As the U.S. Army celebrates its 250th birthday this year, it embarks on a comprehensive and necessary transformation to ensure the force is ready for the next fight.
Established on June 14, 1775, America’s Army is older than the nation it so steadfastly serves. From the Battles of Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts to the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan, the Army always has been there when the nation calls.
Today, the Army is answering yet another call, an urgent call to transform to face growing and increasingly complex threats, to build a force agile enough to adapt to rapidly changing technology and constantly evolving adversaries.
Clear Goals
The Army has its marching orders. Army senior leaders have laid out the Army Transformation Initiative, which will change the service’s force structure, eliminate obsolete equipment and programs, pursue rising technology such as drones and long-range fires, build its industrial base and streamline its acquisition processes.
The goal: Ensuring soldiers are the best trained, best led and best equipped, ready to answer whenever and wherever the nation calls.
As the Army moves out, the Association of the U.S. Army is marching right alongside it.
Here at AUSA, we mark our own milestone—75 years of supporting and advocating for America’s Army. Created on July 5, 1950, as a nonpartisan, educational nonprofit, AUSA was born when the Infantry Association and Field Artillery Association joined to speak with one voice on behalf of their beloved Army.
Today, AUSA has more than 1.9 million members, but the mission remains.
Our mission can be summed up in three words: educate, inform and connect.
We work to support the Army by educating, informing and connecting the service with those who support it. We strengthen the bond between soldiers and the American people. We connect the Army with industry. We educate and inform citizens, lawmakers and community leaders about their Army and those who serve in it. We tell soldiers’ stories to ensure they are never forgotten and to inspire young people to consider service to the nation.
In a message to the force, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George laid out the challenges facing the Army today.
“Battlefields across the world are changing at a rapid pace. Autonomous systems are becoming more lethal and less expensive. Sensors and decoys are everywhere. Dual-use technologies are continuously evolving and outpacing our processes to defeat them,” they wrote. “To maintain our edge on the battlefield, our Army will transform to a leaner, more lethal force by adapting how we fight, train, organize, and buy equipment.”
To deliver that lean, lethal force, the Army will work on three lines of effort: deliver critical warfighting capabilities, optimize force structure and eliminate waste and obsolete programs, Driscoll and George wrote.
The Army Transformation Initiative is an urgent effort, Driscoll said earlier this year during testimony on Capitol Hill. The ongoing conflicts in Israel and Ukraine have shown how readily available technology can disrupt “established power dynamics” and what can happen when change is embraced, he said.
“They’re demonstrating why our Army needs to transform now and that we can’t waste even a single minute,” Driscoll said, adding that since he was sworn in as secretary on Feb. 25, he and George have been “immersed in understanding why the Army has been slow to innovate.”
George, testifying alongside Driscoll, agreed. “We understand that we must transform to stay ahead of our adversaries, and we need to get better by 2026 and 2027, not by 2030,” George said.
In Support
As the Army transforms, AUSA is right there as its premier educational and professional association.
Our top priority is—and always has been—supporting the Total Army, Army families, Army civilians, retirees and veterans. We also focus on telling the Army story, including the service’s critical role in national security and its contributions to American society, and providing leadership and professional development to those who serve.
AUSA’s Annual Meeting and Exposition, every October in Washington, D.C., is our flagship event, but our association does so much more to support the Army.
We advocate for the Army on Capitol Hill, urging lawmakers to provide timely and adequate funding for the force and championing policies and programs to promote and support the Total Army and national security.
Our papers and studies highlight significant issues affecting the Army and national defense, from our Spotlight series that highlights key issues relevant to the Army and its role in national defense, to our Land Warfare Papers, scholarly research that contributes to a better understanding of a defense or national security issue.
Recent papers examined the unique challenges of sustaining the joint force in the Indo-Pacific, lessons from 250 years of Army innovation, and what the U.S. and NATO, particularly the Baltic States, must do to prepare for possible war with Russia.
AUSA’s Book Program offers books about Army heritage, military theory, and policy and security in the modern world. It also publishes the popular graphic novel series on Army Medal of Honor recipients. Created by a talented team drawn from the world of professional comic-book publishers, the graphic novels bring to life the courage of America’s soldiers.
AUSA’s flagship publication is ARMY magazine. Established in 1904 as the Journal of the United States Infantry Association, ARMY is a professional-development journal dedicated to telling the Army’s story and its vital role in the nation’s defense, and advancing knowledge of warfare, military history and the American soldier.
Leader Interaction
AUSA also prioritizes professional development, offering in-person opportunities to soldiers across the country. Established in 2021, AUSA’s Center for Leadership is a key contributor to that effort as it educates, inspires and connects leaders at the brigade level and below through leadership forums and troop visits. To date, more than 100,000 soldiers have received leadership development through the Center for Leadership.
The center’s Leader Solarium during the AUSA Annual Meeting and Exposition provides an opportunity for specially selected leaders to give bottom-up feedback to senior Army leaders on challenges facing the force. The LANPAC Leadership Forum professionally develops and inspires soldiers, allies and partners from across the Indo-Pacific, while the Young Professionals program seeks to inspire the next generation of leaders within AUSA communities and the Army by providing networking opportunities and mentorship.
AUSA also is known for its world-class exhibitions, symposia and seminars.
The Annual Meeting and Exposition every October draws more than 30,000 attendees and features more than 700 exhibits. The largest land power exposition in North America, the AUSA Annual Meeting is a critical venue to hear from the Army’s most senior leaders, engage in professional development, learn about how the service is adapting for the future, connect with industry leaders, and see the latest technology and gear for America’s warfighters.
The theme for this year’s Annual Meeting is “Agile, Adaptive, Lethal: Winning at the Pace of Change,” Oct. 13–15 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C.
AUSA also hosts the popular Global Force Symposium and Exposition in March in Huntsville, Alabama, providing a venue for commands such as U.S. Army Materiel Command to provide updates on the Army’s sustainment and transformation efforts.
The LANPAC Symposium and Exhibition, held every May in Honolulu, brings together the Army with dozens of leaders from partner and allied nations in the Indo-Pacific for professional development delivered through expert panels and programs.
New Symposium
This year, AUSA held the inaugural LANDEURO on July 16–17 in Wiesbaden, Germany. Drawing more than 2,200 attendees from dozens of countries, the symposium provided an unparalleled opportunity to interact with key leaders shaping the future of defense in Europe.
Keynote speakers included Gen. Christopher Donahue, commanding general of U.S. Army Europe and Africa; Air Force Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, the new commander of U.S. European Command and supreme allied commander Europe; Radmila Shekerinska, deputy secretary general of NATO; and key leaders from the Armed Forces of Ukraine, who shared key lessons on how to adapt quickly on a modern, punishing battlefield.
At its headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, AUSA offers webinars highlighting Army and U.S. military history and senior Army leaders. AUSA’s “Army Matters” podcast amplifies soldier and veteran stories, while Hot Topics are one-day events bringing together the Army, industry and academia to discuss key subjects such as hardening Army installations and modernizing the service’s contracting and procurement processes.
The AUSA Coffee Series features an interactive discussion with top Army and DoD leaders, including the Army chief of staff and the commanders of the service’s biggest commands, while the association’s Noon Report webinars delve into U.S. military history, issues important to the force and much more.
AUSA also co-hosts with the Center for Strategic and International Studies the Strategic Landpower Dialogue, a speaker series on land power security issues. This year’s events featured Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. James Mingus; Gen. Ron Clark, commanding general of U.S. Army Pacific; and Gen. Andrew Poppas, commanding general of U.S. Forces Command.
NCOs, Soldiers, Families
The association also focuses on programs for NCOs, soldiers and families. From the Soldier Today newsletter to face-to-face professional development sessions across the Army, AUSA’s NCO and Soldier Programs directorate aims to equip troops with crucial life skills, leadership development training and educational resources.
AUSA’s Family Readiness Directorate provides Army families with the tools, resources and connections they need to build resiliency and manage the unique challenges of military life. The directorate hosts the popular Operation Deploy Your Dress pop-up event each year, providing gently used formal wear to family members.
Last May, AUSA launched the Family Fellows Program to grow and enhance our support to military families. These Family Fellows are subject-matter experts and advisers on issues relating to military families, and they are expert resources for AUSA’s chapters, members, families and communities.
Across the country, AUSA is represented by nine regions, more than 120 chapters and 1.9 million members. Powered by tireless volunteers in communities across the country and around the world, AUSA’s regions and chapters provide a critical voice and support for the Total Army in their neighborhoods.
Many of our volunteers are veterans and pillars of their communities. Some are military family members, and some just want to support their Army however they can. These volunteers help Army families in need through food and toy drives. They organize networking events, raise funds for scholarships and much more, with the goal of connecting local communities with those who serve in powerful ways.
AUSA has several partnership programs. Its National Partner program helps connect the Army with large and small businesses, nonprofit organizations, educational institutions and professional organizations interested in personalized engagement with the service at the local and national levels. A Community Partner program, for local businesses, civic groups and veterans’ organizations, and an Association Partnership, for like-minded military service organizations that want to join AUSA to show their support for the Total Army, build even deeper connections between the Army and the communities it serves.
Together, these efforts form a strong and vital voice for America’s Army. We will continue to work hard to support the Army as it transforms to remain the world’s greatest land force.
As the Army marches into the future, AUSA will be right there with it.