Greetings from the Association of the United States Army (AUSA), our Army’s and our soldiers’ professional organization.I had the honor to accompany Gen. Gordon R. Sullivan, USA, Ret., the 32nd Army chief of staff and our AUSA president, on a trip to the Republic of South Korea in early June.The visit gave us both a renewed appreciation for the Korean people and all they have accomplished in just over 60 years.The Korean War veterans who were there visiting during this same week, remembering what the city of Seoul looked like in 1950 and seeing this thriving metropolis today, realized why this...
Rep. Harold Rogers, R-Ky., chairman of the House Appropriations Committee said recently that approval of the fiscal 2015 defense spending bill by his committee was the earliest since 1974.That’s good news. Even better is the fact that it has already been approved by the full House by a 340-73 vote.The $570.4 billion defense spending bill stays within the cap for discretionary spending mandated by the Bipartisan Budget Act passed in December 2013.Included in the $570.4 billion is $79.4 billion slated for Overseas Contingency Operations; however, as this goes to press, details of that request...
It is summer in Washington and the perennial congressional struggle to authorize and fund our Army is proceeding. As I have reported, seemingly endlessly, defense authorization and appropriation legislation is moving forward in both houses of Congress at its usual slow pace.Significant progress has been made on the fiscal 2015 National Defense Authorization Act as the House has passed its version, 325-98, and the full Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) has marked up its version.While the House bill largely rejected all of DoD’s proposed cost-cutting measures, the SASC mark would allow some...
The motto of the 101st Airborne Division is "Rendezvous with Destiny."In a true rendezvous with history, paratrooper veteran James "Pee Wee" Martin again took to the sky over Normandy, France, and parachuted onto the one-time battlefield, seven decades after his historic D-Day landing.A veteran of the elite 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, wearing his vintage tan paratroop jacket with jump wings and patches, Martin caught his breath and seemed surprised the flight was already over after sliding to a smooth landing."It was absolutely wonderful," Martin told the swarm of reporters.Adding, "The...
Army senior leaders said communications technology is being developed and put into use inside the Army before the service’s vulnerability to cyber attacks has been fully evaluated.The Association of the United States Army’s Institute of Land Warfare hosted a Hot Topic forum in June, titled "The Future of Cyber in Support of Strategic Landpower." During the panel discussions, experts emphasized the current vulnerability to cyber attacks."Systems were built with no cyber security in mind at all," said Lt. Gen. Edward C. Cardon, commander, United States Army Cyber Command.Adding, "Yet, we’ve got...
Lt. Col. Charles J. Timmes was the commander of 2nd Battalion, 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, when he jumped into Normandy, France, June 6, 1944, not knowing what the next 96 hours would hold for him and his soldiers.Upon landing, Timmes was immediately fighting for his life, but not because of an enemy attack.The battalion commander landed in a flooded field and nearly drowned when a strong wind gust filled his parachute and dragged him over 200 yards.After the first gust of wind, a second gust picked him up and dragged him onto a nearby hill, saving his life.Timme...
The director of the Army Office of Business Transformation asked members of the Association of the U.S. Army at its 270th Institute of Land Warfare breakfast May 28 whether they thought the Army was a business."We certainly have many of the characteristics of a business. We have capital assets, [and] a multitude of functions. We’ve got a diverse workforce. We’ve got upstream and downstream supply chains, and now it looks like we’re going to be audited on an annual basis," said Lt. Gen. Thomas W. Spoehr, who took over this office in July 2013.Providing background as to the mission behind the...
The Army Chief of Staff Retiree Council concluded its 54th meeting May 2 after advising Gen. Raymond T. Odierno and Sgt. Maj. of the Army Raymond F. Chandler III about the concerns of the retired community.The council’s co-chairmen, Lt. Gen. James Lovelace, USA, Ret., and Sgt. Maj. of the Army Kenneth Preston, USA, Ret., emphasized their appreciation for the Army’s Soldier for Life program and the May 1 launch of the program’s new website with its "robust section" for retired soldiers at http://soldierforlife.army.mil/retirement.The retiree council represented 918,000 retired Army soldiers and...
More than 20 soldiers of the 1st Infantry Division helped commemorate the 70th anniversary of D-Day June 6 by participating in three ceremonies at Omaha Beach, France.The historic day began at Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer, on an airstrip that was one of the first to be operational shortly after the D-Day invasion June 6, 1944.The first flight, that transported the wounded, touched down the evening of June 9, 1944.The 834th Engineer Aviation Battalion constructed the airstrip in less than two days. The field quickly became a logistical hub for combat operations for the allied forces in the region.Many...
The heavily analyzed Schlieffen Plan was the perfect invasion strategy, and the hardworking officers of the German General Staff knew it. The basic idea traced all the way back to Hannibal. That’s not the Hannibal known to Americans today as the vicious yet urbane criminal mastermind of book and movie fame, but the original: Hannibal Barca of Carthage, one of the greatest battlefield commanders in history. If you needed a good way to win—and win big—it only made sense to look to Hannibal.
In his most decisive victory, Hannibal cornered a Roman army sent to stop him. The two...
More than 20 New York National Guard soldiers from the historic 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry, took part in a New York City ceremony held in Bryant Park to commemorate the Army’s 239th birthday.With the skyline of New York City as a backdrop, the National Guard soldiers gathered at the park and set up two displays on the north entrance and the south entrance with typical gear used in the particular unit.Representing the 1-69th battalion were soldiers of A Company, who showcased and demonstrated the proper use of the M4 Machine gun, the M-240B and the M-249 on the north entrance.By all accounts...
Twenty young Americans raised their hands and became soldiers during a ceremony at Citizens Bank Park Stadium in Philadelphia, Pa., shortly before the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Chicago Cubs 7 to 4.Under Secretary of the Army Brad R. Carson read the oath of enlistment to the new soldiers as part of the many celebrations held around the globe celebrating the 239th birthday of the United States Army.Members of the U.S. Army Drill Team Soloists and the Continental Color Guard from the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard), performed in front of thousands of fans at the game after the...
U.S. Army units and organizations from Chicago’s military community rolled out to the Richard J. Daley Center, in downtown Chicago June 13 to celebrate the U.S. Army’s 239th birthday with the American public.The six-hour celebration, coordinated by the U.S. Army’s Midwestern Public Affairs Office, based in Chicago, had participation from various military and community leaders to include Gen. David Perkins, commanding general, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, as the key note speaker.Perkins recognized the Gold Star Families, families who have lost family members serving in combat zones...
Kicking off observances for the Army’s 239th birthday, Army leaders paid tribute to the service’s first commander-in-chief, and presented Purple Hearts to two soldiers.Secretary of the Army John McHugh and Sgt. Maj. of the Army Raymond F. Chandler III laid a wreath at President George Washington’s tomb at his Mount Vernon estate in Alexandria, Va., June 13.The Army’s birthday is June 14."As we mark 239 years since the Second Continental Congress first established this Army and the appointment soon after of Virginia farmer George Washington as its first commander-in-chief, there’s simply no...
The only thing standing in the way of Joseph A. Powell enlisting in the Army was his braces."I had to wait one year. It was the most depressing year of my life," Powell said.In 2008, Powell was finally able to enlist in the Army along with his twin brother, Joshua M. Powell.On June 19, 2014, the two brothers, along with 11 other soldiers, re-enlisted during a ceremony in the Pentagon courtyard. The event coincided with celebrations in honor of the Army's 239th birthday.Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Ray Odierno opened up the ceremony by reflecting on the Army’s history."I think about the...