Articles

URGENT Space: Leveraging Assets for Battlefield Dominance

Lt. Gen. Daniel Karbler
Adversaries continue to contest the nation’s use of space, persistently challenging our space dominance and our ability to provide space capabilities. They are using this domain for tactical functions and increasingly incorporating space operations...

I Joined an SFAB and Here’s Why You Should, Too

Lt. Col. Daniel Threlkeld
When first asked if I would volunteer to join a security force assistance brigade, my answer was a hard “no,” but after serving in one for nearly 24 months, I can say I am glad I ended up saying “yes.” Everything I thought I knew about these...

Leaders of Today Must Find New Ways to Communicate

Maj. Gen. Xavier Brunson
A cursory reading of A Christmas Carol would be the best preparation for the times ahead. One could imagine a chapter wherein Scrooge would declare, “Oh, spirit, make it like it was; I want things to go back to normal.” The exasperated spirit would...

Flying Into the Future: Aviation Fleet Upgraded as Future Aircraft Are Developed

Patrick MasonCol. (P) Robert Barrie
Army aviation has a well-documented legacy of supporting soldiers. Across the globe, soldiers rely on Army aviation to provide everything from protection and lethality, to reconnaissance and surveillance, to food and water. Behind the aircraft and...

Command Floats Old Idea for Faster Turnaround

Maj. Gen. Mitchell Kilgo
Imagine you are an Army signal officer in the field with your unit on deployment. The mission is proceeding smoothly, but unexpectedly, your trailer-mounted Satellite Transportable Terminal flips over in a ditch. When you turn it on, you cannot...

August 2020 Book Reviews

AUSA Staff
Ike’s Strategic Approach to Decision-Making How Ike Led: The Principles Behind Eisenhower’s Biggest Decisions. Susan Eisenhower. Thomas Dunne Books. 400 pages. $29.99 By Lt. Col. Daniel Sukman Few leaders through history have made more strategic...

The Power and Pitfalls of Gender-Specific Mentorship

Maj. Kristyn FelixMaj. Ebony Thomas
Mentorship is a critical investment tool that should be used to cultivate the strength and diversity of the Army. To sustain the talent of a workforce, organizations invest in their people through formal and informal mentorship. The Army thrives...

Catching Excellence: Brigade Works to Train Soldiers for Expert Infantryman Badge Test

Command Sgt. Maj. Vincent Simonetti
The great football coach Vince Lombardi said it best: “Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence.” The U.S. Army catches excellence in its building and maintenance of readiness, execution of combat operations...

VA Seeks to Serve Female Veterans

Col. Robin Neumeier
Women are the fastest-growing subpopulation of veterans, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs. And female veterans deserve and require qualified and available health care services as they transition from the military into the civilian...

V Corps Could Serve Massive Role in Europe

Lt. Gen. Michel Yakovleff, French army retired
The Russian aggression in Ukraine in the summer of 2014 served as a wake-up call for NATO. The 2014 Wales Summit launched a full-scale reform of the alliance, including its military posture. For the first time in a generation, perennial calls for...

July 2020 Book Reviews

AUSA Staff
Dempsey Offers Personal Leadership Lessons No Time for Spectators: The Lessons That Mattered Most From West Point to the West Wing. Martin Dempsey. Missionday. 224 pages. $27.95 By Sgt. Maj. of the Army Kenneth Preston, U.S. Army retired No Time for...

The Principles of Resignation: A Primer

Lt. Gen. James M. Dubik, U.S. Army retired
In an April 8 opinion piece published online by The Hill newspaper, the two authors questioned why no senior military leader had resigned in protest over the Navy’s cases involving SEAL Edward Gallagher or the captain of the aircraft carrier...

Six Senior Enlisted Service Members Share Their Stories

Joseph Craig, Director AUSA Book Program
There are many leadership books published each year, but the newest addition to the AUSA Book Program is truly unique. Breaching the Summit together the stories of six former senior enlisted advisors to the Joint Chiefs of Staff: Kenneth O. Preston...

Team Ignite Fires Up: Futures Command Initiative Unites Scientists, Soldiers

Maj. Gen. John GeorgeJean Vettel Lt. Gen. Eric J. Wesley, USA
George Bernard Shaw once said, “The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” At the heart of the U.S. Army Futures Command is a fundamentally new approach to revolutionizing communication across the Army’s...

Proxy Forces Undermine Conventional Strategy

Maj. John W. Spencer, U.S. Army retiredCol. Liam Collins
Last summer, we traveled to India with a team of West Point faculty and cadets to study the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks. Those attacks revealed lessons about the challenges of urban warfare. They also highlighted—as we learned during our two weeks...