ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

The Defense Department’s Spouse Education and Career Opportunities (SECO) program is launching a new partnership with LinkedIn – the virtual professional networking platform.

Military spouses will soon have access to a free LinkedIn Premium membership, valid for one year, every time they have a permanent-change-of-station move, including access to more than 12,000 online professional courses through LinkedIn Learning, as well as access to LinkedIn’s military and veterans resource portal.

The membership is also available for the spouse of a service member who is within six months of separation...

Army Ten-Miler and General Dynamics officials announced that runners attending the Army Ten-Miler’s General Dynamics Pre-Race 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 Daniel Dailey; Command Sgt. Maj. Christopher S. Kepner, command sergeant major of the Army National Guard; and Command Sgt. Maj. Ted L. Copeland, command sergeant major of the U.S. Army Reserve, will speak at the race’s dinner.

The General Dynamics Pasta Dinner also features an all-you-can-eat pasta buffet...

Anew “Army Vision” spells out how the Army intends to prepare for possible warfare against near-peer competitors such as China and Russia while simultaneously conducting irregular warfare, said the Secretary of the Army.

Mark T. Esper, speaking at the Brookings Institute, discussed in detail how the Army plans to grow and adapt over the next decade to an ever-changing threat environment.

To meet that threat, the Army needs to grow the active force to at least half a million, Esper said, adding that there will be similar growth inside the Army National Guard and Army Reserve.

Growing the force...

Retired U.S. Army Gen. Carter F. Ham discussed leadership qualities and the future of the Army as part of a leadership professional development event at the Phantom Warrior Center on Fort Hood.

Ham, now the president and chief executive officer of the Association of the United States Army, spoke to command teams and senior leaders from Fort Hood about the importance of the Army continuing to grow and adapt to a changing world.

“We have to recognize, we do recognize that the conditions are changing,” Ham said. “We’re going to do something about it.”

For Ham, those changing conditions, that deserve...

The AUSA Fairfax-Lee Chapter recently hosted soldiers from the Fort Belvoir Warrior Transition Unit (WTU), Junior ROTC cadets from Hayfield High School, members of the Mount Vernon Chamber of Commerce and families and friends at TopGolf, in Alexandria, Va.

TopGolf provided the perfect venue for a fun event on a rainy Friday afternoon.

Competition, prizes, raffles, food, drink and a little golf was the recipe for success at this first annual chapter event. Many thanks to our sponsors, participants and the chapter members who made it happen.

As part of the event, TopGolf provided three trophies for...

The Central Texas–Fort Hood Chapter of the Association of the United States Army held its annual scholarship luncheon at Club Hood recently, where 40 $1,000 college scholarships were awarded to members of the Fort Hood Army Family.

Pete Beronio, the chapter’s scholarship program coordinator, said over the past decade the program has given out approximately $600,000 to Fort Hood area students to help them pursue their educational goals.

More than 140 people filled the club’s Grande Ballroom for Monday’s event.

“This is our biggest program outside of soldier support [activities],” he said.

Beronio...

Capable. Combat-ready. Lethal.

Not just a motto, those attributes are crucial components of the Army Reserve’s mission to protect the United States against hostile threats and defend the homeland.

The community celebrated the contribution of the Army Reserve at the 110th Birthday of the Army Reserve Breakfast Celebration, hosted by the Redstone-Huntsville Chapter of the Association of the U.S. Army.

Retired Maj. Gen. James Darden, Army Reserve ambassador for Alabama, served as keynote speaker.

Darden spent 38 years in the Army Reserve, retiring as director of mobilization and reserve affairs...

The Association of the United States Army’s (AUSA) Fort Rucker–Wiregrass Chapter presented $22,000 in scholarships to military family members in the Wiregrass area recently.

Eleven people, including high school seniors, undergraduate students and graduate students, were given $2,000 each to go toward any higher educational costs.

Matthew Doyle, one of the recipients, said that he plans to use the scholarship to help pay for his undergraduate degree at Troy University.

“It’s going to help me in completing my goals and my dreams,” Doyle said.

Adding, “I’ve always wanted to work in computer science...

Summer vacation travel is filled with anticipation and excitement.

But unexpected accidents or illness have a way of ruining even the most perfectly planned timeline and agenda.

Don’t get caught without a plan.

The folks at TRICARE are here to help and have created the following checklist to ensure medical support is there and available when you need it.

Update Your Personal Information

Make sure your and your family’s medical information is current in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS).

You need to register in DEERS to access TRICARE.

Login to MilConnect at https://www.dmdc...

The unpredictability of life in the Indo-Pacific region has thrown out conventional wisdom, said the commander of U.S. Army Pacific.

“The challenge is, as the world gets more complex, bi-lateral [approaches] aren’t going to work,” said Gen. Robert Brown during the opening of the 2018 LANPAC Symposium and Exposition in Honolulu.

Adding,“Whether it’s humanitarian assistance or disaster response, whether it’s violent extremists ... or whether it’s all-out conflict, multi-lateral is definitely the way to go.”

Cooperation among multiple nations has taken on increased importance as weather and other...

Summer in Washington, D.C. Ninety-degree heat. Ninety-five percent humidity. Crowds. Bumper-to-bumper traffic. A flurry of Congressional activity in June and July, and then August recess.

When Congress leaves town, and school is out, the soul-crushing D.C. traffic eases for a few weeks.

Except this year, we can’t even look forward to that short traffic break.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has cancelled recess, and decided that the Senate will stay in session for the first three weeks of August.

Does this portend a breakthrough in Congressional productivity? Will spending bills be passed...

Free SAT and ACT test prep materials

Are your children or grandchildren prepping for the SATs or ACTs? AUSA members receive free $350 PowerPrep materials.

The PowerPrep program works on all computers and devices and includes 100+ hours of student time plus flashcards. The project waives the full retail price of $350 for all standard programs.

There is a student fee of $14.99 that covers streaming, student support and materials. All fees are reinvested to improve the program and reach more families. The project does not create a profit.

For details and to order, visit www.ausa.org/eknowledge.

Car...

Nature is a fascinating source of inspiration. From energy-efficient buildings designed like termite mounds to “self-healing” buildings that use bacteria to fill cracks in concrete, nature has been used to solve complex problems. We can turn to the field of biomimicry and mimic the form and/or function of nature to solve complex problems.

When it comes to the U.S. military, there is never a shortage of problems to solve. One such complex difficulty is logistics. Although there is no panacea for the dilemma of moving troops, supplies and materiel from one place to another, an understanding of...

According to a 2017 report from the Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction, the U.S. has invested more than $100 billion in training and equipping security forces in Iraq and Afghanistan since operations began there in 2002. To say results are mixed is a severe understatement.

Both countries have required the continued presence—and in Iraq, a return—of thousands of American service members to bolster local military and police forces with training and resources, aimed at regaining lost territory and repelling adversaries. With more troops deploying, the investment continues...

Varying Strategies in Diverse Theaters Won War

The Second World Wars: How the First Global Conflict Was Fought and Won. Victor Davis Hanson. Basic Books. 720 pages. $40

By Col. Gregory Fontenot
U.S. Army retired

Often provocative, always ambitious Victor Davis Hanson has produced another sweeping narrative spiked with insights drawn on years of study of classical and military history. While Hanson is an accomplished scholar, The Second World Wars is his first foray, aside from opinion pieces, into 20th-century warfare. It is a grand success. This is a particularly practical book for those not...