It is summer in Washington and the perennial problem of authorizing and funding our Army is in full flower.As I have reported, seemingly endlessly, defense authorization and appropriation legislation is moving forward in both houses of Congress at its usual slow pace.This year the process is overshadowed by the specter of defense sequestration that would cut enormous amounts of money out of the DoD budget, and seems destined not to be resolved until after the November presidential election.Nevertheless, the House version of the Defense Authorization Bill has been completed and voted on.At this...
AUSA’s Institute of Land Warfare (ILW) has recently released a new publication."A New Equipping Strategy: Modernizing the U.S. Army of 2020" (Torchbearer National Security Report, June 2012) explores the new campaign that the Army has undertaken to improve its responsiveness to 21st century battlefield demands while also preparing to overmatch potential adversaries in the distant future.Technological overmatch clearly proved to be a critical component of the operational and tactical supremacy demonstrated by the Army in Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm.But then, during the 1990s, the Army...
Gen. Gordon R. Sullivan, USA, Ret., president of the Association of the United States Army (AUSA), received the Andrew J. Goodpaster Award for his "distinguished career in the United States Army that concluded as the 32nd chief of staff and as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff – and for his leadership of AUSA" as its president and chief operating officer.The award, presented by the George C. Marshall Foundation, honors the life and service of Gen. Andrew J. Goodpaster, a longtime trustee and chairman of the Marshall Foundation’s Board of Trustees, who was "a champion of the Marshall legacy...
We did it.The Association of the United States Army’s campaign against the Defense Department’s plan to increase or implement TRICARE fee increases was a resounding success.The Senate Armed Services Committee unanimously voted to prohibit the fee increases in its markup of the Fiscal Year 2013 Defense Authorization Bill.Similar language was included in the House bill passed on May 15.AUSA and its president, Gen. Gordon R. Sullivan, USA, Ret., saluted and thanked all Association members and friends who took the time to contact members of Congress over the past several months to let them know...
The Eighth Army commander signed a historic agreement June 6 with the commander of the Republic of Korea Army formation that serves along the Korean Demilitarized Zone.During an alliance festival in Yongin, South Korea, Lt. Gen. John D. Johnson signed the memorandum of agreement with Third Republic of Korea, or ROK, Army Commanding General Gen. Lee Hong-ki.The agreement is designed to enhance contingency and armistice combined operations capabilities and strengthen the alliance between the two armies.The agreement includes the formation of sister-unit relationships, combined live-fire training...
The Eighth Army commander said American troops in Korea will continue to play a critical role as the U.S. military shifts its focus to the Asia Pacific region.Lt. Gen. John D. Johnson talked about the growing importance of the Asia Pacific region during an address in early June to the students and faculty of Sungshin Women’s University in Seoul, the South Korean capital.Johnson also thanked Sungshin Women’s University for educating future leaders."Korea is one of the most important countries in one of the most important regions of the world," Johnson, who also serves as the chief of staff for...
Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta cautioned Congress June 13 against dismantling the strategic framework that supports the 2013 defense budget request.Testifying along with Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, before the Senate Appropriations Committee’s defense subcommittee, Panetta said some changes to the request could undermine the careful balance department leaders built into military spending projections."Some of the [congressional] committees have made changes with regard to our recommendations that we’re concerned about," Panetta said.He listed three areas DoD...
The annual slog to completion of the defense authorization and appropriation legislation has begun. The House passed the Fiscal Year 2013 National Defense Authorization Bill last week by a vote of 299-120. The bill authorizes $554 billion for national defense and $88.5 billion for Overseas Contingencies Operations, $4 billion more than the President’s request but less than FY 2012 funding levels.The House-approved provisions:Restate the firmly-held sense of Congress that prior service to our nation is a pre-payment of healthcare benefits in retirement. Specifically, the bill states that "This...
The techniques of retired Staff Sgt. Jesse White and other Army archers helped them earn four silver medals in the 2012 Warrior Games at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo."I literally have a sequence of about 20 things I do every time I settle in for the shot. It’s to make sure my body and mind is relaxed and ready to go," White said.White teamed with Ben Trescott and Justin Steele to earn silver for the Army in the compound bow team competition, while Fred Prince earned an individual silver medal.Curtis Winston, Kinga Kiss-Johnson and Al Louangketh received silver medals for the...
Army Ten-Miler and GEICO officials announced that runners attending the Army Ten-Miler’s Pre-Race GEICO Pasta Dinner are in for a special event and experience.Highlighting the dinner, attendees will meet the senior enlisted leadership of the Army.Sgt. Maj. of the Army Raymond Chandler; Command Sgt. Maj. Richard Burch, command sergeant major of the Army National Guard; and Command Sgt. Maj. Michael D. Schultz, command sergeant major of the U.S. Army Reserve, will speak Oct. 20 at the race’s dinner.The Army Ten-Miler – with over 30,000 runners registered – will be held on Sunday, Oct. 21, the...
Soldiers competing in the Warrior Games at Colorado Springs, Colo., are members of one of the 29 Warrior Transition Units (WTU) spread across the Army.They are wounded, ill and injured soldier-athletes with prosthetics, amputations, traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress, and "through sport, daily activity and getting a sweat, they get better," Brig. Gen. Darryl A. Williams, assistant surgeon general and commander, Warrior Transition Command, said."That’s the resiliency of our Army," he said.Williams, speaking to reporters via telephone from the Warrior Games in Colorado, said the...
On a clear Colorado day, the best Army wounded warrior athletes gathered for the first of many track and field practices for the Third Annual Warrior Games hosted by the U.S. Olympic Committee and held in late April to early May in Colorado Springs, Colo.Wounded, ill and injured service members and veterans from the Army, Marines, Air Force, Navy, Coast Guard and Special Operations Command, competed for the gold in track and field, shooting, swimming, cycling, archery, wheel chair basketball and sitting volleyball.Similar to the Paralympics Games, the event showcases the high level of fitness...
Warrior Games, presented by Deloitte, were created in 2010 as an introduction to Paralympic sports for wounded, ill and injured service members and veterans.The competition is a springboard for many service members and veterans to continue participating in sports programs in their communities.Since the inception of Warrior Games – Medical Treatment Facilities, Warrior Transition Units and Wounded Warrior Battalions East (Camp Lejeune, N.C.) and West (Camp Pendleton, Calif.) have seen a more than a 20-percent increase in sports program participation by wounded warriors.Warrior Games are hosted...
The Army will begin implementing a regionally-aligned force concept next year to better support combatant commanders, the service’s chief of staff announced May 16.Gen. Raymond T. Odierno made the announcement at a Pentagon press conference as he outlined the Army’s vision for the future to meet the tenets of the DoD Strategic Guidance signed by the president in January.He said the Army will be transitioning to a leaner, more agile, adaptive, innovative, versatile and ready component of the joint force.The regional alignments are part of that vision and the concept will begin with a pilot...