ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

Defense Secretary Ash Carter said recently that beginning in January all military occupations and positions will be open to women, without exception.

For the first time in U.S. military history, as long as they qualify and meet specific standards, the secretary said women will be able to contribute to the Defense Department mission with no barriers at all in their way.

"They’ll be allowed to drive tanks, fire mortars and lead infantry soldiers into combat," Carter said.

Adding, "They’ll be able to serve as Army Rangers and Green Berets, Navy SEALs, Marine Corps infantry, Air Force parajumpers...

One of my first duties as your new AUSA Director of Government Affairs was to work with the Resolutions Committee to develop the 2016 AUSA Resolutions.

After a review of the historical process for resolutions’ development, Government Affairs recommended and Gen. Gordon R. Sullivan, USA, Ret., AUSA president, approved a new process and format.

Process

Historically, through 2012, AUSA solicited member input for new resolutions by July of each year. Then, in October, the members of the Resolutions Committee were flown (at AUSA expense) to Washington just prior to the October AUSA Annual Meeting.

They...

President Barack Obama’s decision to keep 9,800 American forces in Afghanistan into 2016 has resonated through the region, the commander of NATO’s Resolute Support Mission said.

Army Gen. John F. Campbell said that at this time last year the United States was headed toward 1,000 service members in Afghanistan by the end of 2016.

"We were closing all our bases and we were going to be Kabul-centric," he told reporters during an interview.

But in October, Obama announced that the United States would maintain 9,800 troops in Afghanistan through most of 2016, ultimately heading toward an end strength...

The nominee for Army under secretary told a Senate committee that he believes his experiences as an Iraq War veteran and member of Congress will help him in the job.

Patrick Murphy is a former Army captain and staff judge advocate who spent eight years in the service.

He deployed to Bosnia in 2002 and Iraq in 2003, and also served as a constitutional law professor at the U.S. Military Academy.

The 42-year-old served two terms in the U.S. House representing Pennsylvania’s 8th District.

Appearing Dec. 15 before the Senate Armed Services Committee, alongside the nominees for under secretary of the...

The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria is more than a large, capable terrorist organization and the U.S. Army is adjusting its tactics to defeat them, said Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Milley during a visit to Fort Hood, Texas.

In the wake of the recent bombings in Paris and Beirut, Milley acknowledged that Army planners are taking a "hard look" at additional tactical changes.

"There’s no question in my mind that Daesh, as we call them, are a serious threat to U.S. national security interests," he said, using the preferred acronym of the group’s Arabic name.

Adding, "The president has said it...

Maj. Gen. Nadja West was sworn in as the Army’s first African-American surgeon general Dec. 11.

When she pins on her third star, West will become the Army’s first female African-American lieutenant general and the highest-ranking woman to graduate from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York.

(Editor’s note: West’s predessesor, Lt. Gen. Patricia D. Horoho, retired Dec. 15. See photo on Page 22.)

The Senate confirmed West Dec. 10 for the position and acting Army Secretary Eric Fanning administered the oath of office to her the next day, making her the Army’s 44th surgeon general and...

Today’s veterans who’ve served throughout the last 14 years of continuous war, "are the finest team of soldiers yet assembled on the face of this planet," Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Daniel B. Allyn said.

"These soldiers for life – who like all generations of soldiers before them – answered this nation’s call to duty," he said.

Adding, "They’re experienced leaders, who are accustomed to building and leading diverse teams to solve complex problems for the nation, and, they are resilient."

Allyn also noted, "Our Army’s and our nation’s commitment to these brave men and women cannot stop when they...

Continuing resolutions, sequestration and delayed budgets cause unpredictability and undermine Army acquisition efforts, said Maj. Gen. Cedric Wins, director, force development, Headquarters, Department of the Army.

Wins, speaking at a Hot Topic forum on Army contracting sponsored by the Association of the U.S. Army, said, "The resulting effect is that you have to make shifts and adjustments, creating a lot of extra turbulence in an already turbulent process."

A certain amount of funding is necessary to execute the Army’s acquisition strategy on time, Wins said. "And the more delays that occur...

The biggest problem in the Army today is soldiers who are non-deployable, and that’s having a direct impact on readiness, Sgt. Maj. of the Army Daniel A. Dailey said.

He said this construct is unsustainable in the complex operational environment that exits today.

Dailey spoke at the chief of staff of the Army-sponsored Noncommissioned Officer Solarium II held at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kan.

To give a scope of how big the problem is, there are currently about 50,000 soldiers who are non-deployable. "That’s huge. That’s three out of the 10 divisions" that...