Greetings from the Association of the United States Army (AUSA), our Army’s association for education and professional development, and a major supporter of the Army’s Soldier for Life efforts.

Everywhere I travel across the country 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.

The Army will lead off this year’s Annual Meeting and Exposition with the 34th running of the Army Ten-Miler on Sunday, Oct 7, with more than 35,000 highly motivated runners registered to run.

Once again, this year’s professional development forums take place at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Oct. 8 through Oct. 10, with senior leader discussions and exhibits that foster deeper understanding, promote critical thinking of established norms and showcase our Army’s and industry’s cutting-edge technologies for the future.

Vital to our Army, your Association of the United States Army serves as the lynchpin to collective understanding by bringing together Army leaders and their soldiers, industry leaders and members of Congress and government to share, learn and thoughtfully engage in the readiness needs of our Army for today and tomorrow.

Most important for our Army is the opportunity to showcase our soldiers currently serving in more than 140 countries around the world and our land-power capabilities.

The theme for this year’s AUSA Annual Meeting and Exposition is “Ready Today, More Lethal Tomorrow.”

This Annual Meeting theme provides a focus and direction for each of the planned Contemporary Military Forums as well as the soldier and noncommissioned officer forums.

The Annual Meeting will begin early Monday morning at 6:00 a.m. in Hall C of the Walter E. Washington Convention Center where the Best Warrior soldiers and noncommissioned officers will participate in the Battle Challenge obstacle course with Sgt. Maj. of the Army Daniel A. Dailey.

The Battle Challenge event was a big hit last year and Sgt. Maj. of the Army Dailey encourages all soldiers attending the Annual Meeting to don their physical training uniforms and join him and the Best Warrior competitors for a little soldier fun.

The highly coveted “Sergeant’s Time” calendar will once again be available throughout the AUSA Annual Meeting at all the NCO and soldier supporting events.

The theme for this year’s calendar is “Noncommissioned Officers of Excellence: Recruiting, Training and Retaining America’s Army.”

The calendar will feature photos of our noncommissioned officers from across the country and around the world executing the tough missions of recruiting our nation’s very best.

Drill Sergeants executing Initial Entry Training (IET) and Advanced Individual Training (AIT) to train and build soldiers of excellence for service in more than 140 demanding career fields.

Critical to our Army are the noncommissioned officers who serve as career counselors supporting their commanders in retaining the very best for continued service for our nation.

Sgt. Maj. of the Army Dailey, Command Sgt. Maj. John F. Sampa, the command sergeant major of the Army National Guard, and Command Sgt. Maj. Ted L. Copeland, the command sergeant major of the U.S. Army Reserve, along with all the former sergeants major of the Army, provided their thoughts to support this year’s calendar theme.

The calendars are available for attendees at the U.S. Army Noncommissioned Officer and Soldier Recognition Luncheon on Monday, Oct. 8, the Sgt. Maj. of the Army’s Professional Development Forum and the Junior Leader’s Forum on Tuesday, Oct. 9.

These three professional development venues provide an exceptional opportunity for soldiers and leaders of all ranks and occupational specialties to learn from the subject matter experts and senior leaders in a face-to-face discussion.

New for this year is the Junior Leader’s Forum, where the subject matter experts are those officers, warrant officers, noncommissioned officers and enlisted soldiers who attained excellence in their careers.

This forum will give attendees an insightful look into the attitudes, goals and strategies used by junior leaders to attain excellence in their occupational specialties and their profession of arms.

With the opportunity to ask questions and dialog with the panel participants, the goal of the panel is to share the achievements of these junior leaders of excellence and teach what it takes to attain excellence, 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. 10 from 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

For those wishing to take advantage of this bus tour, bus transportation will stage between the North and South exhibit halls at 9th and L streets.

Look for the signs near 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. 8, from 12:30 to 2 p.m. in the convention center

This luncheon is very popular among the commands and soldiers attending the Annual Meeting and is at no-cost with seating 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. James C. McConville as the guest speaker.

Last year’s General George Catlett Marshall Medal recipient Gary Sinese and his Lt. Dan Band will provide a free concert for soldiers, families, AUSA members and supporters on Tuesday, Oct. 9, from 7:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., in the Convention Center

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!