ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

Some believe lethal, autonomous weapons may prove to be the third revolution in warfare. The Navy has ships, the Air Force has planes and soon, the Army will not only have soldiers, but also numerous unmanned systems and robotic devices in its ranks.

The introduction of hundreds of thousands of these platforms onto the battlefield will require the Army to consider what new strengths and vulnerabilities these systems deliver to ground forces. It will also demand that the institutions that grow, train and resource these forces reimagine a future that may depend on them. A good place to start is...

Facing the Threats of a Post-9/11 World

The Big Stick: The Limits of Soft Power & the Necessity of Military Force. Eliot A. Cohen. Basic Books. 304 pages. $27.99

By Col. Gregory Fontenot

U.S. Army retired

Eliot A. Cohen’s The Big Stick is a provocative review of post-Cold War security policy and execution focused primarily on the era since 9/11. Cohen makes his case in three parts, asking: was “expense in blood and treasure worth it,” whether the “arguments for scaling back American aims” are justified and whether “the United States is simply too incompetent to use force sensibly.”

In these...

Legislation introduced will benefit wounded warriors and active duty soldiers.

AUSA strongly supports two pieces of legislation carried over from the 1st Session of the 115th Congress: The Fair Access to Insurance for Retired (FAIR) Heroes Act and The Credentialing, Educating, and Relevant Training Initiative For Your (CERTIFY) Heroes Act.

The FAIR Heroes Act would allow medically-retired veterans to choose between Medicare and TRICARE for their health care coverage.

Many of the most severely wounded warriors qualify for both Medicare and for TRICARE. They earn TRICARE upon...

On Jan. 5, 2018, renowned military artist Todd Krasovetz delivered the latest painting (the third in a series) commissioned by USAWOA.

Titled “Eagles Rising,” it will be unveiled in conjunction with the celebration of the warrant officer cohort’s centennial birthday, on July 9.

Ambitious in scope, the painting seeks to encompass 100 years of our history – from our humble beginnings as mine planters in World War I, and through every conflict since, as eagles rising to become the technical experts we are at today’s leadership table.

We sincerely hope all who view this work of art will see a part of...

Tenacity, resilience, grit. These three words can be used to describe service members and their spouses, whose ability to bend but not break under the pressure of serving our country, goes unmatched.

The same words can be used to describe entrepreneurs as they maneuver the highly competitive business world in hopes to sell their product or service.

At the Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF), a large focus has been set on aiding service members, veterans and their spouses to utilize the skills and tools they have gained from their military service and become entrepreneurs.

Thanks...

New York National Guard soldiers, airmen, families and community supporters made up more than 1,200 marchers in Glens Falls, N.Y., Dec. 24 as part of a Christmas Eve Road March to remember the service of past and present troops overseas.

This was the 14th time that people turned out for what’s become an annual event, organized by retired Sgt. 1st Class Arthur Coon, a former member of the New York Army National Guard.

“We began this event in 2004 with just ten people starting at the Glens Falls Armory,” Coon told the crowd before the march began from the Cool Insuring Arena in downtown Glens...

For 381 years, the National Guard has protected the United States – even before those states united.

The National Guard celebrated its history and commitment to service Dec. 13 with a 381th birthday breakfast at the Jackson Center, hosted by the Redstone-Huntsville Chapter of the Association of the U.S. Army.

National Guard soldiers, National Guard retirees, Redstone Arsenal leadership and local officials attended the annual event honoring the National Guard’s integral role in the armed services.

“It is critical that we recognize it is the Total Army that defends our country...

When the Army, industry and local governments team up in “live-fire” cyber exercises, the results are mutually beneficial, said Col. Andrew O. Hall.

Hall, director of the Army Cyber Institute (ACI), and other cyber experts spoke at an Association of the U.S. Army Institute of Land Warfare Hot Topic Forum on cyber issues.

The reason that robust exercises are beneficial, he said, is that gaps in cyber defense become apparent and leaders of these communities learn what actions they must take to defend themselves.

In turn, lessons learned help the Army to better understand how to defend all the...

The Army is changing the way it buys cyber solutions as a way to get new technologies – especially those based on battlefield needs – into soldiers’ hands faster.

“There’s been a fundamental shift inside the Army on the way we try to do acquisition,” Maj. Gen. John Morrison, commander of the Cyber Center of Excellence, said during an event hosted Dec. 13 by the Association of the U.S. Army in Arlington, Va.

In the past, requirements for new solutions were too prescriptive and technical, often outlining maximum and minimum standards solutions had to meet at the extreme ends of each spectrum.

“You...

Cyber Electromagnetic Activities (CEMA) support is fundamentally about making the Army more lethal, both for current operations and in planning for the future – provided it can be effectively integrated and utilized by commanders.

Speaking at the Association of the U.S. Army’s Hot Topic forum on Army cyber, Col. William Hartman, deputy commander, joint force headquarters – Cyber (Army), U.S. Army Cyber Command, said the Army needs to improve its cyber training environment.

“It’s about leader development” and competing with near-peer threats, Hartman said.

Over the last two years, the Army has...

The Army offers a number of cyber programs tailored for youth, even those with no interest in being part of the military, said Col. Andrew O. Hall, director of the Army Cyber Institute (ACI).

Hall said it’s important that all soldiers, particularly junior officers, get a grasp of the cyber domain in order to be effective on the battlefield.

Additionally, he said that growing a cyber workforce benefits all Americans, since cybersecurity in government and industry is inextricably linked to national security.

Hall and others spoke at an Association of the U.S. Army Institute of Land Warfare Hot...

Greetings from the Association of the United States Army (AUSA), our Army’s and our soldiers’ professional organization.

This year your association had the honor and privilege to establish the Sergeant Major of the Army Leon Van Autreve Scholarship.

Thanks to USAA and its contribution to this opportunity to support soldiers and their families across all three components of the Army, AUSA recognized eight very special recipients.

Discussions began in August last year to establish the scholarship named in honor of our Army’s 4th Sergeant Major of the Army, Leon Van Autreve.

With a combat engineer...

Welcome to 2018 – a midterm election year.

Every seat in the House of Representatives, and one-third of those in the Senate are up for a decision by the voters. Between today and Election Day in November, Congress is likely to accomplish very little, as every legislative vote cast will be based on how well it plays in the Member’s home state.

This does not encourage bold action on major issues. That doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty on the Congressional to-do list. Re-opening the government is obviously a pressing concern. As this was written, the government had been shut down for two and a half...

Retired Gen. Jack Neil Merritt, a former Association of the U.S. Army president, died Jan. 4 at the age of 87.

A native of Lawton, Okla., Merritt served in the Army for 35 years, starting his career as a private in 1952 at the height of the Korean War.

As AUSA’s leader, Merritt warned in 1991 about the risk of cutting the Army after the success in Operation Desert Storm. “The problems lie not only with overall reductions but also with the speed with which they are to be executed,” he wrote in a column printed in the Congressional Record.

Adding, “For the Army, the rapid reductions mean that...

The American Freedom Foundation will host the fifth annual Warriors To The Workforce presented in association with Still Serving Veterans and in conjunction with the 2018 Association of the U.S. Army’s Institute of Land Warfare Global Force Symposium and Exposition, March 26 to 28.

This special program will take place on Tuesday, March 27, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the North Hall of the Von Braun Center, Huntsville, Ala.

This one-of-a-kind event is part of the American Freedom Foundation’s nationwide initiative to help veterans find jobs.

It brings together major companies...