The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) holds a unique position as the only air assault division in the world.As an air assault-focused unit, the division must be ready at a moment’s notice to plan, coordinate, and execute brigade-size air assault operations capable of seizing key terrain in support of operational objectives."The 101st Airborne Division provides the National Command Authority an air assault early entry force capable of working in austere environments with limited or degraded infrastructure," said Maj. Gen. James C. McConville, commander of the 101st Airborne Division (Air...
Greetings from the Association of the United States Army (AUSA), our Army’s and our soldiers’ professional organization.As we celebrate the Army’s 239th birthday I wanted to share with you another birthday celebration I had the honor to participate in at Fort Knox, Ky., April 23.Every year on this date, the United States Army Reserve celebrates its birthday.This year we celebrated the Army Reserve’s 106th birthday, and we should take a few moments to reflect on the contributions that our soldiers and their families in the Army Reserve have made as an important part of our American heritage.Est...
For the first time since 1995, a team representing the 25th Infantry Division took home top honors at the David E. Grange Jr. Best Ranger Competition at Fort Benning, Ga.The two-soldier team – 2nd Lt. Michael Rose and 2nd Lt. John Bergman – were able to come from 13th place after day one, to win the 31st annual Best Ranger Competition at the end of day three.Rose and Bergman said they knew where they stood early on, but were focused only on completing the competition rather than winning."I wanted to walk away from it, whether we were dropped on the first day or whether we won, knowing that we...
The Association of the United States Army’s Council of Trustees voted unanimously at its April 28 meeting to appoint Lt. Gen. Jerry Sinn, USA, Ret., as the Association’s vice president for finance and administration, to succeed Lt. Gen Thomas G. Rhame, USA, Ret., who retired from this position on April 14.Sinn, who retired from the Army with over 30 years of service, was the director of the Army budget and the military deputy for budget to the assistant secretary of the Army for financial management and comptroller.Sinn owned and operated Quadrate, LLC, that provided engineering, project...
The Army in Cyberspace" (National Security Watch, May 5, 2014) examines cyberspace and how the Army is developing cyberspace capabilities.After more than 12 years of war, the United States faces many difficult decisions in shaping the joint force for 2020 and beyond.Cyber security is an enormous challenge that has become a national security imperative for the nation.The increasing importance of the cyber domain introduces new challenges as the Army prioritizes its limited resources among personnel, readiness and modernization requirements.The evolving and expansive nature of the cyber domain...
The Army needs another round of Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) in 2017 to reduce excess infrastructure and optimize the force under budgetary constraints, said the Army’s assistant secretary for installations, energy and environment."We are going to have to reduce our end strength further," said Katherine G. Hammack, speaking at the Association of the U.S. Army’s monthly Institute of Land Warfare Breakfast in Arlington, Va., April 14."We’re committed to get down to 490,000 soldiers [in the active component] by 2015, and 450,000 by 2017. The budget reality may cause a drop as low as 420...
The Army chief of staff told senators "tough" choices must be made in uncertain fiscal times, and up to 46 percent of active brigade combat teams might need to be cut if full sequestration hits in 2016.Gen. Ray Odierno testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee April 8 at a hearing on the active Army and Reserve force mix related to the Defense Authorization Request for Fiscal Year 2015 and the Future Years Defense Program.Other witnesses were Gen. Frank Grass, chief of the National Guard Bureau, and Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Talley, chief of the Army Reserve and commanding general of the U.S...
Everyone recognizes the biggest challenges facing the U.S. Army. They are the same across the services and are all related: Declining budgets require significant force structure cuts. At the same time, the U.S. military must still meet a broad range of missions, including deterring aggression, fighting major conventional conflicts, engaging with allies and partners, and securing the global commons through homeland defense and support to civil authorities. It must accomplish all of these missions while resetting the force, avoiding hollowness and investing in future capabilities, particularly...
We Want Your CommentsArmy Chief of Staff Gen. Raymond T. Odierno is leading a renaissance on the study of the Army profession. Col. Don M. Snider begins the discussion here with a thought-provoking piece on the fundamental tenets of what it means to be an Army professional. The Association of the U.S. Army, the U.S. Army’s professional association, is proud to partner with the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center and the Center for the Army Profession and Ethic on this first of a series of occasional articles on the Army profession.—Gen. Gordon R. Sullivan, USA Ret.President and Chief Executive...
The stressful postwar drawdown that could bring an abrupt end to some Army careers could be especially challenging for some people who don’t wear the uniform: servicemembers’ spouses. For some Army families, relocating is heart-wrenching and hard work—especially for the spouse, who often spends more time at home and performs many of the day-to-day and clerical tasks of daily living. ARMY Magazine asked experts at Army Community Service (ACS), the Army Career and Alumni Program (ACAP) and other agencies for their insights into how to help spouses ease the stress associated with the transition...
A 2010 Army white paper laid out the problem, saying, “Today’s soldiers carry inordinately large numbers of batteries...
Few divisions in World War II possess a more heralded combat history than the 82nd Airborne. Under command of Maj. Gen. Matthew Ridgway and later, Maj. Gen. James Gavin, the division contained soldiers of exceptional quality. Nicknamed the All-Americans because its members initially came from all the states, its mission on D-Day was to seize, clear and secure the general area around Sainte Mère-Eglise, France, and then to be prepared to advance to the west on corps orders. Sainte Mère-Eglise was a typical Norman town that became a critical military objective because six major roads in the...
The Army may be “strong,” like its motto, but it has a weakened brand in terms of marketing itself to service-age youth. The problem facing the Army is that willingness to serve is dwindling, even though the public appears aware of the opportunities offered by military service. It is a sign that the value of the Army isn’t understood, and a campaign is under way to do something about it.In what the marketing world calls “rebranding,” the Army has launched a two-step initiative that first demonstrates its value as an institution and then promotes the value of service. The fundamental shift in...
The Army may be “strong,” like its motto, but it has a weakened brand in terms of marketing itself to service-age youth. The problem facing the Army is that willingness to serve is dwindling, even though the public appears aware of the opportunities offered by military service. It is a sign that the value of the Army isn’t understood, and a campaign is under way to do something about it.In what the marketing world calls “rebranding,” the Army has launched a two-step initiative that first demonstrates its value as an institution and then promotes the value of service. The fundamental shift in...
The Army may be “strong,” like its motto, but it has a weakened brand in terms of marketing itself to service-age youth. The problem facing the Army is that willingness to serve is dwindling, even though the public appears aware of the opportunities offered by military service. It is a sign that the value of the Army isn’t understood, and a campaign is under way to do something about it.In what the marketing world calls “rebranding,” the Army has launched a two-step initiative that first demonstrates its value as an institution and then promotes the value of service. The fundamental shift in...