ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

Graphene is one of the most significant technological breakthroughs in the past 18 years, and it has the potential to greatly impact how the U.S. Army fights in multidomain operations.

Graphene is a material with electronic qualities similar to those of a diamond, in which carbon atoms are stacked in layers, an atom thick, on top of each other.

The Army could see three distinct benefits from graphene. First, graphene can significantly improve body armor. Second, graphene could dramatically enhance the Army’s ability to generate power. Third, graphene filters could provide the Army with...

A How-to for Managing in Uncertain Times

Risk: A User’s Guide. Retired Gen. Stanley McChrystal and Anna Butrico. Portfolio. 368 pages. $30

By Col. J.P. Clark

Retired Gen. Stanley McChrystal and Anna Butrico dedicate their book, Risk: A User’s Guide, to health care and other essential workers who serve despite dangers that cannot be fully eliminated. This acknowledgment of the COVID-19 pandemic is fitting as it highlights two major themes throughout the book.

The first is that everyone—not just military commanders, investors and gamblers—can benefit from a deliberate approach...

The military’s shift toward great-power competition coincides with the requirement for the Army to ramp up efforts on another warfront—talent management.

The main objective is to acquire, develop, employ and retain the most talented Army people.

“We fully recognize that it’s our people who give us the strategic advantage in the current security environment,” said Brig. Gen. Brett Funck, director of the Army Talent Management Task Force, the organization charged with developing solutions for the service to effectively compete in the war for talent.

This article presents five talent...

Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. James McConville wrote, with Maj. Gen. J.P. McGee in a December 2019 War on the Rocks Commentary, “Battalion commanders are arguably the most consequential leaders in the Army. Their experience, placement, and influence give them an out-sized ability to shape the future service of the soldiers they lead. They train and develop our young soldiers, non-commissioned officers, and officers and have more impact on their decisions to continue serving (or not) than any other leadership position.”

I assumed command of the 2nd Battalion, 11th Infantry Regiment, which...

American civilian and military strategists traditionally think of deterrence in two forms: deterring conventional or nuclear war. Obviously, these are important forms of deterrence, and senior leaders are reviewing and taking steps to upgrade both forms. This review, primarily the responsibility of DoD, is long overdue, and the nation will be better situated to meet future challenges because of the current focus.

Deterrence has a third form, however, one that doesn’t seem to get the attention it deserves. That is, deterring our adversaries from achieving their strategic goals below the...

The Edelman Trust Barometer 2021, a respected measure of trust in social institutions, reports a failure at some level in the trust that the general public has in the four core institutions in America: business, government (where the Army lives), nongovernment organizations and the media. COVID-19, the economic crisis, issues of racism, and political instability have fueled this trust instability and created a significant crisis in leadership.

In a March 10 article headlined “Trust in the military is dropping significantly, new survey suggests,” Military Times reported a 14% drop in...

The Edelman Trust Barometer 2021, a respected measure of trust in social institutions, reports a failure at some level in the trust that the general public has in the four core institutions in America: business, government (where the Army lives), nongovernment organizations and the media. COVID-19, the economic crisis, issues of racism, and political instability have fueled this trust instability and created a significant crisis in leadership.

In a March 10 article headlined “Trust in the military is dropping significantly, new survey suggests,” Military Times reported a 14% drop in...

When you transfer to a new Army position, you want to do your best to meet your responsibilities while contributing to the success of the unit. One way to move up in rank is to make sure to review lessons learned in your new unit. These reviews are available to new unit members, and a lot can be learned from these documents. Make sure to fulfill your job description while continuously focusing on meeting all your Army requirements and duties. Focus on the unit mission and think of ways the unit can perform better.

I would like to share some personal reflections on lessons learned and...

Valorous Acts Deserve Highest Recognition

Immortal Valor: The Black Medal of Honor Winners of World War II. Robert Child. Osprey Publishing. 288 pages. $30

By John Morrow Jr.

Immortal Valor: The Black Medal of Honor Winners of World War II recounts the early lives and acts of valor of the seven African American soldiers who, in 1997, more than 50 years after their service, received the Medal of Honor.

It is truly a history of American valor but, as has been well documented, the racist war decorations boards of the world wars determined that no Black soldier was worthy of the...

The Army has never shied away from a fight, and I know we are not about to start now,” Army Secretary Christine Wormuth said in her keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the Association of the U.S. Army’s 2021 Annual Meeting and Exposition. 

A career defense policy expert and civil servant, Wormuth said this is no time for standing still. “We have a lot to be proud of, but we also have a lot of work to do,” she said.

The first woman to serve as Army secretary became the service’s top civilian leader as the Army had already launched a critical modernization effort to close capability...

From his first day as the first commander of the newly created U.S. Army Futures Command, Gen. Mike Murray has focused on one core mission.

“All that really matters is, are we giving young soldiers today or into the future the capability they’re going to need to win on the future battlefield?” he said. “Or better yet, are we giving [them] the capability that nobody will ever take us on in the future? And that’s really what deterrence means.”

Tasked with leading one of the largest, most ambitious transformation and modernization efforts in Army history, Murray has led Futures Command as...

The Army’s Holistic Health and Fitness System represents the service’s largest investment in its most valuable resource—its people. To prepare for multidomain operations, the Army must holistically invest in soldiers to equip them with the physical supremacy, decision dominance, spiritual strength and emotional resilience to win the nation’s wars.

The Holistic Health and Fitness (H2F) System is a transformational performance readiness system, and its updates span doctrine, organizations, training, materiel, leader development, personnel, facilities and policy.

From a personnel...

The Army’s Holistic Health and Fitness System represents the service’s largest investment in its most valuable resource—its people. To prepare for multidomain operations, the Army must holistically invest in soldiers to equip them with the physical supremacy, decision dominance, spiritual strength and emotional resilience to win the nation’s wars.

The Holistic Health and Fitness (H2F) System is a transformational performance readiness system, and its updates span doctrine, organizations, training, materiel, leader development, personnel, facilities and policy.

From a personnel...

The Army’s Holistic Health and Fitness System represents the service’s largest investment in its most valuable resource—its people. To prepare for multidomain operations, the Army must holistically invest in soldiers to equip them with the physical supremacy, decision dominance, spiritual strength and emotional resilience to win the nation’s wars.

The Holistic Health and Fitness (H2F) System is a transformational performance readiness system, and its updates span doctrine, organizations, training, materiel, leader development, personnel, facilities and policy.

From a personnel...

The Army’s Holistic Health and Fitness System represents the service’s largest investment in its most valuable resource—its people. To prepare for multidomain operations, the Army must holistically invest in soldiers to equip them with the physical supremacy, decision dominance, spiritual strength and emotional resilience to win the nation’s wars.

The Holistic Health and Fitness (H2F) System is a transformational performance readiness system, and its updates span doctrine, organizations, training, materiel, leader development, personnel, facilities and policy.

From a personnel...