PUBLISHED BY THE ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY www.ausa.org February 15, 2024 | AUSA Extra 1 Milley shares leadership lessons at AUSA T oday’s Army demands leaders with physical and moral cour- age, said retired Gen. Mark Milley, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the 39th Army chief of staff. “You’ve got to be able to stand there in times of intense discussions or stress, lean forward and realize that … millions of American sol- diers, sailors, airmen and Marines have given their lives to preserve [the U.S.] Constitution,” Milley said Tuesday during an Association of the U.S. Army Noon Report webinar. “You’ve got to have the physical cour- age to do that and the moral courage … to do that.” A Massachusetts native, Milley graduated from Princeton Univer- sity in 1980. During an Army career that spanned over 40 years, Milley held command and staff positions in six divisions and Special Forces. His commands include the 10th Moun- tain Division, III Corps and Army Forces Command. As the 20th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from October 2019 to September 2023, Milley helped lead the U.S. military through several pivotal events, including a pandemic, the U.S. withdrawal from Afghani- stan, the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. As the son of a Navy corpsman who fought in the Battle of Iwo Jima and who grew up in a “patriotic” commu- nity, Milley learned the value of mili- tary service at a young age. “I grew up in an Irish and Ital- ian neighborhood in a little suburb of Boston, … [where] close to 100% of the adults in one way or another served in World War II,” said Milley, whose mother was a Navy nurse dur- ing World War II. “I was very fortu- nate to grow up in that environment, and they imbued … a sense that this is a great country, this is a country worth serving, [and] this is a country that we should pay back.” As Army leaders grow, Milley em- phasized that mistakes sometimes offer the best leadership lessons. “Leadership lessons often come from lots of mistakes and things that you’ve learned over the years,” he said. “You get good leadership lessons from those that you want to emulate, and you get bad leadership Then-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley speaks with soldiers assigned to the 1st Infantry Division in 2022 in Poznan, Poland. (ARMY NATIONAL GUARD/SGT. AGUSTÍN MONTAÑEZ) Army Seeks Automation, Precision Sustainment 3 Lessons for Israel from US Response to 9/11 4 NCO & Soldier Programs Helping Soldiers, Families in Need 6 Chapter Highlights Henry Leavenworth Community Partner Challenge 7 IN THIS ISSUE VOLUME 5 NUMBER 40 FEBRUARY 15, 2024 See Milley, Page 3www.ausa.org ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY February 15, 2024 | AUSA Extra 3 Army seeks precision, automation for logistics operations Rob Watts, left, deputy director of Army Futures Command’s Contested Logistics Cross- Functional Team, and Maj. Gen. Michelle Donahue, commanding general of Army Com- bined Arms Support Command, address an AUSA Hot Topic forum on contested logistics Feb. 7 at the association’s headquarters in Arlington, Virginia. (AUSA PHOTO) F aced with an increasingly con- tested operating environment, the Army is working to deliver precision sustainment and incorpo- rate autonomous vehicles for resup- ply missions. “Everybody agrees that we’ve got to get after logistics in this contested environment,” said Rob Watts, dep- uty director of Army Futures Com- mand’s Contested Logistics Cross- Functional Team. Speaking Feb. 7 during an Asso- ciation of the U.S. Army Hot Topic on contested logistics, Watts said the Contested Logistics Cross-Function- al Team’s first “priority effort” is pre- dictive logistics. “In the future, we can no longer afford to deliver two times or three times what that particular location or [area of operations] requires,” Watts said. “We don’t have the as- sets to move it or the assets to de- liver it, so we’re going to need more precision.” This could include using artificial intelligence tools or autonomous ve- hicles, which ties into another key effort for the team—autonomous re- supply vessels, Watts said. “We have to leverage machines,” he said. “We’ve got to figure out how the human and machines are integrated on the battlefield.” The intent behind the autonomous resupply vessels would be to buy “lots of them,” Watts said, “where you can kind of envision a swarm of these au- tonomous vessels going out to various Milley From Page 1 lessons from those you’d never want to emulate. So, I’ve got thousands of leadership lessons.” The best leaders don’t “have some sort of grand plan” for their career but “take it day by day, do the right thing and focus on doing the hard jobs well,” Milley said. Serving in the military is still worth it today, Milley said. “There’s a lot of good days, there’s a lot of bad days too. … Any form of military service is a life of sacrifice,” he said. “I would say that military service is very worth it because you’re serving 325 million Americans. You’re serv- ing ... for children … to enjoy the fruits of life, liberty and happiness in the future. That’s something that knows no price, in my mind.” island chains, delivering … ammo or blood or whatever it is, and take it to the point of need.” The cross-functional team contin- ues to build on that concept, Watts said, and is looking at autonomous tracks, watercraft, aerial vehicles and more. Advanced power is another effort, as the Army looks to reduce its reli- ance on fossil fuels, Watts said. Ultimately, the goal is to reduce demand for sustainment, he said, adding that if the cross-functional team’s first three efforts are success- ful, demand will naturally go down. Precision sustainment means fewer trucks on the road, he said as an ex- ample. Maj. Gen. Michelle Donahue, com- manding general of Army Combined Arms Support Command, who spoke on the panel alongside Watts, agreed. From 1970 to today, the Army’s fuel demands have increased 374%, she said. Demand for maintenance has grown 37%, she said. “If we want to ensure sustain- ment isn’t a crippling piece, from a warfighter’s perspective, we’ve got to reduce demand,” she said. “The sustainment community cannot con- tinue to be the growth industry for the United States Army.” The Contested Logistics Cross- Functional Team, the Army’s ninth and newest cross-functional team focused on the service’s moderniza- tion priorities, is an enduring effort, Watts said. “This problem is not go- ing to go away after we deliver our first four or five capabilities,” he said. “The environment is going to continue to change, the other signa- ture modernization efforts are going to change, so we’re going to continue to shift.”www.ausa.org4 AUSA Extra | February 15, 2024 Gen. Bob Brown, USA Ret. President and CEO, AUSA Lt. Gen. Leslie Smith, USA Ret. 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There are no long-term contracts, and cancellation is easy. Visit www.ausa.org/gym for more information and to join. Paper: US response to 9/11 holds lessons for Israel’s war with Hamas A s Israel continues to wage war on Hamas, it “would do well” to consider the lessons learned by the United States in its response to the 9/11 attacks, writes the author of a new paper published by the Association of the U.S. Army. While author Lt. Col. Jay Figurski concedes that Israel’s response to the violent ambush by Hamas on Oct. 7 is understandable, civilian and mili- tary leaders now must proceed only with a viable endgame in place and a plan to restore hard-won diplomatic relations forged in recent years with their Arab neighbors. “The desires for retribution and responding with overwhelming force are human,” Figurski writes in his paper, “What Israel Can Learn from the U.S. Global War on Terrorism,” published by AUSA as part of its Land Warfare series. But “in times of crisis, leaders must have the patience and courage to think several steps ahead and to consider the ramifica- tions of the actions they take,” writes Figurski, a Middle East foreign area officer who is retiring from the Army and most recently was the Israel desk officer for the Joint Staff strategy, plans and policy directorate, J5. It is understandable, he writes, that as head of state, Israeli Prime Minis- ter Benjamin Netanyahu would want to immediately demonstrate that the gravity of the Oct. 7 attack warrants overwhelming force by Israel Defense Forces. That day, Figurski writes, “has become Israel’s 9/11,” and Ne- tanyahu’s speech to the Israeli people resembled the response by then-Presi- dent George W. Bush to the American people on Sept. 11, 2001. However, Figurski points out that as the U.S. war on terrorism stretched into 20 years, the U.S. “would find itself stuck in quagmires that had little to do with the threats that had first been responsible for the terrorist attack.” Further, Figurski writes, the Unit- ed States’ fight was sustained over the years by more abundant financial re- sources than Israel and, more impor- tantly, an all-volunteer professional military, “in which the direct impacts of war are borne by the less than one percent of Americans. ... Israel, how- ever, does not have these luxuries.” “With these constraints in mind, Is- rael would do well to pay heed to the lessons that the United States learned in the Global War on Terrorism: de- termine the end game, consider the war for hearts and minds and the cost of ‘going it alone,’ avoid a multi-front war, and beware unintended conse- quences,” Figurski writes. As the United States discovered in Afghanistan and Iraq, military cam- paigns to eradicate deeply rooted, political-military movements usually fail. And that is exactly what Hamas is, with roots that extend far beyond Gaza, Figurski writes. “It is imperative to U.S. interests and regional stability that Israel sets attainable objectives and meets them as soon as possible,” he writes. Read the paper here. Soldiers with the 1st Infantry Division move to a suspected weapons cache in 2011 near Camp Taji, Iraq, with cover from Black Hawk helicopters. (U.S. ARMY PHOTO)www.ausa.org ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY February 15, 2024 | AUSA Extra 5 YOUR VALUE DRIVEN PARTNER OF CHOICE SERVICES ENGINEERING SERVICES INTEGRATED LIFE SUPPORT SERVICES HR & ADMIN SERVICES FIELD OPERATIONS SERVICES GOVERNMENT RELATIONS SECTOR INTEGRATED FACILITIES MANAGEMENT (IFM) TRANSPORTATION SERVICES KRH ACADEMY OVERVIEW WORKFORCE IN PROJECTS 13,000+ COUNTRIES OF OPERATION 7 STAFF 500+ PARTNERS FROM 15 COUNTRIES 73 ANNUAL TURNOVER $250M5 YEARS AVERAGE CONTRACTS LIFECYCLE AccountabilityPassion Excellence Integrity Commitment Respect Innovation VALUES OPERATING IN THE HEART OF CENTCOM TURNKEY SOLUTIONS | AGILE TEAM | DYNAMIC SERVICES SCAN FOR MORE CENTCOM HQ KUWAIT, SHARQ, AL SHUHADA STREET, AL GHAWALI TOWER TEL: BD@KRHKW.COM +22320113965 T he Transportation Corps Regi- mental Association was formed in September 1990 with the mission to promote the Transporta- tion Corps, preserve its history and traditions, foster member profession- al development and provide academic scholarships. Established in 1942, the Trans- portation Corps is one of the Army’s younger branches, but its history extends to the Revolutionary War, when Gen. George Washington used animal-driven transportation to move American and French forces from New York’s Hudson Valley to Yorktown, Virginia, more than 450 miles away. “So important was transportation in the American Revolution that Wash- ington advised Congress to establish the position of Wagonmaster General to provide the Army’s essential mobil- ity,” the association website says. During World War I, the Transpor- tation Service was created, carrying 2 million men and their supplies across 3,000 miles of ocean. When the U.S. entered World War II, Presi- dent Franklin Roosevelt established the Transportation Corps in Novem- ber 1942. “Ultimately, the Transportation Corps conducted operations in the deserts and wastelands of North Af- rica, the jungles of the Pacifi c, the mountains and valleys of Italy and Asia, and over the beaches of Nor- mandy,” according to the association. In addition to supporting the chief of transportation and the corps’ sol- diers and families, the association administers several awards pro- grams, including the Military Order of Saint Christopher, the Patronus Rotae Award and the Eagle Award. For more information, please visit https://tcra.wildapricot.org/. If your association is interested in partnering with AUSA, contact Su- san Rubel at srubel@ausa.org. Association Partnershipwith AUSA is an opportunity for like-minded military service organizations to join AUSA in support of the Total Army—soldiers, DoD civilians and their families. Spotlight on AUSA Association Partner: TCRASoldiers, AUSA members gather toys for military children Members of AUSA’s Pikes Peak chapter collect toys, books and games for Army families in need at Fort Carson, Colorado. (AUSA PHOTO) www.ausa.org6 AUSA Extra | February 15, 2024 ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY Participants in Operation Reindeer Ruck bring hundreds of gifts for military children to Fort Carson’s Mountain Post Santa’s Workshop. (AUSA PHOTO) I n a heartwarming display of ca- maraderie and community spirit, soldiers from the 1st Space Bri- gade at Fort Carson, Colorado, along- side members of the National Guard and other military personnel, braved the wintry chill to participate in Op- eration Reindeer Ruck. Hosted by the Association of the U.S. Army’s Pikes Peak chapter, this annual event aims to spread holiday cheer by collecting toys, books and games for Army families in need. On a crisp December morning, about 60 dedicated soldiers donned their rucksacks and embarked on a mission of good- will. Laden with gifts, they marched through the picturesque landscapes of Colorado, making their way to the Mountain Post Santa’s Workshop on Fort Car- son. Their mission: Gather hundreds of toys to brighten the holidays for children ages six months to 12 years old. While toy drives are not uncom- mon, what sets apart Operation Reindeer Ruck is the unique fusion of charity and fitness. Participants not NCO & Soldier Programs only contribute to a worthy cause but also embrace the physical challenge of rucking, aligning with the AUSA chapter’s fitness goals. The success of Operation Reindeer Ruck was further amplified through strategic community partnerships. Thanks to collaboration with a lo- cal Walmart, the Pikes Peak chapter was able to buy additional toys at a discounted rate, filling three shop- ping baskets with gifts for military families. Bret Mayo, the chapter’s vice presi- dent of NCO and Soldier Programs, expressed his gratitude for the over- whelming support from volunteers and community partners. “The chap- ter had a wonderful time, as did the soldiers who used this event as an op- portunity to give back to their fellow service members,” Mayo said. Operation Reindeer Ruck exempli- fies the spirit of giving and under- scores the strong bond between the military and civilian communities. By coming together, these soldiers and volunteers made a difference in the lives of military families, spread- ing joy and goodwill during the holi- day season. As their footsteps fade in the snow, the legacy of Operation Reindeer Ruck continues to shine brightly, serving as a beacon of hope and com- passion for years to come. Retired Command Sgt. Maj. Julie Guerra is AUSA’s director of NCO and Soldier Programs.M embers of the Association of the U.S. Army’s Henry Leavenworth chapter dem- onstrated their commitment to sol- diers and families during a recent Family Wellness Day at Fort Leav- enworth, Kansas. The Feb. 2 event, hosted by the Army Corrections Brigade at the in- stallation’s McHugh Training Cen- ter, was intended to empower readi- ness and resiliency for local military families. “Our chapter was honored to support such a won- derful and informative event for Army families [with] great resources as well as networking opportunities,” the chapter said in a Facebook post. To prepare for the event, Fort Leav- enworth leaders identified trends affecting the readiness, health and well-being of the formation. Their aim was to amplify positive effects and apply information, education and resources to assuage negative trends, Melissa Kreitzer, an AUSA chapter member and Army spouse, said in an Army news release. “This work cannot be done alone, it requires a village,” Kreitzer said in an article published by the Fort Leavenworth Lamp. “The Fort Leav - enworth community came together in an incredible way to support the Griffin Brigade’s service members, www.ausa.org ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY February 15, 2024 | AUSA Extra 7 Chapter supports interactive Family Wellness Day Henry Leavenworth Soldiers and family members speak with community representatives during a Family Wellness Day at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. (FORT LEAVENWORTH LAMP/PRUDENCE SIEBERT) families and civilians by showcas- ing support providers and programs available, with more than 30 commu- nity agencies represented.” The day’s agenda included a spiri- tual wellness program overview, a brief from garrison leaders on qual- ity-of-life initiatives and a readiness session from the Fort Leavenworth Ready and Resilient Performance Center. The AUSA chapter provided funding for the event, and several chapter members were on the coor- dination team for the Wellness Day. “The brigade soldiers and spouses serve as a team, and we have a duty to support and honor that. Army families know when you care,” Kre- itzer said. “They shouldn’t meet the leaders for the first time on their best or worst days; there needs to be an established rapport, a relationship of trust that’s built over time.” Resources presented during the event include the Military Spouse Education and Career Opportunities program; the Stronghold Food Pan- try for food, diapers and other family needs; services such as the Neighbor- hood Navigator to learn about local communities; and tax consultation provided by Military OneSource. Child care solutions also were at the forefront of the day’s discussions. “In January, the Department of De- fense implemented its new fee sched- ule for on-base child care, designed to reduce fees for lower income military families,” said Carole Hoffman, Fort Leavenworth Child and Youth Ser- vices coordinator. The interactive event “was a great effort by the chapter in unison with the Army Corrections Brigade lead- ership to bring resources to our mili- tary spouses in the brigade and on the installation,” said Judy Bauer, the AUSA chapter president. “We plan to make it an annual event since it was so successful.” Community Partner Challenge The following chapters are the January winners of AUSA’s Community Partner Challenge in their award categories. Each winner receives $500 and 5 points toward Best Chapter in their group. • Fort Novosel-Wiregrass – Award Group 1 • Greater Augusta-Fort Eisenhower – Award Group 2 • Northern New York-Fort Drum – Award Group 3 • National Training Center-High Desert – Award Group 4 • Tucson-Goyette – Award Group 5Next >