ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

Republicans from the House Armed Services Committee officially delivered their “views and estimates” of the president’s fiscal 2020 defense budget request to the Democratic-led House Budget Committee.

In it, they argue that the Trump administration’s $750 billion budget request for the Pentagon would be required to “continue to restore our readiness and to make progress in meeting the threats posed by near-peer competitors, such as Russia and China.”

In the March 11 letter, the committee members, led by ranking member Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, said, “We are committed to restoring the...

Greetings from the Association of the U.S. Army, our Army’s association for education and professional development, and a major supporter of the Army’s Soldier for Life efforts.

The mission of Army Emergency Relief (AER), unchanged for the last seven decades, is to help relieve financial distress on soldiers and their families, an issue that is directly tied to the readiness of the force.

The Army will conduct its annual AER fund campaign from March 1 through May 15. This year’s campaign theme is “It’s What We Do.”

The goal is to ensure 100 percent of the force is educated and informed about AER...

The World War II Airborne Demonstration Team of Frederick, Okla., came to life in 1998 to honor America’s veterans. During the war, similar demonstration parachute teams staged exhibition jumps across the country to show the public the new airborne forces and to sell war bonds. They don’t sell war bonds today, but team members are proud to share the story of paratroopers of the 1940s.

As the number of World War II veterans diminishes each year, it becomes increasingly important to remind the public of the achievements of “the greatest generation.” From its inception, the motto of the team has...

As AUSA membership has been increasing, the benefits have been expanding as well.

Our newest member benefit provides an excellent professional development opportunity.

All AUSA members get the current digital issue of Battle Digest for free (and 15% off print subscriptions or back issues).

Battle Digest provides an executive summary of history’s important battles—including lessons on strategy, tactics and leadership. Battles covered so far are Gettysburg, Waterloo, Little Bighorn, Yorktown, D-Day, Cannae, Chancellorsville, New Orleans, and Cowpens. Download your free issue at www.ausa.org/battle...

“Why should Army National Guard and Army Reserve soldiers and family members join AUSA?”

The Association of the U.S. Army cares about and is committed to reserve component soldiers and family members and offers them a wide variety of benefits.

AUSA is the only professional organization that encompasses the needs and interests of the entire Army family, to include the Regular Army, Army National Guard, Army Reserve, Department of the Army civilians, retirees, veterans and family members.

Membership in AUSA is a key way for reserve component soldiers and family members to add their voice in support...

Retired Command Sgt. Maj. Daniel Elder, a senior fellow for the Association of the U.S. Army, became the first noncommissioned officer inducted into the Army Materiel Command Hall of Fame in February.

At the induction ceremony at Army Materiel Command headquarters, Gen. Gustave Perna, the AMC commanding general, noted that Elder, who served at AMC from 2005-08, was the first noncommissioned officer to be selected.

Following right behind him was retired Command Sgt. Maj. Ronald Riling, who served at AMC from 2011-13.

“We are recognizing two command sergeants major for what they did here at AMC,”...

Welcome to the new Congressional year. What a start 2019 and the 116th Congress have had so far: the partial government shutdown, a funding bill along with a declared emergency to add funding to the border wall, the delay in the budget being submitted to Congress, and the beginning of congressional hearings and preparations for many more hearings to come.

And we are only in February!

The administration is required by law (31 U.S.C. 1105(a)) to submit its budget request to the Congress by the first Monday in February, but once again the budget is delayed. This year the delay is due to the...

The Fairfax-Lee Chapter of the Association of the U.S. Army announced its 2019 Scholarship Program in February.

Every year, the chapter provides scholarships to students who are members of the chapter.

Last year, the chapter awarded $16,000 to 24 students, including college-bound high school seniors and college students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Recipients included soldiers of all components, Army civilians, military family members, ROTC and JROTC cadets, and industry partners.

This chapter program assists students in pursuing their dreams and helps build the next generation...

More than 30 people attended the Greater Augusta-Fort Gordon Young Professionals’ first event of 2019.

The group hosted a “First-Time Home Buyer Workshop” on Jan. 10.

The event sponsors, Augusta Mortgage Co. and Meybohm Real Estate, coordinated efforts to teach young professionals the process of buying a house and how to utilize the VA loan program.

The class was engaging and provided useful information for people seeking to buy their first home.

“I’m really thankful that AUSA Young Professionals set up this event,” said Lajoi Sims, one of the attendees.

“I plan to purchase a home in the next six...

John Shipley, the longtime director of the Aviation and Missile Command’s Aviation Integration Directorate, and a recipient of the Joseph P. Cribbins award from the Association of the U.S. Army’s Redstone-Huntsville chapter, was inducted in the Army Materiel Command Hall of Fame during his retirement ceremony at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in January.

Gen. Gustave Perna, commander of Army Materiel Command, presided over the induction and retirement ceremony.

More than 300 family, friends and colleagues from across the Army and the aviation enterprise attended the ceremony at which Shipley was...

Almost five months after the start of the fiscal year, after three continuing resolutions and one 35-day partial government shutdown, the last of the fiscal 2019 appropriations bills have been passed and signed by the president.

Now the focus turns to the fiscal 2020 budget.

Initially expected to be released the first week of February, the government shutdown left many workers from the White House Office of Management and Budget furloughed, causing a six-week delay in delivery.

The budget will be dropped in two phases, starting with highlights and toplines for federal agencies on March 11 and the...

Greetings from the Association of the United States Army, our Army’s association for education and professional development, and a major supporter of the Army’s Soldier for Life efforts.

As we begin a new year, let’s renew the discussion on why it is important to be part of the Association of the United States Army.

For all of us who are AUSA members, this discussion is a no-brainer.

But from a captain’s or sergeant’s perspective, we are compelled to ask: What is the value of being a member of the Association of the United States Army, and what do I or my soldiers get from becoming a member?

This...

Senior Army leaders, who for years have used the Association of the U.S. Army’s annual meeting as a place to hear complaints about family programs, came to AUSA again in February to announce steps they’re taking to address those problems.

At a livestreamed Family Readiness Initiatives Forum at AUSA’s national headquarters in Arlington, Va., Army leaders discussed new projects on housing, moving, spouse employment and child care aimed at improving quality of life for soldiers and their families, and they promised much more to come.

Army Secretary Mark T. Esper, Vice Chief of Staff Gen. James C...

Logistics and the Army’s ability to sustain forces in the fight have given the U.S. a strategic advantage on the battlefield for decades. As we prepare to operate simultaneously across multiple domains—land, sea, air, space and cyberspace—the requirement for these capabilities will increase in complexity and importance.

We must execute precision logistics and provide a reliable, agile and responsive sustainment capability to support rapid power projection and independent maneuver across contingencies and operations. The Multi-Domain Operations concept defines the strategic support area as the...

Those who have watched the Army’s concept for Multi-Domain Operations evolve since the fall of 2017 have experienced an odd sense of déjà vu. Thirty-seven years ago, the Army promulgated what it described as a multidimensional warfighting doctrine called AirLand Battle that would reset battle strategy. It was a shift from a focus on low-intensity, small-unit, decentralized counterinsurgency operations to larger-scale operations, heavily dependent on sophisticated technology for decisive operations fighting outnumbered in the U.S. European Command Theater.

Although Multi-Domain Operations shares...