Three soldiers, selected as the athletes and coach of the year for 2011, were honored and recognized Feb. 24 at the Association of the United States Army Winter Symposium and Exposition in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.First Lieutenant Charles Ware, III, a competitive world class runner assigned to the 304 Military Intelligence Battalion, Fort Huachuca, Ariz., was recognized as the male athlete of the year.Capt. Danielle Cork, a competitive volleyball player now attending the Adjutant General Career Captain Course at the U.S. Army Soldier Support Center, Fort Jackson, S.C., was honored as the female...
Longtime readers know that AUSA is partnered with The Military Coalition – a group of 34 military-related associations that meet monthly to craft joint legislative strategy pertaining to issues that are important to their constituencies.Participation in the coalition is a force multiplier – there are more than 60 government affairs professionals and a combined membership of over 5 million. Numbers like that resonate on Capitol Hill.One of the ways that the coalition advocates before Congress is through testimony at congressional hearings.This year the coalition has provided detailed...
Maj. Gen. Jeffrey W. Talley has been nominated by President Barack Obama for appointment to the rank of lieutenant general and for assignment as chief, Army Reserve and commanding general, U.S. Army Reserve Command.Talley is currently serving as commanding general, 84th Training Command (Unit Readiness), Fort Knox, Ky.His leadership experience spans from serving as an active duty platoon leader to service on the Joint Staff in Washington.Talley is currently a member of the Reserve Forces Policy Board.Talley is president of his own company, Environmental Technology Solutions, or ETS Partners...
Gen. Robert W. Cone, commanding general of U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, provided updates on TRADOC initiatives that will help shape the future Army during the Association of the United States Army Winter Symposium at Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Feb. 23.Cone began his presentation by addressing the challenges of the future operational environment and identifying the hybrid strategy used by nation states and surrogates to draw the U.S. into conflict."These forces recognize that conventional confrontation with the U.S. is, in fact, a losing proposition. They understand our vulnerabilities...
AUSA’s Institute of Land Warfare (ILW) has recently released a new publication titled "The Rationale for a Robust U.S. Army Presence in the Pacific Basin" (National Security Watch, 8 March 2012).This paper evaluates the role of American ground forces in the Asia–Pacific region in the wake of new strategic guidance from the president and the Department of Defense.Fundamentally, the Army’s role in providing security is to prevent conflict via its ready posture, shape the international environment via strong relationships with partners and win decisively if prevention fails.There are four main...
Guard and reserve in TAMP eligible for dental program. The TRICARE Management Activity recently announced that on Jan. 27, 2012, National Guard and reserve members separating from active duty after an activation of greater than 30 days in support of a contingency operation began receiving the same dental care benefits as active duty service members.The TRICARE Active Duty Dental Program (ADDP) now provides coverage to those members in the Transition Assistance Management Program (TAMP).ADDP beneficiaries receive active duty dental benefit services as long as the referral and/or authorization...
The Army Historical Foundation has announced the plans for five public spaces to be featured in the National Museum of the United States Army.The museum, a permanent tribute telling the history of America’s oldest and largest service, is expected to open at Fort Belvoir, Va. in 2015.It is forecasted that the museum will welcome 750,000 visitors each year. The U.S. Army is the only military service without a national museum."Each of the public spaces – Army Theater, Education Pavilion, Medal of Honor Garden, Veterans’ Hall, and Wall of Honor – will provide visitors an interactive and engaging...
The U.S. Army Cadet Command Professor of Military Science (PMS) Centralized Selection Board will convene at the Human Resources Command, Fort Knox, Ky., Aug. 14 and 15.Selected officers can expect to report for duty before the start of the 2013-2014 academic year.Active duty and active Guard/Reserve lieutenant colonels and majors interested in being considered by the PMS Selection Board must possess a master’s or higher degree received no later than May 31,2012; have completed ILE/Command and General Staff College; have deployed in support of OEF/OIF/OND; have broad experience in command and...
Ask almost any military spouse what their biggest military lifestyle challenge is and many will respond: "Having a career."The many moves that are part and parcel of marrying a soldier can wreak havoc on a spouses’ career aspirations.According to the Report of the 2nd Quadrennial Quality of Life Review, 77 percent of military spouses report that they want or need to work.In addition, according to White House numbers, there are over 100,000 military spouses with professional licenses who have trouble transferring their licenses as they move from state to state.Military spouse unemployment is...
The National Museum of the United States Army is coming.Plans for the long overdue Army museum are progressing very well. The official groundbreaking ceremony will happen in late summer or early fall of 2013. The opening date is set for the Army’s 240th Birthday – June 14, 2015.The museum will be located at Fort Belvoir, Va., and will be accessible to the public without having to enter the military installation. (See related story on Page 7.)The museum will tell the "Soldiers’ Story."It will help our nation’s citizens understand and appreciate the legacy of the 14 generations of American men...
The Army Materiel Command (AMC) is trying to do the right things for the right reasons, AMC Commander Gen. Ann Dunwoody told an audience in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Feb.22.Dunwoody, the lead speaker at the annual Association of the United States Army Winter Symposium and Exposition , kicked off the day’s agenda with a discussion on AMC’s "Bold, Adaptive, Innovative" approach to the coming decades."In my 37 years of service, I can’t remember a period when we’ve seen so much change, in such a short time," Dunwoody said.Dunwoody discussed the guidance the Army and AMC have received from every level...
Stay the course in Afghanistan" was the message Marine Corps Gen. John R. Allen delivered to the House Armed Services Committee March 20.Allen, commander of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, told the representatives that the 50-nation coalition has the right strategy to realize its goals."I can tell you, unequivocally, three things. First, we remain on track to ensure that Afghanistan will no longer be a safe haven for al-Qaida and will no longer be terrorized by the Taliban," he said.Adding, "Second, as a coalition, … we are well along in our progress to...
James A. Baker III, a former secretary of state, secretary of the treasury and White House chief of staff, will receive the 2012 George Catlett Marshall Medal, the highest award presented by the Association of the United States Army.Awarded annually to an individual who has exhibited selfless service to the United States of America, the medal will be presented to Baker by the Association’s Council of Trustees to recognize his contributions to the United States as a cabinet member, presidential adviser and a strong supporter of national defense and the men and women of the armed forces."His...
In Afghanistan, agriculture is the culture.Soldiers of the 401st Civil Affairs Battalion, an Army Reserve unit from Rochester, N.Y., are hoping to solidify their roles as cultural experts with the help of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and some of America’s top agricultural universities."Civil Affairs is there to help them, to work with them, or draw them to resources they may not have had access to," Capt. Nathan Neuman, from Buffalo, N.Y., civil affairs team leader, said.Neuman said he is optimistic this training will help his team provide real help to the Afghan population in...
After 10 years of sustained war fighting, America’s soldiers will face their next and potentially greatest battle – surviving the drawdown.Just as victory in combat requires proper weaponry and armor, so too does a successful job search require the appropriate qualifications such as a college degree or certification.To make yourself more employable in the civilian job market, you must leverage your current knowledge, skills and abilities against your military experience – and you have to start preparing now.Why the need? The handwriting is on the wall.Our current Department of Defense climate...