ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

I was privileged not long ago to join a gathering of several former Army chiefs of staff. These were the leaders of the Army I grew up in, from the 1970s until my retirement from active service in 2013.

They were, and are still, to me, legendary figures who seem larger than life. Most are Vietnam veterans who led our Army through a period of massive transformation. All served during America’s most recent period of great-power competition—the Cold War. They understood and led change in the Army.

But one of them said something that, at first, I didn’t understand: “We find ourselves in an era that...

The Army National Guard’s capabilities “exist for our warfight,” so soldiers must be deployable, maintain their equipment and make sure their skills are interoperable with the Regular Army, says Lt. Gen. Daniel R. Hokanson, who became director of the Army’s second-largest component over the summer.

After almost two decades of counterinsurgency operations in which the Army National Guard became more integrated than ever with the Regular Army, a near-peer fight would test the Guard’s readiness on a harsher battlefield.

While acknowledging the Guard’s more familiar role of taking the lead in...

A culture shift driven by the new threat environment, along with improvements in medical readiness, reductions in the number of nondeployable soldiers and a purposeful focus on fostering a warrior culture, have pushed the U.S. Army Reserve to achieve heightened readiness, its top officer says.

In the more than three years since he took the reins of the Army Reserve, Lt. Gen. Charles D. Luckey said, the federal force has “pushed hard” to change from an organization accustomed to fairly predictable deployment schedules and long mobilization lead times to one whose capacity to surge more quickly...

Retired Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, the 18th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and 37th Army chief of staff, was selected by the Council of Trustees of the Association of the U.S. Army as the 2019 recipient of the George Catlett Marshall Medal for sustained commitment to the men and women of America’s armed forces.

This award, AUSA’s highest honor for distinguished public service, will be presented Oct. 16 at the George Catlett Marshall Memorial Dinner, the final event of the 2019 Association of the U.S. Army Annual Meeting and Exposition in Washington, D.C.

Dempsey, a career armor officer and...

Many soldiers might recognize their local Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army from the ceremonies the aides attend or the help they have provided to troops or their families.

What most people don’t know is the Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army (CASA) program has operated for almost 100 years and there are over 100 civilian aides in the U.S. and its territories. No other military service has a program like CASA that connects the service’s mission to the public in each of the 50 states and U.S. territories.

Just before World War I, a group of civilian volunteers began the program...

“Mission first, people always” is a motto that rings true and cuts to the heart of what the Army is about. The Army exists to deploy, fight and win our nation’s wars, yet every aspect of operations remains a human endeavor. A soldier is behind every weapons system, tank, aircraft, computer and decision made in order to accomplish the mission. It is a soldier, an American son or daughter, who takes an oath to support and defend the Constitution, who stands ready and courageously on point for the nation and who understands the sacrifice involved in being part of a purpose greater than self.

Soldi...

“Mission first, people always” is a motto that rings true and cuts to the heart of what the Army is about. The Army exists to deploy, fight and win our nation’s wars, yet every aspect of operations remains a human endeavor. A soldier is behind every weapons system, tank, aircraft, computer and decision made in order to accomplish the mission. It is a soldier, an American son or daughter, who takes an oath to support and defend the Constitution, who stands ready and courageously on point for the nation and who understands the sacrifice involved in being part of a purpose greater than self.

Soldi...

“Mission first, people always” is a motto that rings true and cuts to the heart of what the Army is about. The Army exists to deploy, fight and win our nation’s wars, yet every aspect of operations remains a human endeavor. A soldier is behind every weapons system, tank, aircraft, computer and decision made in order to accomplish the mission. It is a soldier, an American son or daughter, who takes an oath to support and defend the Constitution, who stands ready and courageously on point for the nation and who understands the sacrifice involved in being part of a purpose greater than self.

Soldi...

For the first time in over 43 years, the U.S. Army Infantry School at Fort Benning, Georgia, has overhauled One-Station Unit Training for initial-entry infantry soldiers. The familiar 14-week training model dates to 1978 and remained relatively unchanged for over four decades.

Now 22 weeks in duration, this new and improved initial-entry training intends to achieve more than familiarization in core infantry tasks. Instead, the new and expanded program of instruction focuses on achieving expertise. Soldiers leaving Fort Benning will arrive at their first units of assignment ready to deploy...

For the first time in over 43 years, the U.S. Army Infantry School at Fort Benning, Georgia, has overhauled One-Station Unit Training for initial-entry infantry soldiers. The familiar 14-week training model dates to 1978 and remained relatively unchanged for over four decades.

Now 22 weeks in duration, this new and improved initial-entry training intends to achieve more than familiarization in core infantry tasks. Instead, the new and expanded program of instruction focuses on achieving expertise. Soldiers leaving Fort Benning will arrive at their first units of assignment ready to deploy...

Although British and American societies differ in some ways, in terms of the contemporary recruiting environment, our armies face almost identical challenges: most 17- to 24-year-olds have little or no connection with the military; the strength of the national economies makes the civilian workplace attractive and consequently, unemployment is low; and large proportions of the target audience are ineligible for military service for a number of policy reasons, mainly medical and disciplinary prerequisites.

In 2012, the British Army reviewed its approach to recruiting and entered into a...

In the 21st century, everything is at your fingertips thanks to modern technology. People have adapted to receiving information immediately to help them easily plan ahead, from minutes to months, using a suite of mobile device apps.

Now imagine you’re a soldier who has been deployed to another country. Whatever the mission may be, you find your environment changes often, and you face an adaptive adversary. While you’ve been trained to handle yourself in this situation, unexpected things happen. But there’s no app or Alexa to help you request and receive a quick solution.

In the course of...

In the 21st century, everything is at your fingertips thanks to modern technology. People have adapted to receiving information immediately to help them easily plan ahead, from minutes to months, using a suite of mobile device apps.

Now imagine you’re a soldier who has been deployed to another country. Whatever the mission may be, you find your environment changes often, and you face an adaptive adversary. While you’ve been trained to handle yourself in this situation, unexpected things happen. But there’s no app or Alexa to help you request and receive a quick solution.

In the course of...

On May 8, 2014, about three years into Syria’s civil war, anti-government forces prepared explosives—reportedly about 20 tons—in a freshly dug tunnel under the city of Aleppo. Above ground, Syrian soldiers in a hotel being used by the Syrian army were oblivious. The massive blast that followed killed approximately 40 soldiers. It took only 33 days to dig the 100-meter-long tunnel using hand tools.

Just five days later, rebels detonated another explosive-laden tunnel, this one 850 meters long and packed with 60 tons of explosives, killing 20 soldiers at a checkpoint on a Syrian military base...

On May 8, 2014, about three years into Syria’s civil war, anti-government forces prepared explosives—reportedly about 20 tons—in a freshly dug tunnel under the city of Aleppo. Above ground, Syrian soldiers in a hotel being used by the Syrian army were oblivious. The massive blast that followed killed approximately 40 soldiers. It took only 33 days to dig the 100-meter-long tunnel using hand tools.

Just five days later, rebels detonated another explosive-laden tunnel, this one 850 meters long and packed with 60 tons of explosives, killing 20 soldiers at a checkpoint on a Syrian military base...