ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

Congress has received the president’s Fiscal Year 2018 budget request.

The Army and the rest of the Department of Defense have completed their posture hearings defending the budget before the Armed Services and Defense Appropriations committees.

Now the congressional gears are slowly starting to turn, but they are running four months behind schedule. Given their past record, a continuing resolution is a strong possibility – again.

As I write this column, there are less than 40 legislative days remaining when both the House and Senate are in session before Fiscal Year 2018 begins on Oct. 1.

Because...

Bridging the communications gap between the retired community and the Army was the overarching message at the 2017 Chief of Staff, Army Retired Soldier Council held at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., April 23-28.

The 14-member council, co-chaired by retired Lt. Gen. Jim Lovelace and retired Sgt. Maj. of the Army Ray Chandler, also addressed other concerns and aspirations of the Army’s retired community with 16 senior leaders, including Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Milley and Sgt. Maj. of the Army Daniel A. Dailey.

The council is administered in accordance with Army Regulation 600-8-7...

I joined the Association of the United States Army as both a member and as the director of affinity programs on March 1. I love being part of AUSA.

My job is to improve and expand the member benefit programs for all AUSA members, and I want to hear from you so we can increase the value of your membership and grow our base to provide even better support for our soldiers and their families.

What products, services should we add?

Not only do you benefit from participating in our member benefit programs, but many of our business partners give back to AUSA in many ways that support our mission: Voice...

The message to lawmakers at several recent Congressional hearings focused on the fiscal 2018 defense budget was simple: Sequestration and continuing resolutions have eroded the capabilities needed to defend the nation and its interests.

Defense Secretary James Mattis said that the 2018 defense budget is aimed at sustaining the Army and other services while promised growth must wait until 2019.

A one-year fix isn’t possible.

“It took us years to get into this situation. It will require years of stable budgets and increased funding to get out of it,” Mattis said in testimony.

In fact, Mattis said...

Hatred is a persistent toxin that damages combat veterans’ souls and families long after a deployment has ended.

In 2016, the U.S. Army assigned the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, to advise and assist the Iraqi Army in its efforts to retake Mosul. Adding to the complexity of the mission, the brigade was headquartered out of a Kurdish peshmerga-controlled base. The brigade had to bridge the gap between the two rival religious sects and ethnic factions to retake the city. Formerly enemies, the two forces were armed, living on the same base and planning combined offensive operations to combat Islamic State fighters in Mosul. The U.S. soldiers did not take the lead—they trained, advised and...

In 2016, the U.S. Army assigned the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, to advise and assist the Iraqi Army in its efforts to retake Mosul. Adding to the complexity of the mission, the brigade was headquartered out of a Kurdish peshmerga-controlled base. The brigade had to bridge the gap between the two rival religious sects and ethnic factions to retake the city. Formerly enemies, the two forces were armed, living on the same base and planning combined offensive operations to combat Islamic State fighters in Mosul. The U.S. soldiers did not take the lead—they trained, advised and...

In 2016, the U.S. Army assigned the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, to advise and assist the Iraqi Army in its efforts to retake Mosul. Adding to the complexity of the mission, the brigade was headquartered out of a Kurdish peshmerga-controlled base. The brigade had to bridge the gap between the two rival religious sects and ethnic factions to retake the city. Formerly enemies, the two forces were armed, living on the same base and planning combined offensive operations to combat Islamic State fighters in Mosul. The U.S. soldiers did not take the lead—they trained, advised and...

The Army leadership accessions and education system of 100 years ago was not only deficient quantitatively, it was qualitatively deficient: There was no standardized system to obtain and educate our leaders for World War I. By November 1918, the Army experienced a roughly twentyfold increase. The requirement for trained leaders increased exponentially to meet those needs. To run a nearly 4 million-man Army, the service estimated it would need 200,000 commissioned officers—the prewar strength of the entire Army. But trained leaders for such a hugely technical and industrial war were unavailable...

The Army’s senior logistician urged nearly 200 Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) senior and junior cadets to be competent, committed and of high character.

Gen. Gus Perna, Army Materiel Command’s commander, closed out the 2017 Association of the U.S. Army’s Institute of Land Warfare Global Force Symposium and Exposition in Huntsville, Ala., by sharing words of wisdom at a special ROTC luncheon with cadets from more than 10 local high schools and two universities.

The luncheon was sponsored and hosted by AUSA’s Redstone-Huntsville Chapter.

Perna called his journey to ROTC “divine...

Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall Commander Patrick M. Duggan and Command Sgt. Maj. Carolyn Y. Donaldson honored members of the JBM-HH community who donated their time and service over the past year during the Installation Volunteer Recognition Ceremony at Spates Community Club.

“We truly are grateful for everything that you ladies and gentlemen do,” Duggan told the volunteers who collectively contributed 78,000 hours of labor.

He added, “We recognize how invaluable your time and your expertise is to not only the local community, but the entire nation.”

In her keynote address, Patricia Barron, the...

The life and times of America’s most decorated war hero as well as all veterans and active-duty soldiers were celebrated during Audie Murphy Day.

The Fletcher Warren Civic Center saw plenty of action as it hosted a special program featuring a presentation of the colors by the Hunt County Veterans Honor Guard and a program that featured many speakers reflecting on the life of Audie Murphy.

Col. Richard Kaniss, Ret., president of the North Texas-Audie Murphy Chapter of the Association of the United States Army based in Dallas was the first guest to speak.

Kaniss spoke at length about what his AUSA...

Three members of the Association of the U.S. Army’s Fort Rucker-Wiregrass Chapter were recognized during a luncheon for their efforts to further membership numbers and their support to the association.

“Every year, the [AUSA] Third Region gives out awards at the region meeting, and all the chapters have a chance to nominate people for an award,” Fort Rucker-Wiregrass AUSA Chapter President Jim Muskopf said.

Adding, “I take that quite seriously, as I have my whole life, that awards have to mean something and that awards have to be for something that you have done.

“The folks [who I name] literally...

It’s time to plan your summer travel – so don’t forget to take advantage of your AUSA membership benefits.

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Choice® hotels include 11 brands ranging from upscale hotels with all the extras to just a simple stay. There’s a Choice® hotel for every trip you take.

The hotels are: Cambria Suites®, Clarion®, Comfort Inn®, Comfort Suites®, Econo Lodge® MainStay Suites®, Quality®, Rodeway Inn®, Sleep Inn®, Suburban Extended Stay Hotel®.

And...

(Editor’s note: The AUSA Hot Topic forum on Army contracts was held April 26. On May 4, seven months overdue, Congress finally passed a $1.07 trillion fiscal 2017 omnibus spending bill. The president signed the measure into law on May 5.)

The inability of Congress to pass an appropriations budget, instead keeping the government running on a continuing resolution (CR), hurts both the Army and the defense industry, experts said at the Association of the U.S. Army’s Hot Topic forum on Army contracts.

The U.S. military is dealing with one of the longest CR periods in history, said Lt. Gen. Karen...