ARMY Green Book examines Army status and goals
ARMY Green Book examines Army status and goals
The 2014-2015 issue of ARMY Magazine’s Green Book includes more than 30 status reports looking at accomplishments and goals for the service at a time of tight budgets and global challenges.Timed to be distributed before and during AUSA’s Annual Meeting and Exposition, the issue includes status reports from the Army secretary, chief of staff, sergeant major of the Army, assistant secretaries, deputy chiefs of staff, and commanding generals of every major command.Also, in the more than 300-page magazine is a comprehensive guide to Army weapons and equipment, a directory of senior command and staff for major units, and listings for Army posts and installations in the U.S.In his status report, Gen. Gordon R. Sullivan, USA, Ret., AUSA’s president and CEO, said the Army remains the nation’s "foundational force."He added, "There is no stronger symbol of American resolve than boots on the ground, and I have no doubt that the Army and its landpower will continue to be a critical, strategic element of national defense for the foreseeable future." Sullivan was also the 32nd Army chief of staff.An underlying theme across the Army is adjusting to the end of more than a decade of deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan to a future with a smaller force that needs to be prepared for quick reaction.Lt. Gen. Charles Cleveland, commanding general of the U.S. Army Special Operations Command, says in his status report that 13 years of combat has highlighted the relevance of his 25-year-old command but "we must continuously learn, anticipate and evolve.""Maintaining a ready and modern Army is essential for units to be able to rapidly deploy, fight, sustain and win against complex threats," writes Maj. Gen. Joseph P. DiSalvo, the U.S. Army South commanding general.Adding, "As the Army reduces its size, prioritizing where money is spent is crucial, so we look toward future solutions."On the cover of the 2014-15 Green Book is a photograph of Cpl. Armando D. Butler during a training exercise in Slovenia.A paratrooper with the 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Butler was photographed by Staff Sgt. Pablo N. Piedra during Exercise Rock Proof, one of several training missions with NATO partners conducted this year.Other parts of the 173rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team deployed to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland this year.Copies of the magazine will be available at the AUSA Annual Meeting, which will be held Oct. 13 – 15 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C.