A Message –Operation Iraqi Freedom/New Dawn The magnitude of what this nation and our soldiers have accomplished in Iraq is unprecedented."We have never been more proud of our Army – our soldiers, civilians and our families."You freed over twenty-five million people from tyranny and given hope when hope was forsaken. Our Army provided new opportunity for the people of Iraq. No other Army in the world could have accomplished what you have done – only American soldiers."Throughout Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn, our soldiers embodied physical and mental toughness and courage...
A Message –Operation Iraqi Freedom/New Dawn The magnitude of what this nation and our soldiers have accomplished in Iraq is unprecedented."We have never been more proud of our Army – our soldiers, civilians and our families."You freed over twenty-five million people from tyranny and given hope when hope was forsaken. Our Army provided new opportunity for the people of Iraq. No other Army in the world could have accomplished what you have done – only American soldiers."Throughout Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn, our soldiers embodied physical and mental toughness and courage...
There is much discussion in the halls of the Pentagon these days about the role of the Army, and I'd like to share with you my thoughts on the issue.Without question, 10 years of war and today's austere economic environment will have a profound impact on our Army.But to put it simply: in these uncertain times – perhaps especially in these uncertain times – the Army is central to our nation's defense.Specifically, the Army has three roles to play.First, our Army must prevent conflict.Prevention requires a credible force with sufficient capacity, readiness and modernization.Our ability and will...
President Barack Obama Jan. 5 announced a defense strategy he said will allow the military to defend the United States and its national interests while cutting military spending in a responsible, balanced manner.The president spoke about the conclusions of the defense strategy review at the Pentagon briefing room today.The strategy review’s bottom line is that the United States armed forces will remain the pre-eminent military force in the world, the president said in a letter attached to the review.White House and Pentagon planners will use the strategy to fund the budget Obama will submit to...
Soldiers recently finished evaluation of three variants of the Company Command Post Node as part of Network Integration Evaluation 12.1.The three-week evaluation, which ended Nov. 19, helped demonstrate the ability of each of the systems to deliver communications capability to those in the lowest echelons of the Army – the soldiers who physically execute the Army's mission "at the tactical edge.""I see the company as a massive intelligence and information-gathering point," Capt. Scott DeWitt, who previously served as a company commander with 2nd Brigade, 1st Armored Division (2/1 AD), said.The...
A wounded warrior limped into Ryan Blanck's office at the Center for the Intrepid at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas, one day with a plea for help.The doctors at Brooke Army Medical Center had saved the service member's leg after a combat injury, but due to the pain, he couldn't walk comfortably, let alone run.Blanck, a leading prosthetist at the state-of-the-art rehabilitation center, found himself in an unfamiliar position – at a loss."There wasn't a go-to option," he said, referring to devices for wounded warriors with lower leg injuries.So Blanck created one.He designed the Intrepid...
Maj. Gen. Patricia D. Horoho was promoted to lieutenant general and became the first nurse and first woman to become the Army's surgeon general in a ceremony at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Va., Dec. 7.She was nominated to this position by President Barack Obama May 10 and was later approved by the Senate.She succeeds Lt. Gen. Eric B. Schoomaker, who will retire in January."Over the past decade, Army medicine has led the joint health effort in the most austere environments," Horoho said. "As part of the most decisive and capable land force in the world, we stand ready to adapt."A decade of...
Sgt. Maj. of the Army Kenneth O. Preston, USA, Ret., has been unanimously elected by the Association of the United States Army’s Council of Trustees Executive Committee to serve on the Association’s Advisory Board of Directors.Preston will complete the unexpired portion of the term on the board held by Sgt. Maj. of the Army Jack Tilley, USA, Ret., who was previously elected by the council to serve as AUSA’s vice chairman for noncommissioned officer and soldier programs.He will also serve, as did Tilley, on the Advisory Board’s Awards Committee.Preston served as the 13th sergeant major of the...
After five months of engineering and production work, the U.S. Army has completed its first vehicle designed for recruiting civilian scientists.The Army unveiled the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Asset Vehicle during All-American Bowl Week Jan. 6 in San Antonio, Texas.The Army demonstrates its latest technological advancements in the Army Technology Zone before the annual game.Before the vehicle's official launch in January, students from seven Maryland schools had an opportunity for a hands-on look.The STEM Asset vehicle is a modified tractor-trailer equipped with...
As Operation New Dawn was coming to a close, the Virginia Army National Guard left Iraq in its final convoy, Dec. 2."We were a convoy escort team," Staff Sgt. Raymond Bunch, convoy commander, Able Troop, 2nd Squadron, 183rd Cavalry Regiment, Virginia Army National Guard, said.Adding, "We would pick up logistic supplies and escort them from one base to another to their final destination."Able Troop's last convoy took them out of Iraq, via a southbound route into Kuwait. There, they turned in their gear – one of the last things they would do on their deployment.Before their departure, each...
As the Army moves into the future, it will continue to concentrate on both humanitarian assistance and building international partnerships, according to Unified Quest participants.But they said the service will also, in an era of downsizing and constrained resources, still need to be trained and ready for conflict or war."Now that we're coming back [from theater], we're going to see our training to support this Army become much broader," Lt. Gen. Keith C. Walker said. "And part of that training will be modeling and simulations."Walker, the deputy commanding general of Army Futures, and...
President Barack Obama spoke to soldiers at Fort Bragg, N.C., Dec. 14 welcoming many back who had just returned from Iraq and lauding an end to the nine-year-long war there.The installation of some 55,000 soldiers has been a major location from which troops have deployed to Iraq, and the XVIII Airborne Corps has comprised the last major U.S. headquarters in Baghdad."You – the incredible men and women of Fort Bragg – have been there every step of the way, serving with honor, sacrificing greatly, from the first waves of the invasion to some of the last troops to come home," Obama said.Adding,...
AUSA’s Institute of Land Warfare recently released two new publications."The U.S. Army in Europe: A Pillar of America’s Defense Strategy" (Torchbearer Issue Paper, December 2011) highlights the strategic importance of Europe-based landpower to the Army as a global force."U.S. Army North/Fifth Army: Building Relationships for a Secure Homeland" (Torchbearer Issue Paper, December 2011) discusses Army efforts to secure the U.S. homeland and assist civil authorities during crises.U.S. Army Europe is a critical part of the Army’s global force, one that forms the foundation of American strategic...
It is an honor to introduce myself as the new AUSA Director of Family Programs.As an Army spouse of 31 years and a longtime advocate for Army families, I have had the privilege of witnessing, first-hand, the strength and fortitude Army families have shown during very challenging times.I'm looking forward to this new role as an opportunity to contribute to your resilience and to be your voice in the Association.Like many of you, I have spent my adult life working on behalf of our soldiers and their families.I have volunteered with Family Readiness Groups, Army Family Team Building, Army...
American forces, scheduled to be out of Iraq by the end of December, are leaving the nation in a position to sustain the long-fought peace that has been established over the past nine years, said Army Chief of Staff Gen. Raymond T. Odierno at Fort Hood, Texas, Dec. 6.Odierno was at Fort Hood to meet with commanders and community leaders, and to provide an update about the current state of the Army as well as the way ahead."Obviously, the corps remains significantly committed to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan," he said.With the last Fort Hood troops in Iraq arriving home or re-positioning to...