Articles from Army Magazine, AUSA News, and Headline News relating to the Association of the United States Army's Annual Meeting
In a year marked by strife and a pandemic that restricted activities within the Army’s cadet corps, leaders at the service’s three commissioning institutions say they’ve worked to imbue future leaders with a sense of urgency and cultural sensitivity as they transform from civilians into Army officers.
The Army is making progress—and seeing results—after rolling out several initiatives within the past year to improve quality of life for soldiers and their families.
“We listened to your feedback, understood the issues and laid out our way ahead,” Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy said Oct. 15 in a town hall meeting during AUSA Now, the Association of the U.S. Army’s virtual 2020 annual meeting.
The company behind a next-generation hoist rescue stabilization system for aeromedical evacuations has won the fourth round of the Army’s xTechSearch competition.
Vita Inclinata Technologies of Broomfield, Colorado, was named the winner of xTechSearch 4.0 in a presentation Oct. 15 during AUSA Now, the association of the U.S. Army’s virtual annual meeting. The company will receive a $250,000 prize.
Army aviation is on a “fantastic glide slope” as it continues to push ahead to develop next-generation aircraft for the future battlefield, said Maj. Gen. David Francis, commander of the Army Aviation Center of Excellence and Fort Rucker, Alabama.
The aircraft being developed as part of the Future Vertical Lift effort will “inform how we will fight in the future,” Francis said Oct. 15 during a Warriors Corner presentation as part of AUSA Now, the 2020 virtual annual meeting of the Association of the U.S. Army.
The National Guard’s state partnership program is “the greatest national security tool that most people have never heard of,” said Gen. Daniel Hokanson, the 29th National Guard Bureau chief.
Speaking at a forum during AUSA Now, the virtual annual meeting of the Association of the U.S. Army, Hokanson said the program provides durable ties between the U.S. and other nations that is unmatched by anyone else. It also provides exchanges with a variety of purposes, from disaster planning to military vehicle maintenance to leadership training, he said.
A 15-year plan to modernize the Army’s organic industrial base is taking place with “holistic transformational change” in the service’s ammunition and maintenance depots and arsenals, said Gen. Edward Daly, commander of Army Materiel Command.
The Army is working to give junior leaders more time so they can focus on getting to know their soldiers and building disciplined, fit and proficient teams, Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael Grinston said.
“This has got all of our attention,” he said. “In order to be able to know everybody in your squad, I’ve got to give you time to know your soldiers.”
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic turning this year’s permanent change-of-station season “upside down,” the Army has managed to keep soldiers moving while keeping them safe, officials said.
“The Army met the challenge and safely completed over 72,000 PCS moves in 2020, and we’re not done yet,” Lt. Gen. Douglas Gabram, commanding general of Army Installation Management Command, said Oct. 15 during AUSA Now, the Association of the U.S. Army’s virtual 2020 annual meeting.
The Army is working to build more data science and data engineering expertise in the force by adding a short-term certification program to a pilot program underway now at a leading university.
The upcoming program will select a number of soldiers to do a six-month certification program in data science through Carnegie Mellon University, a “world leader in data science,” after which the soldiers will return to the force, said Maj. Gen. J.P. McGee, director of the Army Talent Management Task Force.
The Army’s efforts to build a synthetic training environment will “revolutionize” the way soldiers train for years to come, said Maj. Gen. Maria Gervais, director of the Synthetic Training Environment Cross-Functional Team.
Speaking Oct. 15 during a Warriors Corner presentation at AUSA Now, the 2020 virtual annual meeting of the Association of the U.S. Army, Gervais said her team is working closely with academia, government and industry partners.
