ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

From enlistment to retirement and all points in between, the Army is changing the way it recruits, trains, develops and takes care of soldiers, a panel of senior leaders said.

The change is being driven through a renewed emphasis on people and is based on the first ever Army People Strategy published last year. “This is the ‘how’ of the People Strategy, and it will transform the way we approach people in the Army,” said E. Casey Wardynski, assistant secretary of the Army for manpower and reserve affairs. 

Communication and exercises helped prepare the Army for an unprecedented “whole of nation” response to the COVID-19 pandemic, DoD and Army leaders said.

“COVID-19 required an unprecedented response,” Lt. Gen. Laura Richardson, commanding general of Army North said Oct. 14 during AUSA Now, the Association of the U.S. Army’s virtual 2020 annual meeting.

“We have only trained for something like this in an exercise,” she said, adding that 10 FEMA regions were activated in response to the pandemic. 

An Army survey aimed at finding more and better ways to improve military spouse employment opportunities is being launched Oct. 14 and will seek feedback from Army civilians who are spouses of military members.

The focus of the Army Civilian Military Spouse Employment Survey is to get Army civilians whose spouses are members of the military “to share their insights and experiences regarding how they gained and maintain employment in the Army,” said Karen Wolfe, chief of the staffing and classification division in the office of the deputy Army chief of staff for personnel.

A risky behavior monitoring system that might forewarn of suicide or other problems could be available this month to alert units of potential crises or challenges.

Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael Grinston is calling on NCOs to take time to get to know their soldiers as the service battles challenges such as suicide and sexual assault and harassment across the force.

“When we focus in on fit, disciplined and well-trained teams, we’re going to drive down all the negatives that happen to us on a daily basis,” Grinston said Oct. 13 during an initiatives forum as part of AUSA Now, the 2020 virtual annual meeting of the Association of the U.S. Army. 

The highlight of the second day of AUSA Now is the Dwight Eisenhower presentation by Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville, but there also will be a wide variety of events for soldiers, Army civilians and family members.

In the morning, a panel of experts led by Lt. Gen. Laura Richardson, commander of U.S. Army North, will speak at a homeland security seminar titled “DoD’s Whole of Nation Response – COVID-19.” 

The Army Reserve must prepare its commanders and soldiers for multidomain operations with training that incorporates mission command, tools that can replicate domains other than land, and the platforms soldiers need to remain physically fit and resilient, senior leaders said.

The Army has managed to balance its priorities of readiness, modernization and soldiers’ safety during a “challenging” year, senior leaders said.

Despite challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, junior leaders “found ways to generate readiness” while protecting their troops, according to Gen. Michael Garrett, commanding general of Army Forces Command.

Leadership behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic “stands to benefit” soldiers of all ranks, according to Army research.

In a survey conducted in May by the Behavioral Health Advisory Team, more than 20,000 active-duty soldiers were asked about the pandemic’s impact on a variety of areas, including leadership response and public health and information gaps.

A soldier representing Army Futures Command and an NCO from Army Special Operations Command have been named the winners of the 19th annual Best Warrior Competition.

The 2020 Soldier of the Year is Sgt. James Akinola, a combat medic assigned to Fort Jackson, South Carolina. The Noncommissioned Officer of the Year is Sgt. 1st Class Alexander Berger, who is assigned to 2nd Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group at Fort Carson, Colorado.