ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

The end of large-scale combat deployments that have dominated military life for over a decade may resurrect another old, familiar stressor for soldiers and their families – the need to maintain personal financial readiness, an expert said at Military Family Forums at the 2016 Association of the United States Army’s Annual Meeting and Exposition.

“We may well see more financial challenges for military families who have grown used to the infusion of extra cash and benefits that go along with deployments,” said Holly Petraeus, assistant director for service member affairs with the Consumer...

The U.S Army must be ready to fight at any time in the largest, and arguably the most complex, region of the world, Gen. Robert Brown said during the Association of the U.S Army’s Annual Meeting and Exposition.

Brown, the commanding general of U.S. Army Pacific, oversees 94,000 soldiers and 12,000 civilians in an area that encompasses 52 percent of the world’s surface.

“We have to be ready to fight tonight,” Brown said.

Adding, “Kim Jong Un is more aggressive than anyone could have imagined, especially considering he is the only person in the 21st century to conduct a nuclear missile test.”

North...

One of the Army’s chief strategists warns of an “urgent” need to upgrade Army ground combat platforms to respond to the increased lethality of the modern battlefield.

Speaking at a daylong Hot Topic forum hosted by the Association of the U.S. Army, Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, director of the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command’s Army Capabilities Integration Center, said, “We are in a period of increasing risk to our Army’s ability to fight, win and accomplish the mission against increasingly capable enemies.”

While risks are increasing, the Army sees itself for the first time since World War I...

Gen. Carter F. Ham, USA, Ret., AUSA president and CEO, announced at the Presidents and Delegates Dinner held at the recent Annual Meeting and Exposition that AUSA has set a goal of reaching 100,000 members by the end of 2017.

You might be wondering how we are going to accomplish this task.

Well, just like Gen. Ham said, it starts by recruiting “one more member.”

With the holidays coming up and the special 2016 membership dues rates expiring on Dec. 31, now is a great time to get that “one more member.”

The special 2016 individual membership rates – $30 for two years; $50 for five years; and $300...

One of Redstone Arsenal’s top enlisted soldiers was honored recently with a leadership award presented by the Redstone-Huntsville Chapter of the Association of the U.S. Army.

Sgt. 1st Class Lee Dalton, who serves as the first sergeant for the Aviation and Missile Command’s Headquarters and Headquarters Company, received the 1st Sgt. John Ordway Leadership Award for the Army’s active-duty component at a breakfast hosted at The Summit by the AUSA chapter.

“It’s an honor to be recognized,” Dalton said.

“First sergeants, generally, don’t get award recognition. They are usually the ones doing the...

With cyber domain operations playing an increasingly important role in the Army’s future, attracting, recruiting and retaining quality soldiers is vital, said Lt. Gen. Paul Nakasone, commanding general, U.S. Army Cyber Command.

“The most important capability in cyberspace, the one advantage our nation has, is the American soldier,” Nakasone said.

He gave the opening remarks at the Hot Topics forum titled: “Cyber and Future Readiness,” sponsored by the Association of the U.S. Army’s Institute of Land Warfare.

The event was held at AUSA’s Conference and Event Center in Arlington, Va.

The forum...

Young, social media-savvy soldiers may be the linchpin in commanders’ efforts to use cyber networks to throw virtual effects at enemies in future battlefields, according to Army leaders.

“I think there is a better comfort level with our young folks that understand the complexity of the environment in which we are operating,” Col. Jerry Turner, commander of the 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, said at a Nov. 3 discussion on cyber operations, hosted by the Association of the U.S. Army.

“They think in a very network kind of way because that’s how they operate in their daily lives,” he continued.

Add...

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

AUSA’s 119 chapters with their volunteer leaders and members across the country and around the world are our ambassadors, connecting our Association with soldiers and their families, Army leaders in their area, local corporate partners and our communities.

Our 119 chapters serve as the linchpin to bring faces and places together to better support our soldiers and tell the “Army Story.”

Our mission: To serve as a voice for the Army and support for the soldier.

As a 501(C) (3) not...

The ability to dominate cyberspace operations is “inextricably linked to Army readiness,” says Gen. Daniel B. Allyn, the U.S. Army vice chief of staff.

But the cyber domain, “the only man-made one that exists, creates a vexing set of challenges.”

Allyn was the keynote speaker at the Nov. 3 Hot Topic forum “Cyber and Future Readiness,” sponsored by the Association of the U.S. Army’s Institute of Land Warfare. The event was held at AUSA’s Conference and Event Center in Arlington, Va.

“The most seasoned strategists have struggled with how to tackle this emerging battleground,” Allyn said.

Adding,...

Election Day came and went, the votes were cast and we have a new President-elect.

Although the Electoral College still has to cement the results in December, the inflection point has occurred, and the country is on the path to a Republican White House and Congress.

Whether your choice for president won or lost, it is now time to look forward.

Our elected representatives will need to get down to business and figure out how to lead our nation.

One of the major tasks ahead is funding the government, part of which is the Department of Defense.

We will see whether that task is accomplished before the...

The Multi-Domain Battlefield operating concept that is shaping the Army’s future includes two big challenges: how to sustain a force in a fluid, fast-moving fight, and how to operate without constant communication, warns one of the Army leaders shaping the new doctrine.

Speaking at a breakfast hosted by the Association of the U.S. Army’s Institute of Land Warfare, Gen. David Perkins, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command commanding general, said senior commanders will have to learn to give orders “broad enough so when and if you lose communication,” the commander on the battlefield will...

Another stopgap measure ahead? Unless you live on another planet, you know how the race for the White House turned out. Now the question is how the result will affect the waning days of the 114th Congress.

Leaders of the House Appropriations Committee are wondering the same thing. Committee Chairman Harold Rogers, R-Ky., said that although discussions are ongoing, he is waiting for guidance from President-elect Donald Trump’s team on whether Congress should pass spending bills this year or pass another stopgap spending measure that would last until next year.

“We’re prepared to go. During this...

Smoking American and Soviet-made tanks and planes littering the Sinai Peninsula and Golan Heights in 1973 shocked the world. In only two short weeks, the violence, precision and lethality of the 1973 Arab-Israeli War exposed glaring weaknesses in NATO’s concept to defend Western Europe. Energized by the magnitude of the problem to take on extensive reform, American military leaders embarked on the development of a new concept of how the Army and Air Force could effectively deter, fight and win against a modernized foe in the changed operational environment.

In the following years, the U.S...

While there is a burgeoning body of literature examining the skills necessary for officer success in joint, interagency, intergovernmental and multinational environments, less has been written about the value of broadening experiences for performing in subsequent operational assignments within the Army at all echelons.

In our careers, broadening experiences outside the Army were ideal preparation for key developmental assignments at both company and field grade levels. Broadening is also about building better leaders within the Army, not solely about preparing officers to excel when dealing...

While there is a burgeoning body of literature examining the skills necessary for officer success in joint, interagency, intergovernmental and multinational environments, less has been written about the value of broadening experiences for performing in subsequent operational assignments within the Army at all echelons.

In our careers, broadening experiences outside the Army were ideal preparation for key developmental assignments at both company and field grade levels. Broadening is also about building better leaders within the Army, not solely about preparing officers to excel when dealing...