ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

The Association of the U.S. Army will host a webinar Feb. 15 on talent management initiatives for warrant officers.

The event, part of AUSA’s Noon Report series, will feature a panel of senior warrant officers. The free event begins at noon Eastern. Registration is required here.

Managing talent across the force is a key initiative for the Army, as it works to find the right people for the right jobs. 

The Army’s ability to grow and develop leaders gives the service a critical advantage over its adversaries, a senior Army leader said.

“We generate leaders … better than anyone we’re going to fight,” said Lt. Gen. James Rainey, the deputy Army chief of staff for operations. “I believe that the fact that our Army is manned by an all-volunteer force, people that chose to do something with their life … and are fighting for something that they believe in, I think that's a huge advantage.”

For retired Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Schloesser, writing his book, Marathon War: Leadership in Combat in Afghanistan, was cathartic as he processed his wartime experiences.

“War is the most brutal of human endeavors, and I have experienced enough war to know to take cover when politicians, poets and armchair warriors speak extravagantly of patriotism and national honor,” Schloesser, a former commander of the 101st Airborne Division, writes in the introduction.

Retired Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Schloesser, a former commander of the 101st Airborne Division, will discuss his new book, Marathon War: Leadership in Combat in Afghanistan, during a webinar hosted by the Association of the U.S. Army.

There are 45 different federal programs administered by 11 agencies aimed at helping service members and their families find civilian employment, creating a web of fragmented and often overlapping help that would be far more effective with more coordination and better performance goals, the Government Accountability Office reports. 

The Association of the U.S. Army is launching a Thought Leaders livestream series with Gen. Mike Murray of Army Futures Command scheduled for a June 10 presentation and retired Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Martin Dempsey appearing on June 15.

Murray, who became Futures Command's first commanding general when the organization was activated in August 2018, is expected to provide updates on Army modernization priorities.

The Army is moving toward a civilian-style, market-based talent management system of assignments where job seekers and commanders can find the right fit, Army Secretary Mark T. Esper says.

Unlike the current personnel system where soldiers are given their next assignment with little or no say, the personnel system that is evolving “would be a market-based personnel system” in which soldiers would be able to scour an online Army site for their next position, Esper said in an April 24 interview in his Pentagon office.

A panel discussion about professional development for enlisted soldiers will be included in the three-day Global Force Symposium and Exposition beginning March 26 that is hosted by the Association of the U.S. Army.

The event will be held at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Ala.

Former Sgt. Maj. of the Army Kenneth O. Preston, AUSA vice president for NCO and Soldier Programs, will moderate a panel discussion filled with current and former command sergeants major and experts in training, education and professional development programs.