The Army is marking its 239th birthday with a two-pronged battle over its future, fighting over its share of the federal budget and an internal skirmish over apportioning cuts. The result could be a much smaller force with dramatic changes in the balance between active and reserve components.The balancing act coming over the next seven years could make the Army the only branch of the armed forces in which reserve components outnumber the active force, according to Army Chief of Staff Gen. Raymond T. Odierno. “Ongoing reductions coupled with sequestration-level cuts over the next seven years...
For many months I’ve written about the problems facing our Army and our members caused by the budget crisis – especially the dangers of sequestration to the Army and our soldiers and families.The ability of this Association to influence these events and eliminate sequestration while providing strong, meaningful support for our Army and our national security depends on our strength measured in membership.I am convinced our member strength is as good an indicator of chapter program health as any other indictor we have.I believe strongly we have important messages to convey inside AUSA as well as...
Vision is a sense of the future. It is an imagined possibility, stretching beyond today’s capability, providing an intellectual bridge from today to tomorrow," Gen. Gordon R. Sullivan, USA, Ret., president of the Association of the United States Army, said.AUSA’s vision for the future is ensuring that those who will be the leaders of tomorrow are engaged with our Association today.But how do we engage the new generation?Chapters have long struggled with how to get the 18 to 35 age group involved.AUSA region presidents began asking the young professionals who were active in the Association what...
The U.S. Army Cadet Command has announced the eight winners of the MacArthur Awards for the school year 2012-2013.The award recognizes the eight schools, selected from among the 275 senior Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) units nationwide, as the top programs in the country.The awards, presented by Cadet Command and the Gen. Douglas MacArthur Foundation, recognize the ideals of "duty, honor and country" as advocated by MacArthur.The award is based on a combination of the achievement of the school’s commissioning mission, its cadets’ performance and standing on the command’s...
AUSA’s Institute of Land Warfare has recently released a new publication."Comprehensive Soldier and Family Fitness: Building Resilience, Enhancing Performance" (Torchbearer Issue Paper, March 2014) discusses an Army program designed to ensure that members of the Army community continue to thrive in their professional and personal lives.During the protracted conflict of the early 2000s, the Army recognized the need to build resilience throughout the force to maintain readiness and ensure the well-being of the entire Army community.Therefore, it took immediate steps to develop preventive...
To prepare the Army for tomorrow, the seeds must be planted today, according to Heidi Shyu, assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology."We’re navigating a very challenging period for our Army – the drawdown [of] forces is occurring during a period of dramatic fiscal constraints and budget pressure," Shyu said.Adding, "We’re leveraging this period to make the best investments possible, planting the seeds that will secure the Army of the future. Our predecessors faced similar challenges following previous conflicts. It’s now our time. Our goal is to provide our...
Where do we invest to ensure that today’s fifth-grader, who in the decade of 2030-2040 will be a battalion commander, will have the tools they need to adapt once the nation commits the Army?"That was the question posed by Lt. Gen. Keith Walker, deputy commanding general, futures director, Army Capabilities Integration Center, Army Training and Doctrine Command, to attendees of the Association of the United States Army’s 2014 Winter Symposium and Exposition in Huntsville, Ala."The Operational Environment in 2025," the topic of his talk, was very appropriate for the professional development...
Greetings from the Association of the United States Army (AUSA), our Army’s and our soldiers’ professional organization.I recently had the honor to attend the Army Women’s Foundation (AWF) Sixth Annual Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Summit on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C."The mission of the Army Women’s Foundation is to celebrate and preserve the achievements of women who serve in the Army and help them prepare for ongoing success whether they continue their careers as soldiers or return to civilian life," Maj. Gen. Dee Ann McWilliams, USA, Ret., president of the Army Women’s...
Partnering is our past; it is our present and it’s our future," said Lt. Gen. Patricia McQuistion, deputy commanding general, U.S. Army Materiel Command (AMC), during her opening remarks on partnering with the Army.Partnering opportunities was just one of many topics emphasized at the 2014 Association of the United States Army’s Institute of Land Warfare Winter Symposium and Exposition in Huntsville, Ala.,"There is no better place to have this discussion than Huntsville, Alabama," McQuisition continued. "We are here in an arena named after Wernher von Braun – a man who understood how...
Twenty-four U.S. Army veterans from three wars – World War II, Korea and Vietnam – received upgrades to the highest military decoration for uncommon bravery and gallantry at a White House ceremony March 18.President Barack Obama presented posthumous Medals of Honor to family members and representatives of 21 of those soldiers, and draped the sky-blue ribbon and five-pointed star-bearing medals around the necks of the three living veterans from the Vietnam War.Each of the 24 had received a Distinguished Service Cross for the same fearless actions for which they were now receiving long overdue...
Lt. Gen. David Mann, commander of the Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command, spoke about the growing relevance and reliance of the Army’s space and missile defense capabilities at the Association of the U.S. Army Winter Symposium and Exposition at the Von Braun Center in downtown Huntsville, Ala.During the conference, SMDC/ARSTRAT leaders had the opportunity to speak about the importance of the command’s role as the Army’s force modernization proponent for space, global missile defense and high altitude; and as the Army’s operational integrator for global missile...
It’s a warfighting domain that is ever-evolving and offers no easy answers for the fight, but is becoming amore important as the Army heads into the future.Experts from across the Army discussed the importance of and challenges associated with "Operationalizing the Cyber Domain for the Army," at the Association of the United States Army’s 2014 Winter Symposium in Huntsville, Ala.Moderated by retired Lt. Gen. Jeff Sorenson, and chaired by Lt. Gen. Edward Cardon, commanding general, Army Cyber Command, panelists included: Lt. Gen. Mark Bowman, director for command, control, communications and...
Leaner but still mean – if not meaner – is the future of the Army in 2025 – and the time to prepare for that future force is now."We have a consensus and an opportunity, and really a need, to move ahead very quickly as we look at Force 2025," said Gen. Robert Cone, commanding general of U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC).Cone mapped out that path forward for attendees of the Association of the United States Army’s 2014 Winter Symposium and Exposition in Huntsville, Ala."The reality is that the operational environments we keep talking about for 2025 are going to necessitate some...
Association of the United States Army (AUSA) officials announced March 27 that its 2015 Winter Symposium and Exposition will be held in Huntsville, Ala., at the Von Braun Center from March 31 to April 2, 2015.Huntsville was the site of this year’s Winter Symposium that was supported by U.S. Army Materiel Command (AMC).The 2014 event in Huntsville set an Association symposium attendance record with over 6,400 attendees.U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) will take the leading role in the Army’s participation in the 2015 AUSA Institute of Land Warfare professional development forum...
Army and industry leaders addressed attracting top talent in the "Recruiting and Retaining our Future" panel discussion at the Association of the U.S. Army’s Winter Symposium and Exposition in Huntsville, Ala.."There are two ways to look at sequestration," said panel member William Marriott, Army Materiel Command’s deputy chief of staff of personnel.Adding, "It can be really terrible or an opportunity to look at our processes and procedures to build more agility into our programs."Marriott joined five other panelists including the Department of the Army’s deputy chief of staff, G-1, Lt. Gen...