ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

After almost 40 years of service in the Army and the Georgia National Guard, it is clear to me that leadership matters. Positive leadership matters even more.

From my time as a young officer to my final military assignment as the Army inspector general, I have gained key insights not only into the challenges but also the opportunities that all leaders can use to help improve their organizations.

I developed and honed many of my thoughts about leadership during a two-day workshop at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, where then-Army Chief of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey...

In June 1803, Meriwether Lewis wrote a letter to William Clark conveying that President Thomas Jefferson had received approval from Congress allowing the exploration of “the interior of the continent,” the unknown land of the U.S. between St. Louis and the Pacific Northwest.

Jefferson ordered Lewis to lead this exploration, which eventually would identify hundreds of plants, animals and geographical landmarks that are well known today.

The exploration would require tough, smart and innovative professionals to trek, portage, experiment and prepare for unknown challenges and uncertain...

The Army’s newest edition of Field Manual 3-0: Operations, planned for release in October, introduces multidomain operations as the Army’s operational concept and guides the way Army forces conduct operations in a complex and dynamic world while facing capable and aggressive adversaries.

Field Manual (FM) 3-0: Operations describes how Army forces work with other services to conduct operations that achieve military objectives and fulfill policy aims. This includes how the Army contributes land power to the joint force and how it integrates joint capabilities into ground operations. FM 3-0...

The Army’s newest edition of Field Manual 3-0: Operations, planned for release in October, introduces multidomain operations as the Army’s operational concept and guides the way Army forces conduct operations in a complex and dynamic world while facing capable and aggressive adversaries.

Field Manual (FM) 3-0: Operations describes how Army forces work with other services to conduct operations that achieve military objectives and fulfill policy aims. This includes how the Army contributes land power to the joint force and how it integrates joint capabilities into ground operations. FM 3-0...

The Army’s newest edition of Field Manual 3-0: Operations, planned for release in October, introduces multidomain operations as the Army’s operational concept and guides the way Army forces conduct operations in a complex and dynamic world while facing capable and aggressive adversaries.

Field Manual (FM) 3-0: Operations describes how Army forces work with other services to conduct operations that achieve military objectives and fulfill policy aims. This includes how the Army contributes land power to the joint force and how it integrates joint capabilities into ground operations. FM 3-0...

The future is now, and the U.S. Army must move quickly or risk falling behind rapidly modernizing adversaries. The Army finds itself facing unprecedented global challenges. The world continues to become more competitive as near-peer adversaries such as Russia and China seek to challenge U.S. dominance throughout the world.

Concurrently, the Army must stand ready to respond to natural disasters at home and abroad, as well as provide humanitarian relief for future pandemics and other unforeseen events outside the scope of war. The Army must transform quickly into a force capable of rapidly...

Separated by time but connected by a lineage of honorable service, five World War II veterans who fought with the 83rd Infantry Division were able to spend time with fellow soldiers serving now.

“I never expected anything like this,” World War II veteran and former Pvt. Arthur Jacobson said.

As part of its 75th annual reunion in August, Jacobson and four other 83rd Infantry Division World War II veterans, their families and friends of the 83rd Infantry Division Association spent the day at Fort Knox, Kentucky, with soldiers from the 83rd U.S. Army Reserve Readiness Training Center.

Kn...

World War I ended over 100 years ago, but it may be one of the most important conflicts to study in preparation for America’s next major war. There are key parallels between the situation in 1914 and today, namely, U.S. Army and American political leaders’ attitudes regarding the next war, development of new weapons and emergent domains of warfare.

These parallels should make military professionals consider what the history of World War I means for the future of the U.S. Army and the next global war.

Leaders in 1914 believed a major war in their time would resemble wars of the 19th...

Army commanders face significant decisions when trying to overcome challenges and solve problems. But too often, one of the best sources of information and insights remains unexplored or excluded from the decision-making process—data analytics. 

In the early 2000s, as the Army expanded its combat operations in Iraq, commanders at echelon struggled to identify trends and gain insights into local, regional and national environments, to include trends in adversary activities. Hours were spent locating and consolidating disparate data sources (for example, surveys, Combined Information Data...

Army commanders face significant decisions when trying to overcome challenges and solve problems. But too often, one of the best sources of information and insights remains unexplored or excluded from the decision-making process—data analytics. 

In the early 2000s, as the Army expanded its combat operations in Iraq, commanders at echelon struggled to identify trends and gain insights into local, regional and national environments, to include trends in adversary activities. Hours were spent locating and consolidating disparate data sources (for example, surveys, Combined Information Data...

Technology Alters Warfare, Army Culture

Connected Soldiers: Life, Leadership, and Social Connections in Modern War. John Spencer. Potomac Books. 280 pages. $24.95

By Lt. Col. Joe Byerly

Over the past two decades, the technological landscape of society has changed. Cellphones became smartphones. Social media applications scaled from the purview of college kids wanting to meet each other to 4.62 billion people around the world with social media accounts.

While technology advanced, soldiers in the U.S. Army found themselves deploying and redeploying to Iraq and Afghanistan. With...

At a time of critical transformation and in the face of new global threats, the Association of the U.S. Army stands ready to help America’s Army.

Founded in 1950 as a nonpartisan, educational nonprofit, our growing professional association exists to strengthen the bond between soldiers and the American people, promote the military profession and enhance ties with industry.

This has always been a worthy mission. It is even more important today as America faces national security challenges from new and expanding threats and an increasing disconnect between service members and the citizens...

In her second year as Army secretary, Christine Wormuth faces many challenges, but she is also upbeat.

“I think the Army is in a good place,” Wormuth said in an interview timed for publication as the Association of the U.S. Army hosts its Annual Meeting and Exposition in Washington, D.C. The Oct. 10–12 meeting is shaped around a theme focused on the future: “Building the Army of 2030.” Wormuth is satisfied about the path the Army is on.

Transformation of the force, more focus on people and talent management, and an array of other initiatives are starting to show success, Wormuth said. “I...

Entering a pivotal year in the Army’s energetic transformation effort, Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville is balancing the needs of a force that is very busy today with an urgent push to prepare for a future, more lethal battlefield.

This fall, the Army will unveil its new Multi-Domain Operations doctrine, and over the next 12 months, it plans to field or produce prototypes for 24 of its signature modernization programs. Together, these milestones could usher in significant changes to the way the Army trains and fights.

At the same time, the Army remains in high demand, with...

Facing a recruiting crunch and unrelenting demands on the force, Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael Grinston is concerned about taking care of soldiers and their families.

Now in his fourth year as the Army’s senior enlisted adviser, Grinston continues, as he has throughout his tenure, to concentrate on building stronger, more cohesive teams. He also remains immersed in efforts to improve quality-of-life programs for soldiers and their families, and emphasizes caring, commonsense leadership from teams and squads on up.

He has kept this course as the Army responded to a devastating pandemic...