ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

Senior leaders from across the Army are lined up to speak at AUSA Now, the Association of the U.S. Army’s 2020 virtual annual meeting.

The meeting kicks off Oct. 13 with an address by Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy. The first day also will feature an initiatives forum by Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael Grinston and contemporary military forums about diversity and inclusion in the Army, spurring more industrial base innovation, and readiness initiatives.

Big speakers are lined up for the Association of the U.S. Army’s 2020 virtual annual meeting, AUSA Now, which begins in just three weeks.

On Tuesday, Oct. 13, Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy will speak during the opening ceremony. The first day of AUSA Now also will feature an afternoon initiatives forum by Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael Grinston and contemporary military forums about diversity and inclusion in the Army, spurring more industrial base innovation, and readiness initiatives.

Registration is now open for AUSA Now, the 2020 virtual annual meeting of the Association of the U.S. Army that will be held Oct. 13–16.  

A combination of live and prerecorded programming is planned, including an opening day address from Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy. Defense Secretary Mark Esper, Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville and many other Army leaders also will speak.  

A splashy opening ceremony is planned for Oct. 13, beginning about 10 a.m. The schedule for other programs will be set to accommodate live viewing in most time zones.   

AUSA Now, the Association of the U.S. Army’s 2020 Annual Meeting, is being planned to include three days of virtual speeches, forums and professional development events followed by a fourth day dedicated to association events.  

“The Time is Now” is the theme of the 2020 meeting, an emphasis that applies to people, modernization, readiness and partnerships. 

On people, the Army is working on a wide range of initiatives to attract, develop, employ and retain talented soldiers and civilian employees while launching new initiatives to foster cultural understanding and empathy. 

The Association of the U.S. Army has announced the recipients of its 2020 National Awards, which honor individuals for their selfless service and dedication to the Army and its soldiers.

“We at AUSA are really proud of this year’s National Award recipients,” said retired Gen. Carter Ham, AUSA president and CEO. “From a group of extraordinary nominees, we have selected recipients whose selfless service and unparallel accomplishments best exemplify the ideals we celebrate at AUSA.”

The Association of the U.S. Army's highest honor for distinguished and selfless service is being awarded this year to The Army Family, which includes spouses, parents, siblings, children and the loved ones of American soldiers.

It is not the first time the George Catlett Marshall Medal has gone to a group instead of a person. In 2004, the Marshall Medal was awarded to The American Soldier.

The Association of the U.S. Army’s 2020 Annual Meeting and Exposition will be held virtually this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“After careful and detailed consideration, we’ve made the difficult decision to convert the 2020 AUSA Annual Meeting from an in-person meeting to a virtual experience,” said retired Gen. Carter Ham, AUSA president and CEO. “Based on health and safety considerations and ongoing restrictions on large gatherings, it is not possible for us to conduct an in-person meeting as we had originally envisioned.”

The Association of the U.S. Army is delaying registration for its annual meeting as it continues to plan for the October event amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Registration, ticket sales and hotel reservations for the 2020 AUSA Annual Meeting and Exposition are now delayed until Aug. 3. The meeting is scheduled for Oct. 12-14 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C.

The demand for Army aviation will continue to grow beyond current requirements, which are already high, said Maj. Gen. David Francis, commander of the Army Aviation Center of Excellence and Fort Rucker, Alabama.

"The demand for aviation is as high as it ever has been and is not getting lower," he said.

Francis made his remarks during a presentation on the Army’s Future Vertical Lift modernization efforts Oct. 16 at the Association of the U.S. Army’s Annual Meeting and Exposition. 

After four major hurricanes hit the U.S. in 2017, the Army used its lessons learned to update the way it prepares for a complex catastrophe, a senior Army leader said.

“We developed a template at Army North that actually [outlines] in terms of capabilities what we would deploy,” Lt. Gen. Laura Richardson, commander of U.S. Army North, said Oct. 16 while speaking on a panel about disaster response at the Association of the U.S. Army’s Annual Meeting and Exposition.