize and honor the Army’s 2014 Noncommissioned Officer and Soldier of the Year.This year the Department of the Army Best Warrior Competition was held at Fort Lee, Va., from Oct. 6 to 9.Historically, this competition has served to showcase the Army’s best noncommissioned officers and soldiers, and this year was no exception.I had the honor...

President Barack Obama named Dr. Ashton B. Carter as his choice to become the 25th secretary of defense on Dec. 5.In one way or another, Obama said at the White House ceremony, Carter has served 11 secretaries of defense."He’s an innovator who helped create the program that has dismantled weapons of mass destruction around the world and reduced the threat of nuclear terrorism," Obama said."He’s a reformer who’s never been afraid to cancel old or inefficient weapons programs; he knows the Department of Defense inside and out. All of which means that on day one, he’s going to hit the ground...

Japan will "drastically" reform its ground forces into a much more mobile entity capable of defending that nation’s remotest islands.As it stands right now, the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force – as the country’s post-war army is known – is the smallest of that nation’s forces.Since the end of World War II, Japan has had a pacifist constitution and has been reluctant to flex its military muscles.However, Asia-Pacific region has gained importance as the economic fortunes of the region have risen – which has caused rising tensions.Though he did not mention the People’s Republic of China by name...

Some have questioned the dedication of the millennial generation to live up to the ideals of the so-called "greatest generation" of World War II veterans, said the Army chief of staff.But over the last 14 years of war, Gen. Ray Odierno said he’s watched this younger generation "do whatever is necessary to protect this nation," and their selfless service has "inspired me every single day to do whatever I can to ensure they’re able to do their jobs and whatever we ask them to do."Odierno spoke after receiving the Andrew J. Goodpaster Award for "exhibiting great courage, selfless service...

The Association of the United States Army wants to hear your opinion on current topics and issues facing our Army and national defense.The AUSA Firing Line offers you the opportunity to answer weekly survey questions that are important to all of us.Topics include current events, family readiness, leadership, professional development, the importance of landpower, health care, personnel issues and employment.Your comments and opinions expressed on the AUSA Firing Line blogs and discussions are important to us as we develop our positions on crucial issues in 2015.You may access the site from the...

After weeks of preparation, the main body elements of the 21st Theater Sustainment Command headquarters, 7th Civil Support Command, the 30th Medical Brigade and the 16th Sustainment Brigade, deployed to Dakar, Senegal, in support of Operation United Assistance.The team’s mission in Dakar is to provide strategic logistical support to the Joint Forces Command - United Assistance in the form of a regional support element, coupled with a small team from U.S. Army Africa.Their goal is to set the conditions in Dakar to receive members from the 101st Sustainment Brigade, and a U.S. Air Force C-130...

To: Company-level LeadersFrom: Company-level Leaders_____________________________________________________________Most of us want to conduct regular leader-development sessions with our subordinate leaders, but few of us manage to do so. Our good intentions are overwhelmed by the relentless demands of command. Before we know it, weeks or even months have passed since we last gathered our key leaders and engaged with them in meaningful professional conversation about being Army leaders. This is not a problem of motivation; it is a problem of resources. Too often, we lack the time or expertise to...