ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

As part of the Association of the U. S. Army’s commitment to support Army warrant officers, AUSA is announcing an expanded relationship with the United States Army Warrant Officers Association (USAWOA).

To recognize this partnership, warrant officers who are AUSA members will receive a complimentary one-year membership in USAWOA beginning June 1.

This new program will provide AUSA’s warrant officer members with a digital subscription to the USAWOA Newsliner and access to educational resources and scholarships specifically addressing warrant officer needs.

Those AUSA members who take advantage of...

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

The 3rd Biannual Gainey Cup Competition began May 1 at Fort Benning, Ga., with 24 six-man scout squads competing to be the best of the best.

The grueling three-day competition is designed to fully test and identify the best scout squads from our Army and international competitors.

Winning this year’s competition was the 1st Armored Division’s 1st Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment (Blackhawks).

Second place in...

With no time to spare before a partial government shutdown, Congress passed a $1.07 trillion fiscal 2017 omnibus spending bill.

On May 5, seven months overdue, President Trump signed the measure into law.

The bill, which funds the government through the end of September, provides the Defense Department with $593 billion, a $19.9 billion increase over fiscal 2016 levels.

Another $2.5 billion could be provided once the Trump Administration presents Congress with its strategy to defeat ISIS.

The agreement fully funds pay and benefits for 1,305,900 active component and 813,200 reserve component troops...

During the weekend of April 29-30, the Association of the U. S. Army’s General Gordon R. Sullivan Conference and Event Center was transformed into a high-end evening wear boutique.

Military and civilian donors, to include several from AUSA’s Fairfax Lee and George Washington chapters, donated over 2,000 gowns, handbags and pieces of jewelry to Operation Deploy Your Dress’s (ODYD) first ever pop-up event cohosted with AUSA.

Two hundred happy soldiers and family members visited AUSA and strolled away with the perfect party ensemble leaving Yvonne Coombs, co-founder of ODYD, and her volunteers...

A decorated Army Ranger who served in Korea and Vietnam says the U.S. must guard against going into a future conflict unprepared. It has happened before with unfortunate results, he said.

Speaking at a Lemnitzer Lecture hosted by the Association of the U.S. Army’s Institute of Land Warfare, retired Col. Ralph Puckett said there are many reasons to worry. Despite ongoing military action in Iraq and Afghanistan, “we must not forget the 600-pound gorillas – Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea,” he said during an event held at AUSA’s General Gordon R. Sullivan Conference and Event Center in...

Once upon a time, there was a legislative body called “Congress.”

In the summer of 2011, after the Great Recession and looking at a staggering deficit, there was an argument over raising the debt limit, and the two sides were gridlocked over what to do.

One day, after much debate and with no solution in sight, they constructed a “Doomsday Device” called the Budget Control Act (BCA) of 2011.

This law would first cut proposed discretionary spending by $1 trillion, and then set up a “Super Committee” to figure out how to cut an additional $1 trillion.

The law passed with bipartisan support.

The...

Some generals have made the news lately for behaviors that violate the professional ethic. Although this trend seems new or current, it isn’t. Thomas E. Ricks, a well-published author on defense matters, wrote “General Failure” in the November 2012 issue of The Atlantic and in the same year published a book, The Generals: American Military Command from World War II to Today, on the same topic. His critique focused on a perceived lack of accountability in our armed forces at the general-officer level.

In June 2008, Lt. Col. Robert Bateman wrote “Cause for Relief: Why Presidents No Longer Fire...

Some generals have made the news lately for behaviors that violate the professional ethic. Although this trend seems new or current, it isn’t. Thomas E. Ricks, a well-published author on defense matters, wrote “General Failure” in the November 2012 issue of The Atlantic and in the same year published a book, The Generals: American Military Command from World War II to Today, on the same topic. His critique focused on a perceived lack of accountability in our armed forces at the general-officer level.

In June 2008, Lt. Col. Robert Bateman wrote “Cause for Relief: Why Presidents No Longer Fire...

The world doesn’t wait.

While the U.S. Army was securing Afghan mountains and Iraqi deserts, Russian aggression fermented in Eastern Europe. While we were churning out equipment to track terrorists and survive roadside bombs, China doubled down on its anti-access/area denial capabilities. While we struggled to bend the defense bureaucracy into the mold of Silicon Valley, our adversaries bought cutting-edge technologies with few constraints.

In an environment where change is the only constant, the Army is fighting to reassert its technological overmatch to reassure allies and deter future...

Book Reviews on Topics Including the Deployment of U.S. Troops to Siberia following WWI, Japanese-American GIs in WWII, an Decisionmaking of Elites.

How does a new idea become reality? When it comes to the future Army, how does that idea turn into a new vehicle, weapon system or doctrinal change?

It all starts with an idea, or concept. Concepts identify required capabilities. These required capabilities are matched to current or programmed resources. If no resource exists that can match the capability, a gap exists. Processes then take place to fill that gap within the analytical framework known as the Army Warfighting Challenges (AWFCs).

AWFCs are the Army’s enduring first-order problems. Solutions to these challenges will improve the...

Army information systems—and indeed, most information systems in the federal government—are generally slow, cumbersome and counterintuitive.

The most troubling and challenging ethical situations I have faced in the Army involved misconduct by leaders who were senior to me. Unfortunately, Army ethics training focuses almost entirely on teaching soldiers to avoid personal misconduct and on encouraging leaders to act as “moral compasses” for their subordinates. Except for informing soldiers that they have a duty to disobey immoral orders, ethics training does not address the unique considerations of responding to ethical misconduct by a superior.

The Army’s culture would improve if there were a shared understanding about all soldiers’...

Robotics and autonomous/semi-autonomous technologies are advancing rapidly and many armies are exploring ways to take advantage of this nascent capability. If the U.S. Army wishes to gain and maintain dominance against potential adversaries, it will require employment of ground robotic and autonomous systems to close capability gaps and leverage technology overmatch. Today’s ground-based robotic and autonomous technologies could sufficiently enable and enhance current capabilities to close gaps associated with, but not limited to, reconnaissance in-depth, network extension and enhancement, and...

Robotics and autonomous/semi-autonomous technologies are advancing rapidly and many armies are exploring ways to take advantage of this nascent capability. If the U.S. Army wishes to gain and maintain dominance against potential adversaries, it will require employment of ground robotic and autonomous systems to close capability gaps and leverage technology overmatch. Today’s ground-based robotic and autonomous technologies could sufficiently enable and enhance current capabilities to close gaps associated with, but not limited to, reconnaissance in-depth, network extension and enhancement, and...