AUSA: Providing Support To Soldiers and Families

"Private First Class Brown displayed great courage in treating two wounded soldiers while under intense small-arms and mortar fire. Private First Class Brown's heroic actions are in keeping with the finest traditions of military service, reflecting great credit upon herself, the 82nd Airborne Division and the U.S. Army."

-Silver Star citation

The tenacity, bravery and professionalism of then-PFC Monica L. Brown while serving as a combat medic in Afghanistan in 2007 mirror the high quality and commitment of today's soldiers all across our Army. Such acts of heroism and dedication are now commonplace for our troops in theater. Silver Stars have also been awarded to SSgt. Chad Malmberg for "gallantry in action" while deployed with the 1st Brigade Combat Team of the Minnesota Army National Guard's 34th Infantry Division and to then-PFC Jeremy Church for valor while deployed with the Army Reserve's 724th Transportation Company. The actions of these soldiers and others reflect a total Army commitment to the global war on terrorism.

As I have mentioned frequently this past year, land forces will be the critical, strategic elements of our national defense strategy for the next decade or so. Our ability to control land and influence people is absolutely essential in the defense of our global interests; in our operations in Afghanistan, Iraq and the Balkans; in our U.S. border operations; in our peacekeeping operations; and in the growing commitment to capacity-building efforts worldwide. In such an environment and era of persistent conflict, land forces-the Army, Marine Corps and special operations forces-are clearly the primary military component of a successful national security strategy.

The growing spectrum of missions and tasks that our nation is demanding of its land forces requires simultaneous growth of those forces. The inadequacy of the size of our land forces is noticeable in Iraq: Although the surge has successfully reduced violence and set conditions for long-term political stability, in the near future we may be required to draw down our forces in Iraq for recommitment elsewhere. We cannot sustain indefinitely any surge-level commitment without implications for long-term readiness and negative effects on our troops. The United States' ability to respond to threats to critical national interests elsewhere or to advance other U.S. objectives is compromised. The ongoing conflict between Russia and Georgia is one such example.

We face the challenge of the unknown future. We must begin building the land forces required to meet the nation's challenges and ensure those land forces are sustained by the new administration and the next Congress. Our national political leaders should:

* Begin an accelerated, bipartisan development of a new national security strategy based on the realities of the global environment and the potency of the available instruments of national power.

* Commit our nation to an expansion of active duty land forces end strength far beyond the growth already announced and build an active duty land force that approaches one million men and women.

* Commit to making the hard resource decisions. The aggregate defense budget must grow, and the proportion allocated to the land forces must increase substantially.

In future years, the demands on our land forces will continue to grow in scope and magnitude as our nation deals with the national security implications of new threats such as climate change and pandemic disease. We must act immediately if we are to recruit, prepare and deploy land forces to meet this dynamic set of challenges. Growing today's capable land forces by 25 percent will allow elected and appointed leaders to make strategic decisions unconstrained by an outdated force. For our Army, this means growth and the requisite funding for an active duty force of 700,000.

As I view AUSA's commitment to fulfilling its mission of Voice for the Army-Support for the Soldier, I am pleased with all the great work and efforts by our members and staff. Our 122 chapters have been more innovative and energetic than ever before in support of units, soldiers and families. Welcome-home and send-off events top the list; other efforts include "we care" packages and chapter financial support and volunteer leadership to family readiness groups. In 2007, our chapters provided $241,000 in scholarships. AUSA awarded five $2,000 scholarships from the Cribbins Scholarship fund in 2007, helping enlisted or honorably discharged enlisted soldiers pursue degrees in engineering or related fields. Our members' outreach to the Army's wounded warriors in the new warrior transition units is remarkable. Our corporate members in particular deserve a big "thank you" for their support of soldiers and families.

Capitalizing on the energy of our chapter volunteers and leaders, our Family Programs directorate has grown this past year in both scope and activity level.

Caring for Army families is clearly one of AUSA's hallmarks now and is enhanced by our chapters' activities.

Our Institute of Land Warfare Torchbearer program lights the way in bringing focus and essential messages to our members, the media and national-level decision makers. Our AUSA book program educates, celebrates and informs on critical issues of our Army. This year, book-program publication Airborne Forces at War, by Robert K. Wright Jr. and John T. Greenwood, won a national award for excellence.

ARMY Magazine and AUSA News continue to provide timely and relevant information of value to our grassroots chapter programs, informing readers about the Army, its activities and programs and keeping readers cognizant of Army issues. Our web site, www.ausa.org, and its features, especially Leader Links, have proven their worth in our effective grassroots efforts.

Our Army-industry team, a very important part of our overall program for the Army, has kept up its pace of excellence in our industry symposia. I am encouraged that our latest Army-industry program, the Army Fires Symposium for the new and evolving Army Fires Center of Excellence, had a great start in Dallas with participation by Fort Sill, Fort Bliss and our industry partners and will prove to be increasingly exciting and dynamic in the coming years. The upcoming 54th AUSA Annual Meeting will be as exciting as those in previous years, and we anticipate setting records once again. Our Winter Symposium in Ft. Lauderdale, FIa., retains its high value for industry participants; I receive from our 561 sustaining members such comments as: "worthwhile," "access to Army leadership superb" and "great business-to-business opportunities."

This past legislative year, our strategic outreach to Congress through the resolutions process and our work on the Hill has paid off in legislative successes. Continued successin conjunction with other members of the Military Coalition-in preventing a TRICARE co-pay increase will remain one of our targets for next year. There is still work to do.

As I look ahead to 2009, I see opportunities and challenges for the Army and AUSA. The new year will bring a new administration, the new lllth Congress and new national security challenges-at home and overseas. We will still be at war. At AUSA, we must maintain our focus on our mission in all of our activities and programs. Our drumbeat for our messages must remain constant in the coming year. In this ongoing presidential campaign, there have been few, if any, debates focusing on national defense issues. Our 2008 and 2009 resolutions will continue to focus on readiness, people and Army transformation.

Our resolutions concerning readiness include urging the administration and Congress to increase base defense budget funding to at least five percent of GDP, with the Army's share at least 28 percent; fund operations and maintenance, individual and unit training, and Army recruiting and retention programs; support the rebalance of the force between the active and reserve components; fund timely supplemental appropriation support for resetting the force; and authorize and fund an active duty Army of 700,000.

For soldiers, families and Army civilians, among other issues we will urge Congress to close the pay gap for both soldiers and Army civilians; bar any TRICARE fee increases; continue to fund high-quality health care; protect the full value of retiree and annuitant income; and enact legislation to repeal the VA offset on retirees' military entitlement (concurrent receipt).

Resolutions on force transformation include pushing for support and funding of advanced technology development focused on such technology as Future Combat Systems and countermeasures for improvised expfosive devices; provision of stable and sufficient research, development, test and evaluation funding and funding for modernization and enhancement programs; and acceleration of funding for high-pay-off weapon systems that support the Army's modernization requirements for current and Future Forces.

As we approach a new year in an era of persistent conflict, AUSA remains committed to supporting soldiers and families and serving as a source of information about the Army. The future security and well-being of our country depend on our nation's ability to meet the changing threats of the 21st century. It is our mission to ensure that timely and adequate resourcing of the Army is a national priority.

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