ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

The National Guard and Army Reserve need continued investment to outcompete America’s adversaries, the components’ top leaders testified April 30 on Capitol Hill.

“Our nation’s investment in the National Guard comes at a pivotal moment,” said Gen. Daniel Hokanson, chief of the National Guard Bureau. “Our strategic competitors are seeking advantages in every domain, [including] land, sea, air space and cyber. If we are to compete and deter successfully, and, if necessary, prevail in combat, we must invest in our people.”

Retired Gen. David Petraeus, former CIA director and commander of U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, will speak May 9 during an Association of the U.S. Army webinar.

During the online event, part of AUSA’s Noon Report series, Petraeus will discuss Conflict: The Evolution of Warfare from 1945 to Ukraine, a book he co-authored with Andrew Roberts.

The Army is looking at the “totality” of the nation’s labor market for talented people who can become soldiers and help the service meet its recruiting goals, a senior Army officer said.

In testimony before the House Armed Services subcommittee on military personnel, Lt. Gen. Douglas Stitt, deputy Army chief of staff for personnel, G-1, said the Army’s overhaul of who it recruits, how it recruits and who is doing the recruiting is part of a “significant” transformation of the service’s recruiting enterprise.

Department of Veterans Affairs Vet Centers are essential to ensuring service members, veterans and military families can access counseling and other social and psychological services, but the centers need improvement, a panel of experts said at a recent hearing before the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. 

The Association of the U.S. Army is hosting a ceremony on May 8 to recognize Army civilian employees for exceptional performance.

Held in conjunction with Public Service Recognition Week, the “Honoring Army Civilians” ceremony at AUSA’s Arlington, Virginia, headquarters begins at 9 a.m. Eastern and will feature Yvette Bourcicot, principal deputy assistant Army secretary for manpower and reserve affairs.

Facing a future in the Indo-Pacific, the Army should ensure its soldiers can adapt to and overcome the “relentless challenges” of jungle warfare, according to the author of a new paper published by the Association of the U.S. Army.

Facing adversaries that are looking to sense, shoot and disrupt farther, the Army is developing and expanding its capabilities to counter them, Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. James Mingus said.

In its pursuit of robotic combat vehicles, the Army is prioritizing speed, ease of use and the best products and industry partners it can find, two senior leaders said recently.

“The winner is the soldier, at the end of the day,” said Lt. Gen. Robert Rasch, director of the Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office. “The goal is I want the best that we can get. If I can have company A and company B bring their best thing, instead of company A trying to do what company B does, I’d rather have every company doing what they do best.”

Family members of two fallen soldiers were honored April 18 during a christening and dedication ceremony at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, for the Army’s newest combat vehicle.

Announced June 10 at the National Museum of the United States Army during a celebration of the Army’s 248th birthday, the M10 Booker is named for Pvt. Robert Booker, an infantryman who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for actions during World War II, and Staff Sgt. Stevon Booker, an armor soldier who was killed in Iraq in 2003 and posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.

The Army will “continuously refine” its planning and programming to tackle the service’s housing and facilities maintenance and upgrade needs, a senior Army leader told lawmakers.