In an ever-changing world, demand for United States involvement in humanitarian assistance and stability operations will increase, said a former Army chief of staff who founded the service’s Peacekeeping Institute 20 years ago."My experience tells me the world has changed significantly since the end of the Cold War," Gen. Gordon R. Sullivan, USA, Ret., said.Adding, "[With] the fragmentation of the world, the globalization of the world, global climate change ... we have an increasing demand ... [for] humanitarian aid and assistance, and a need to be involved in stability operations."Sullivan...
Former Army Capt. William D. Swenson was presented the Medal of Honor by President Barack Obama in a White House ceremony Oct. 15, making him the sixth living recipient of the nation's highest military award for valor during combat in Iraq or Afghanistan.The Washington State native received the Medal of Honor for his conspicuous gallantry at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty, Sept. 8, 2009, during combat operations against Taliban insurgents in Kunar Province, Afghanistan."It’s a monumental event for me, for my family and for my teammates," Swenson said after receiving...
When Maj. Gen. Jefforey Smith observed ROTC training after taking over the U.S Army Cadet Command in April 2012, he was surprised it had changed little in 30 years."The program that we have in place today is exactly the same program that I went through between 1980 and 1983 at Ohio State University," Smith said, explaining that the core of the curriculum is unchanged."Now when you look at the environment we live and work in today, technology has changed leaps and bounds in the last fifteen years, let alone thirty years," he said.So Smith decided the curriculum must evolve to meet the needs of...
AUSA on the Hill. AUSA’s vice president for education, Lt. Gen. Guy Swan, USA, Ret., and the director of government affairs, Bill Loper, represented AUSA at a military association roundtable hosted by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi to discuss issues important to the associations.Members of Congress also attending included those who sit on committees such as Veterans’ Affairs; Budget; Homeland Security; Military Construction/VA Appropriations Subcommittee, as well as members of the House Armed Services Committee.Topics discussed included advance appropriations for the VA budget.Congress...
During a ceremony on Oct. 16, at the White House, President Barack Obama hung the Medal of Honor around Capt. William Swenson’s neck to rounds of applause and the flash of cameras.Looking on from the crowd in attendance were members of the California National Guard, whom Swenson had invited as personal guests. They had been there on the day that Swenson’s actions during the Battle of Ganjgal earned him America’s highest military honor.On Sept. 8, 2009, Swenson, an active-duty soldier, was part of an embedded training team of 13 Americans on patrol with approximately 80 Afghan army and police...
Yet again I must report that defense appropriations legislation remains incomplete more than two months after the beginning of the new fiscal year.The defense appropriations legislation is tied up in the current negotiations over the House and Senate budget resolutions that are to be completed by Dec. 13.Depending on the success of that negotiation, which is ongoing as this goes to press, there could be an enormous omnibus funding bill passed in January or a continuing resolution for the rest of FY 2014 that would freeze spending at the FY 2013 levels or at some mutually agreed upon level.Curr...
The Association of the United States Army’s Council of Trustees elected Gen. Ann E. Dunwoody, USA, Ret., as a new member of the Association’s council.Dunwoody was elected to AUSA’s governing body to fill the unexpired term of Hon. Valerie Baldwin who has returned to work for the federal government on the House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security.Dunwoody recently retired after 37-plus years of service to the nation and earned the historic distinction of being the first woman in U.S. military history to achieve the rank of four-star general.Retiring...
Just before dawn Sept. 8, 2009, and under a full moon, Capt. William D. Swenson and a contingent of Afghan forces made their way slowly on foot, crunching the gravel under their boots through a mountain valley in Kunar Province, Afghanistan, not far from the Pakistan border.With one tour in Iraq and on his second deployment to Afghanistan, Swenson was serving as an embedded adviser for the Afghan Border Police.He points out that as an adviser, he wasn't there to lead the Afghan police or the Afghan National Army soldiers, known as the ANA."With the Afghans, one cannot overtly lead – they are...
Sgt. Maj. of the Army William A. Connelly, USA, Ret., from Monticello, Ga., was inducted into the Georgia Military Veterans’ Hall of Fame in Columbus, Nov. 22, as a member of the 2013 inaugural class for his extraordinary achievements and his service to the nation.He was also cited for his outstanding leadership and service to soldiers and their families during his over 33-year military career.Connelly, who served as the sixth sergeant major of the Army from July 1979 to June 1983, also served as command sergeant major, U.S. Army Forces Command.In his retirement, Connolly was a member of the...
Former Army Capt. William D. Swenson received the nation’s highest military award for valor, the Medal of Honor, for actions during a fierce, six-hour battle following a deadly ambush in Afghanistan.Swenson, who is the first Army officer to receive the Medal of Honor for actions in Iraq or Afghanistan, was honored at the White House Oct. 15.Guests at the ceremony included other Medal of Honor recipients, members of Swenson’s team, and the families of service members who died in battle.Secretary of the Army John McHugh, Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Ray Odierno, Under Secretary of the Army Dr...
Twenty-four elite warriors converged on Fort Lee, Va., for the Best Warrior Competition in which tough challenges, both day and night, pushed their limits physically and mentally as they vied to be the best of the best.
The soldiers were at Fort Lee, Nov. 19-22, for the competition.
Sgt. Maj. of the Army Raymond F. Chandler III oversaw the competition.
The challenges included Army aptitude tests, conquering urban warfare simulations, land navigation, marksmanship, board interviews, physical challenges, written exams, and battle drills relevant to today’s operating...
Countries throughout the Asia-Pacific region are "excited by our increased participation here," said the Army component commander for that area."We intend to put into motion a pathway of activity [for the Army] into multiple countries for extended periods of time, linking a series of events and exercises on a variety of topics," said Gen. Vincent K. Brooks, commander, U.S. Army Pacific, known as USARPAC.Brooks spoke at a press engagement at the Association of the U.S. Army’s 2013 Annual Meeting and Exposition, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.The activity of which Brooks spoke...
The breakdown in unit trust was key in facilitating events leading up to and following the infamous Mahmudiyah killings in Iraq, Pfc. Justin Watt told a group of noncommissioned officers during a professional development forum at the Association of the United States Army’s Annual Meeting and Exposition.Watt, the key whistleblower in the case, recounted his personal experiences and how they apply to the Sgt. Maj. of the Army Raymond Chandler’s AUSA forum on unit trust."The sergeant major doesn’t want to hide from things that we failed at," said Watt who further praised Chandler for examining...
The 2013 Department of the Army Best Warrior Competition was held at Fort Lee, Va., from Nov. 19 to 22. Originally scheduled for Oct. 15 to 18, the competition was postponed due to the government shutdown.
While there were many factors that negatively impacted this year’s competition, Sergeant Major of the Army Ray Chandler, the entire Army team and all the personnel at Fort Lee rallied to make this event a reality.
I had the honor to watch all the competitors...
Budget-strapped, the Army hopes to save money by shifting more of its non-core operations to commercial providers, senior Army leaders said at an Association of the United States Army Contemporary Military Forum.Encouraged by savings it has realized by turning housing and lodging over to private companies on many bases, the Army now seeks partnerships with private firms for tasks ranging from operating arsenals and depots to generating electricity."For the Army to succeed in this [budget] climate, we need to focus on what we do best – our core competencies," Kathleen Hammack, the Army’s...