Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael Weimer will speak Feb. 21 as part of the Association of the U.S. Army’s Coffee Series.

The event will take place at AUSA headquarters in Arlington, Virginia. The event opens at 7 a.m. with registration, coffee and networking. The program is scheduled to begin at 7:45 a.m., which is half an hour later than typical Coffee Series events.

It is free for military members, government employees and the media.

For more information or to register, click here. Online registration is open through 5 p.m. Eastern Feb. 19. On-site registration opens at 7 a.m. Feb. 21.

During the Coffee Series, Weimer will talk about recruiting, a call to service and pay and compensation. He also will discuss the service’s four focus areas of warfighting, delivering ready combat formations, continuous transformation and strengthening the profession.

Sworn in Aug. 4 as the 17th sergeant major of the Army, Weimer is a Special Forces soldier with more than 20 years of experience in Army special operations. He enlisted in 1993 and earned his Green Beret in 1996, serving tours in the 7th Special Forces Group and 19 years within Army Special Operations Command.

As the Army deals with a challenging recruiting environment while pushing forward on its largest transformation in four decades, Weimer has emphasized the importance of people. “I do believe, and I always will, that people are our competitive advantage against all our adversaries,” Weimer said last fall.

Weimer also has his eye on preparing for the future fight. “We’ve got some tough, tough times ahead of us with decision-making and resource allocation and how we shape the Army to be able to be ready, like really ready,” Weimer said last fall. “So, where am I going to focus? It starts with warfighting. It goes to being able to project ready forces, and it’s a continual state of transformation.”

Building a warfighting culture must start at the lowest levels, Weimer said. “We can talk about change all day long in the Pentagon, but, really, it’s the leaders at echelon that have to lead that change,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re a vet tech or whether you’re a cook or whether you’re a logistician or a truck driver. You’re a warfighter, and you have a purpose in a warfighting culture.”