ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

From COVID-19 response to supporting allies and partners in Eastern Europe, the Army has shown it is ready, versatile and able to respond quickly whenever the nation calls, the service’s top general officer said.

“We can do a lot of things that the nation asks us to do, but that’s not really our reason for being,” Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville said July 28. “The Army exists for one purpose, and that’s to protect the nation by being ready to fight our nation’s wars along with the joint force. We are a warfighting organization, and we should never forget that.”

Despite pressing challenges at home and abroad, the Army is standing strong, the service’s top general officer said. 

“We put American soldiers on the ground [in Eastern Europe] to reassure [our allies] … and I think that really made a difference. It just showed me how great our soldiers are,” Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville said. “But we’re great at home, too. Our National Guard and Reserve are doing incredible things.” 

Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville and leaders from Army Forces Command, the XVIII Airborne Corps and the 82nd Airborne Division are among the scheduled speakers at the Association of the U.S. Army’s Warfighter Summit and Exposition.

A new AUSA event, the Warfighter Summit will take place July 27–28 at the Crown Complex near Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The two-day, in-person summit is a leader and professional development event focused on the warfighter, and its theme is “America’s Response Force: Ready Today, Ready Tomorrow.”

The historic 11th Airborne Division is back on the Army’s active rolls.

With a focus on operations in extreme cold weather and high altitudes, the division was reactivated June 6 during ceremonies at Alaska’s Fort Wainwright and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.

The Army is preparing to field 24 of its 35 signature modernization systems in 2023, as it pushes ahead with its largest transformation effort in decades.

“Being ready today is not good enough,” Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville said March 8. “We must also make sure we’re ready tomorrow.”

More than four years ago, the Army established six modernization priorities, he said. 

Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville, speaking March 8 at an event hosted by the Association of the U.S. Army, said the force faced “a lot of challenges” over the years and now faces another one with the fighting in Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has started an “illegal” war, McConville said, but the Army is ready. 

The Army is preparing to make some tough choices as it looks to modernize the force while dealing with budget uncertainties and expanding missions at home and abroad, the service’s top general said.

“Our job is to provide the best Army we can provide with the resources we have,” Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville said Feb. 10 during a virtual event hosted by the Heritage Foundation.

Registration is now open for a special Association of the U.S. Army event featuring Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville.

Called “Coffee with the Chief,” the March 8 event will be held at the National Museum of the United States Army at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. It replaces AUSA’s traditional January breakfast with the Army chief of staff.

This new in-person event will open at 6:30 a.m., with McConville expected to speak shortly after 7 a.m.

Attendees will have the opportunity to explore the museum after the event.

Coming out of a busy and challenging year, America’s Army remains committed to its priorities as it transforms for the future, Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville said.

“This has been a uniquely challenging time for the Army, but each challenge and each crisis has only made us stronger,” McConville said Oct. 12 during the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presentation at the Association of the U.S. Army’s 2021 Annual Meeting and Exposition in Washington, D.C. “We have never wavered on our priorities.”