Greetings from the Association of the United States Army (AUSA), our Army’s and our soldiers’ professional organization.

Across the Army and around the world, Army leaders, soldiers, Army civilians, retired soldiers, veterans, industry leaders and Army families are all excited about this year’s Association of the United States Army’s (AUSA) Annual Meeting and Exposition in October here in our Nation’s Capital.

For those who have attended the AUSA Annual Meeting in the past, you will immediately note the schedule is a week earlier this year and not in conjunction with the Columbus Day weekend nor the 32nd Annual Army Ten-Miler.

This year is an anomaly and as we look at the out-years, the AUSA Annual Meeting and the Army Ten-Miler are reunited on the traditional dates.

This year’s professional development forums will be held at the Walter E. Washington Center from Oct. 3 to 5, with senior leader discussions and exhibits that spark imagination and showcase our Army’s and industry’s cutting edge technologies for the future.

The AUSA Annual Meeting allows the Army to also showcase our soldiers and our land-power capabilities.

Your Association serves as the lynchpin to unite Army leaders and soldiers, industry leaders and members of Congress collectively to share, learn and thoughtfully engage in discussions dealing with the future of our Army, our nation’s security and our global missions.

The theme for this year’s AUSA Annual Meeting is “America’s Army: Ready Today, Preparing for the Future.”

All the soldier and noncommissioned officer forums and discussion groups will center on maintaining readiness of our small unit teams today while collectively preparing for the future.

One of the most highly coveted items every year at the AUSA Annual Meeting is the “Sergeant’s Time” annual calendar.

The theme for this year’s calendar is “Noncommissioned Officers: Ready to Lead.”

The calendar features photos of our soldiers and leaders from across the country and around the world executing missions, maintaining readiness and preparing for the future.

Sgt. Maj. of the Army Dan Dailey, Command Sgt. Maj. Christopher Kepner, the command sergeant major of the Army National Guard, and Command Sgt. Maj. James P. Wills, interim command sergeant major of the U.S. Army Reserve, along with all the former sergeants major of the Army have provided their thoughts of wisdom to support this year’s calendar theme.

The calendars are available for attendees at the Sergeant Major of the Army Conference for Soldiers and Noncommissioned Officers on Monday, Oct. 3, at 8 a.m., the Noncommissioned Officer Development Forum on Tuesday, Oct. 4, from 8:30 to 11 a.m., and the Sergeant Major of the Army’s Professional Development Panel on Tuesday, Oct. 4, from 3 to 5 p.m.

All three of these professional development venues provide an exceptional opportunity for soldiers and leaders of all rank and occupational specialties to learn from the senior leaders and subject matter experts overseeing the transformational changes and newest initiatives impacting our Army today and tomorrow.

For those who attended the AUSA Annual Meeting last year, one of the newest additions added is the Contemporary Military Forum for the Sergeant Major of the Army’s Professional Development Panel to the Association’s Institute of Land Warfare forums.

This venue will feature Sgt. Maj. of the Army Dan Dailey and a panel of senior sergeants major and subject matter experts from academia and staff, for a professional development discussion focused on soldiers’ and noncommissioned officers’ training and preparing for the complexities of our Army’s missions, followed by a question and answer period.

As a special opportunity for soldiers and families attending the Annual Meeting who have never seen the Tomb of the Unknowns and the changing of the guard at Arlington National Cemetery, and the monuments of Washington D.C., a no-cost bus tour is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 5 from 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

For those wishing to take advantage of this bus tour, the bus will be staged at the corner of 9th and L streets.

Look for the signs in the vicinity of the crosswalk on L Street between the North and South Walter E. Washington Center halls.

The noncommissioned officer and soldier of the year competition for the Army will be held at Fort A.P. Hill and in the National Capital Region the week prior to the Annual Meeting.

The noncommissioned officer and soldier selected as the winners of the competition will be announced at the U.S. Army Noncommissioned Officer and Soldier Recognition Luncheon on Monday, Oct. 3, from 12:30 to 2 p.m. at the convention center

The luncheon is free of charge and seating is based on a first-come, first-seated basis.

In addition to the noncommissioned officer and soldier of the year announcement by Sgt. Maj. of the Army Dailey, the luncheon will feature the Army vice chief of staff, Gen. Daniel B. Allyn, as the guest speaker.

The 32nd Annual Army Ten-miler starts and finishes at the Pentagon on Sunday, Oct. 9, with more than 35,000 highly motivated runners.

Now more than ever America’s Army needs AUSA, and AUSA needs your membership support.

Membership is the volume knob to ensure your voice is amplified many times over and heard throughout the halls of Congress, from sea to shining sea across this country, and throughout every small town and community in-between.

Keep America’s Army Strong! Take A Stand!

Still Serving, Still Saluting!