ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

From fitness and nutrition to mastering the fundamentals, Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael Grinston wants to empower noncommissioned officers to take care of their soldiers and build cohesive teams.

In remarks Oct. 14 during a forum at the Association of the U.S. Army’s Annual Meeting and Exposition, Grinston called on the audience, many of them NCOs, to focus on an initiative he calls "This is My Squad."

“This is my squad, I don’t let anything happen to my squad,” Grinston said. “It shows ownership, something you’re proud of. This is going to be the driving force.”

The Association of the U.S. Army is releasing four new podcasts in August, including a discussion about the new NCO evaluation system, a look at three unusual Army jobs and information on resilience training for military families.

The senior enlisted leader for the U.S. Army Forces Command has been selected to be the next sergeant major of the Army.

Command Sgt. Maj. Michael A. Grinston will succeed Sgt. Maj. of the Army Daniel A. Dailey, who is retiring after more than four years as the Army’s top enlisted leader.

Grinston, who has been at FORSCOM since 2017, is slated to become the 16th sergeant major of the Army on Aug. 16.

"I am honored to have the opportunity to continue to serve the great Soldiers and families of the United States Army," Grinston said in a statement. 

A former Army staff sergeant who fought in the second Battle of Fallujah in 2004 will become the first living recipient of the Medal of Honor for actions during the Iraq War.

David Bellavia, now 43, will be honored during a ceremony on June 25, the White House announced. He will be the fourth soldier to receive the nation’s highest valor award for actions in Iraq.

In all, five service members—three soldiers, a Marine and a sailor—have been awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions in Iraq. All the awards were presented posthumously.

May podcasts from the Association of the U.S. Army include a discussion about a new evaluation system for NCOs, a talk about how midlevel leaders can keep soldiers motivated and an interview with an Army spouse who wrote a song about being in a military family.

Good enlisted leaders could save the Army money because their experience results in lower attrition for junior soldiers, a new RAND Corp. report says, recommending the Army take leadership characteristics into account for promotions to sergeant and staff sergeant.

That would include some yet-undetermined measurement of interpersonal skills like compassion and fostering a good learning environment, along with other positive personality traits. The Army has been moving in this direction, with initiatives to adopt a way that subordinates, peers and superiors could rate soldiers.

The winners of the U.S. Army Best Warrior Competition were announced Oct. 8 during the Sergeant Major of the Army Awards Luncheon at the Association of the U.S. Army’s Annual Meeting and Exposition in Washington, D.C.

The 2018 Soldier of the Year is Cpl. Matthew Hagensick, 75th Ranger Regiment, and the NCO of the Year is Sgt. 1st Class Sean Acosta, 1st Special Warfare Training Group. 

Professional education, training with allies and advice on career progression were some issues discussed by a group of senior NCOs whose collective Army careers span close to 150 years.

The NCO panel discussion at the Association of the U.S. Army’s recent Global Force Symposium and Exposition in Huntsville, Ala., focused on training, educating and developing soldiers for today and the future. The discussion was moderated by retired Sgt. Maj. of the Army Kenneth O. Preston, AUSA’s vice president for NCO and Soldier Programs.