ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

Good leaders and competent, values-based leadership have always been the centerpiece of the Army’s formations, and essential components to effectiveness across organizational levels, from squad to corps. Good leadership, not just good management—and there is a significant difference—has always mattered. Good leadership is hard, inconvenient and uncomfortable. Good leadership is a 24/7 requirement that extracts the full measure of selfless service from those who have chosen to lead.

And, yes, leadership is a choice. Equally important is that the type of leadership required and the manner in...

Good leaders and competent, values-based leadership have always been the centerpiece of the Army’s formations, and essential components to effectiveness across organizational levels, from squad to corps. Good leadership, not just good management—and there is a significant difference—has always mattered. Good leadership is hard, inconvenient and uncomfortable. Good leadership is a 24/7 requirement that extracts the full measure of selfless service from those who have chosen to lead.

And, yes, leadership is a choice. Equally important is that the type of leadership required and the manner in...

In July 2014, I was in my 36th year of military service, a two-star general, a combat veteran and president of the National Defense University in Washington, D.C. I worked for the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the nation’s highest-ranking military officer, Gen. Martin Dempsey.

After decades of success, I had become a maniac: extremely disruptive and erratic. Finally, the chairman, who was a longtime mentor, boss and friend, summoned me to his office and said, “Gregg, I love you like a brother, but your time at NDU is done. You have until 5 p.m. today to resign, or you’re fired...

Taking the Long View of Modern Wars

Blood, Metal and Dust: How Victory Turned into Defeat in Afghanistan and Iraq. Ben Barry. Osprey Publishing. 582 pages. $30

By Brig. Gen. John Brown, U.S. Army retired

Ben Barry, a seasoned battalion and brigade commander and a military thinker with impressive credentials, has authored Blood, Metal and Dust: How Victory Turned into Defeat in Afghanistan and Iraq, a splendid one-volume history of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. As a British author, he gives due attention to the participation of America’s NATO allies, bringing alive contributions...

Sept. 27 marks the 25th anniversary of the Taliban takeover of Kabul, initiating their ostensible rule of Afghanistan. Sept. 11 marks the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the twin towers in New York City and the Pentagon, and the downing of a hijacked airliner in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The latter date is seared into the memory of many Americans; the former date, not so much.

As America pulls its uniformed forces from Afghanistan, it might be helpful to review what transpired there in the five years before U.S. troops arrived. This period set the stage for the longest...

Army Secretary Christine Wormuth has a pragmatic side that helps guide her as the 25th person to hold the post.

“I knew when I came into this job that I’m never going to have all of the money that I would want to be able to do everything the Army needs,” she said in an interview. “I think the theme for my tenure is likely to be ‘hard choices,’ and I think we are going to have to really ruthlessly prioritize.”

One sign of the potential for hard choices comes in her thoughts about the Army’s modernization priorities, specifically the 31 priority programs leaders agreed were needed to...

Since his first day on the job more than two years ago, Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville’s top priority has not wavered.

“The No. 1 priority is still people,” he said.

His priority has remained as the Army has weathered two trying and busy years:

• Soldiers dealt with COVID-19 while supporting efforts to kill the virus and administer vaccines.
• Thousands deployed in August to support the massive evacuation mission and withdrawal in Afghanistan, while others continue to deploy and serve in 140 countries around the world.
• Soldiers responded to wildfires, hurricanes and...

Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael Grinston is going back to the basics.

As he looks to pull soldiers together and move the force forward after a grueling year packed with missions at home and overseas and the lingering COVID-19 pandemic, Grinston said he believes it all starts with trust.

“How do we get through such a trying time?” he said. “You have a really tight, small group.”

If soldiers can trust their teammates, rely on them, confide in them, that’s the key to improving the Army, Grinston said. “We might get mad. It’s like a family, right? You fight with your family, but you still...

The year ahead for the Army National Guard promises to be as demanding as it’s been for the past two years, when soldiers responded to an unprecedented level of activity ranging from wildfires, floods, storms and hurricanes to civil unrest and COVID-19 support missions.

While the Army National Guard’s 336,000 soldiers keep up with myriad domestic missions and overseas deployments, the second-largest Army component is on track to modernize in step with the Regular Army. It is also reorganizing for the future battlefield and opening new leadership opportunities in the ranks, the Army National...

The chief of the U.S. Army Reserve is steering her force back to the fundamentals of soldiering by slashing administrative tasks, pushing knowledge and decision-making down to junior leaders and honing a plan to fill the ranks with new talent.

Piece by piece, Lt. Gen. Jody Daniels has changed, and in many cases eliminated, layers of overly stringent rules and requirements that over time have permeated the way the Army Reserve operates and, to some degree, diluted the intensity of training.

Through virtual and in-person town hall meetings, “sensing sessions” with soldiers and families...

All these years later, a particular smell or sound is enough to transport retired Lt. Col. Paul “Ted” Anderson to the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001.

“I think of it every day. It stays fresh with me every day,” Anderson said about the deadly attacks that killed almost 3,000 people at the Pentagon and in New York and Pennsylvania and launched what would become a 20-year war in Afghanistan.

As the nation prepares to mark the 20th anniversary of the attacks, Anderson, who received a Soldier’s Medal, the Army’s highest award for heroism in noncombat situations, for his actions at the Pentagon...

With every change of administration, some programs continue and new ones begin. As new leaders identify the problems they will focus on and the changes they will make, they often implement new solutions to issues that existed before their time.

In January, DoD welcomed a new secretary of defense who immediately ordered a review of how the services handle sexual assault and harassment cases. Several members of Congress voiced their belief that prosecution of sexual assaults should not belong to military commanders.

Instead, they believe there should be an independent entity that...

Different types of robots suit different missions. For instance, an airborne robot might skillfully maneuver around obstacles better than a ground robot, but a ground robot might have more energy to travel longer distances.

Army leaders believe the next stage of warfare will necessitate the support of mixed robot teams that can dynamically adapt to environmental challenges. But for different types of autonomous robots to work together, they need a core strategy that tells each team member how to move, plan and communicate.

The Distributed and Collaborative Intelligent Systems and...

As the Army continues the perpetual assessment of challenges and opportunities it will face in coming years, one thing is certain: If U.S. policy is to lead first with diplomacy, in a whole-of-government approach to national security challenges, it is important to remember that a strong military and a strong Army are what make successful diplomacy possible. Yet the Army cannot, does not and will not fight alone.

The Army is the keystone component of a strong joint force. Just as important, the Army is a critical partner in a global land power network that relies on allies and partners to...

The U.S. Army and its soldiers should question whether the Biden administration’s signaled shift to the Asia-Pacific region leaves the U.S. prepared to deal with a resurgent Russia. As Pentagon budgets draw down, Pentagon and political leaders are tailoring the military for China. America followed this path in 2014 with disastrous results for U.S. interests at home and in Europe, because a China-centric strategy lacked the capabilities to address Russia’s unique threats. The same problem exists today, only Russia is more motivated to risk war.

If that happens, the Army and its soldiers will...