In response to the "Taking Exception" letter by Capt. David Kinzler to (AUSA President) Gen. Gordon R. Sullivan’s letter published in the Washington Post titled "Don’t Cut Troops’ Pay and Benefits," I would like to address a few critical issues.As a career soldier I have watched the transformation of our military forces from a conscript/draft military force to the professional all-volunteer force we have today.So the views and thoughts I have come from almost 40 years of working with all our military services and serving in the Army.Approximately 85 percent of our forces are enlisted...
AUSA’s Institute of Land Warfare has released a new publication."Defending the Homeland: The Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear Response Enterprise" (Torchbearer National Security Report, February 2014) discusses five unique organizational structures divided among federal and National Guard forces – each with a distinct role – that offer commanders scalable response options for chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear (CBRN) events.In a security environment destabilized by an ever-increasing number of actors who are determined to harm Americans in a myriad of ways, it is imperative...
The Army chief of staff said contrary to what many people may think, the Army has been doing anything but slowing down and becoming stagnant, despite cash flow and end-strength issues.Speaking before a full house of Association of the U.S. Army members at their monthly Institute of Land Warfare Breakfast in Arlington, Va., Jan. 23, Gen. Ray Odierno said the Army "is not standing still ... the Army is doing many, many, many things in order to shape the future environment and prevent conflicts around the world."In his third year as the 38th chief of staff, Odierno often makes trips around the...
The president of the Association of the United States Army, Gen. Gordon R. Sullivan, USA, Ret., testified Jan. 28 before the full Senate Armed Services Committee on the under-62 military retiree Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) cut and on military retirement compensation in general.In his statement to the committee, Sullivan expressed his appreciation that Congress removed much of the burden of sequestration from the Department of Defense with the passage of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013.However, he stated his displeasure with the late addition of the COLA cap in the budget agreement...
Ask any Army spouse what the hardest part of military life is and they will answer almost in unison: "Change."Throughout our military life cycle change is ever present: changing addresses, changing schools, changing friends, changing responsibilities.Change can turn our world upside down in an instant and make our lives unpredictable, but it can also bring opportunity.We need only to keep our minds open to the potential change brings.As we celebrate the beginning of 2014, we at AUSA have begun our plan which will change the way we interact with you – our Army family members.First and foremost...
- Maintaining pay parity
- Increasing funding for barracks and family housing
- Maintaining Active, National Guard and Reserve end strength to support national defense strategy
- Supporting initiatives to protect earned benefits, including retirement, commissary and exchange
- Maintaining the Army’s strategic advantage and advancing modernization of the Current Force
- No TRICARE-for-Life enrollment fees
- Limiting increases in TRICARE fees/deductibles to COLA
- Fully eliminating the concurrent receipt offset
- Modernizing the reserve component retirement system to more closely align the system with the National Guard...
"And it really gives us a very unique opportunity to listen, to teach and learn, to work with people not just from within our own ranks, but across the services, with members of Congress and their staffs, other government agencies, academia, and, of course, industry.
"And it’s [the AUSA Annual Meeting] become a vital component of our development of...
"And it really gives us a very unique opportunity to listen, to teach and learn, to work with people not just from within our own ranks, but across the services, with members of Congress and their staffs, other government agencies, academia, and, of course, industry.
"And it’s [the AUSA Annual Meeting] become a vital component of our development of...
"And it really gives us a very unique opportunity to listen, to teach and learn, to work with people not just from within our own ranks, but across the services, with members of Congress and their staffs, other government agencies, academia, and, of course, industry.
"And it’s [the AUSA Annual Meeting] become a vital component of our development of...
This report describes the lifecycle of AUSA’s grassroots work from the creation of its annual legislative resolutions to the creation of the next set of resolutions.The resolutions are produced annually and act as the basis for our legislative objectives for the year.Chapters or individual members can submit proposed resolutions until July of each year.The National Resolutions Committee membership, usually numbering 14 AUSA members, is nominated by chapters and approved by the Council of Trustees.The committee members review the draft resolutions to be sure they promote the aims and objectives...
Our Army has faced significant fiscal challenges and transformational change in the aftermath of every major conflict since the Civil War.As the Army transitions from Afghanistan and returns to garrisons across the country, we will transition to meet the needs of the American people and our Nation.The concern of senior Army leaders throughout time during these transition periods is ensuring our political leaders understand the dynamics of reducing the size of the Army and the subsequent impacts it has on readiness, capability and capacity.With the loss of each soldier and the reduction in...
Greetings from the Association of the United States Army (AUSA), our Army’s and our soldiers’ professional organization.Thanks to AUSA’s Virginia Colonial Chapter for sponsoring my visit with the leaders, soldiers, Army civilians and families of Fort Eustis and the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) in January.Sarah Sattelberg, the chapter president, and the chapter leaders did a magnificent job working closely with the senior military leadership to build an itinerary that kept me very busy.I was honored to have the opportunity to join the leadership and noncommissioned officers...
After many years at war, American soldiers and their families continue to face new challenges driven by the fiscal issues facing our country.During these times of reduced resources and uncertainty, the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) is here to support you as we were here for you when you deployed.Sequestration and budget pressures continue to place unacceptable pressure on our Army, its soldiers, families and civilian employees.Military retirement and retiree health care programs are under attack by those who view the programs as "overly generous" and programs affecting the Army...
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff may have been speaking to the right audience to influence the future in January when talking about the military as a “thinking, adaptive institution.”Army GEN Martin E. Dempsey was at the National Defense University addressing students from that school, the National War College and the Eisenhower School. His topic was change, something that does not come easily to the military.“The force that you lead will have to be more agile than the one I currently lead,” Dempsey said in the January 14 address. “We’ll have to be able to throttle up force and just...
The Association of the United States Army (AUSA) has partnered with the American Freedom Foundation to host the second Warriors To The Workforce Hiring Event for veterans, in conjunction with Still Serving Veterans, to be held at the 2014 AUSA Winter Symposium and Exposition.This one-of-a-kind event, to be held Feb. 19 – 21, 2014, at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Ala., is part of the American Freedom Foundation’s nationwide initiative to help veterans find jobs.The first event was held at the AUSA 2013 Annual Meeting and Exposition at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center was a...