PUBLISHED BY THE ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY www.ausa.org April 24, 2025 | AUSA Extra 1 Mingus: Army needs on-time budgets A s the Army moves to trans- form—and transform quick- ly—it needs adequate, timely and predictable funding, Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. James Mingus said. Speaking Tuesday at an Associa- tion of the U.S. Army Coffee Series event, Mingus said the Army was helped by “some additional authori- ties” in the continuing resolution that runs through Sept. 30, but “yearlong CRs are not good.” “We should all be screaming at the top of our lungs,” Mingus said, ex- plaining that the Army loses buying power under continuing resolutions, stopgap funding that keeps the bud- get at the previous year’s levels and prevents new program starts. “Every taxpayer in the United Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. James Mingus addresses an AUSA Coffee Series event on Tues- day at the association's headquarters in Arlington, Virginia. (AUSA PHOTO) Civil War Hero Honored in Graphic Novel 3 AUSA Launches Army Birthday Art Contest 4 Book Program Urban Operations Challenges 7 Chapter Highlights Eagle Chapters 8 IN THIS ISSUE VOLUME 6 NUMBER 50 APRIL 24, 2025 States of America should demand a budget on time, every year,” he said. “If you want to maximize how we use the money we’re given, we have to have appropriations on time.” The Army and the rest of DoD have operated under a continuing resolu- tion 18 of the past 20 years, Mingus said. “We ought to all be collectively demanding on-time budgets every year,” he said. His remarks came as he outlined the Army’s efforts to transform the force for the next fight. From transformation in contact, the Army’s initiative to put new tech- nologies in soldiers’ hands for testing and feedback, to advances in building a robust, mobile and next-generation network, the Army is moving with a sense of urgency, Mingus said. See Mingus, Page 6 Modernizing the network is a top priority, he said. The next fight has many unknowns, “but what we do know is he who makes decisions fast- est and shoots fastest is going to win, and the network is central to all of that,” Mingus said. At the same time, the transforma- tion in contact initiative is moving into its second phase this year. The effort began with three infan- try brigade combat teams last year and is now extending to two divi- sions, armored and Stryker brigades and other formations, including in the Army National Guard and Army Reserve. The lessons learned by those first three brigades fed a force design up- date that, pending final approval, www.ausa.org ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY April 24, 2025 | AUSA Extra 3 Graphic novel honors Civil War Medal of Honor soldier S gt. William Carney, a soldier in the 54th Massachusetts Vol- unteer Infantry Regiment who ignored his own wounds to carry the American flag into battle during the Civil War, is the focus of the latest graphic novel in the Association of the U.S. Army’s series on recipients of the nation’s highest award for valor. Medal of Honor: William Carney recounts the story of a man born in 1840 who grew up in slavery on a plantation in Norfolk, Virginia. After his family fled the South and settled in New Bedford, Massachusetts, Car- ney learned to read and write and set his sights on joining the ministry, according to a narrative compiled by the National Museum of the United States Army. When the Civil War broke out, Car- ney felt a call to duty, enlisted in the U.S. Army and was assigned to the all-Black 54th Massachusetts Volun- teer Infantry Regiment, setting off to join the war after completing train- ing in May 1863. Deployed at first to Darien, Geor- gia, on orders to raid the town, the regiment soon was involved in its first battle at James Island, South Caro- lina, on July 18, 1863, in the Battle of Fort Wagner. Commanded by Col. Robert Gould Shaw, the soldiers of the 54th marched on the fort that evening and were fired upon by 1,800 Confederate soldiers attacking from inside the fort. Shaw adjust- ed the unit’s advances, taking them through the moat and up the slope leading to the fort, but the unit suf- fered heavy casualties and Shaw was killed, according to the narrative. As the battle raged, Carney, though severely wounded twice, persevered, grabbing the American flag as previ- ous color bearers fell, and crawled to the parapet under heavy fire to urge troops forward, the narrative states. “I threw away my gun, seized the colors, and made my way to the head of the column,” he said, proclaiming, “I did but my duty; the dear old flag never touched the ground,” according to the narrative. Carney, who was discharged from the Army in 1864 due to his injuries, returned to Massachusetts, got mar- ried, had a daughter and became a let- ter carrier for the U.S. Postal Service. He was presented the Medal of Honor by President Theodore Roosevelt on May 23, 1900. His ac- tions are the earliest by an African Ameri- can soldier to be recog- nized with the nation’s highest award for military valor, ac- cording to the narrative. The story of Carney and his unit were made famous in the movie Glo- ry, and Carney was immortalized in the patriotic song Boys the Old Flag Never Touched the Ground. Carney died on Dec. 9, 1908, and is buried in New Bedford. Medal of Honor: William Carney is available here. AUSA launched its Medal of Honor graphic novel series in October 2018. This is the 25th novel in the series. The digital graphic novels are avail- able here. “This book highlights Carney and the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry as they tried to take Fort Wagner at the mouth of Charleston Harbor, where the first shots of the Civil War were fired,” said Joseph Craig, director of AUSA’s Book Pro - gram. “The creative team for the book did a spectacular job in bring- ing this story to life.” Each AUSA graphic novel is cre- ated by a team of professional comic book veterans. The script for Medal of Honor: William Carney was writ- ten by Chuck Dixon, whose previous work includes Batman, The Punisher and The ‘Nam. Pencils, inks and the cover were by Wayne Vansant, who has worked on The ’Nam, Savage Tales and All Qui- et on the Western Front; colors were by Peter Pantazis, who previously worked on Justice League, Superman and Black Panther; and the lettering was by Troy Peteri, who has worked on Spider-Man, Iron Man and X-Men. I did but my duty; the dear old flag never touched the ground.”www.ausa.org 4 AUSA Extra | April 24, 2025 Gen. Bob Brown, USA Ret. President and CEO, AUSA Lt. Gen. Leslie Smith, USA Ret. Vice President, Leadership and Education, AUSA Luc Dunn Editor Desiree Hurlocker Advertising Manager Advertising Information Contact: Fox Associates Inc. 116 W. Kinzie St. • Chicago, IL 60654 Phone: 800-440-0231 Email: adinfo.rmy@foxrep.com ARTICLES. Articles appearing in AUSA Extra do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the officers or members of the Council of Trustees of AUSA, or its editors. Articles are expres- sions of personal opinion and should not be interpreted as reflecting the official opinion of the Department of Defense nor of any branch, command, installation or agency of the Depart- ment of Defense. The publication assumes no responsibility for any unsolicited material. Email: extra@ausa.org ADVERTISING. Neither AUSA Extra, nor its publisher, the Association of the United States Army, makes any representations, warranties or endorsements as to the truth and accuracy of the advertisements appearing herein, and no such representations, warranties or en- dorsements should be implied or inferred from the appearance of the advertisements in the publication. The advertisers are solely respon- sible for the contents of such advertisements. MEMBERSHIP RATES. To celebrate the U.S. Army’s 250th birthday, from April 1, 2025, to Dec. 31, 2025, membership rates are reduced to a five-year Premium rate of $50 and a two- year Premium rate of $30. Lifetime member- ship is $250. A special Premium rate of $10 for two years is open to E1–E4 and cadets only. Two-year Basic membership with select ben- efits is free. Learn more at www.ausa.org/join . Voice for the Army – Support For the Soldier PERK OF THE WEEK ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY Submissions now open for AUSA's new Army birthday artwork contest I n celebration of the Army’s 250th birthday, the Association of the U.S. Army is proud to launch a writing and artwork contest. The “Army Birthday Writing & Art- work Contest” celebrates America’s Army as it marks its 250th birthday on June 14. This nationwide contest, open to students from kindergarten through college, invites participants to reflect on their connection to the Army. “This contest is a meaningful way to celebrate the Army’s 250th birthday by connecting students and young adults to the Army’s legacy,” said retired Command Sgt. Maj. Kev- in Engler, deputy director of outreach and programs in AUSA’s Education and Programs directorate. “Through creative storytelling and traditional artwork, participants honor the val- ues of service, sacrifice and leader- ship, while offering a personal lens into the Army’s continuing impact on their lives and communities.” AUSA is accepting submissions through Aug. 8. Winners will be an- nounced by Oct. 1. Participants are asked to submit a 150-word message and a piece of Soldiers with I Corps and volunteers from local veteran support organizations prepare for the start of the Daffodil Parade—celebrating the Army’s 250th birthday—on April 5 in Tacoma, Washington. (U.S. ARMY/MAJ. EVAN CAIN) Do you have a fam- ily member who needs help beyond what you can provide? AUSA has partnered with the largest provider of senior housing, Brookdale Senior Living, to provide members with discounts on assisted living, memory care, in-home services and more. Visit www.brookdale.com/ausa for details. traditional, nondigital artwork that reflects their connection to the U.S. Army. Submissions must align with the theme “My Army, My Story,” and they may explore topics such as ser- vice, sacrifice, leadership, patrio- tism, resilience and the Army’s role in shaping history and the future. Accepted forms of artwork include drawings (pencil, charcoal or ink), paintings (watercolor, oil or acrylic) and mixed media (collages or prints). Students from kindergarten through college are invited to partici- pate. Submissions will be evaluated in six age groups to ensure fairness. Submissions must include the en- trant’s full name, grade level and phone number or email address. They can be sent by email to educa- tion@ausa.org. Winning entries will be recognized during AUSA’s Annual Meeting and Exposition in Washington, D.C., in October. They also will be featured on AUSA’s website, social media plat- forms and publications, and included in a special Army birthday “Army Matters” podcast. For more information, click here.www.ausa.org ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY April 24, 2025 | AUSA Extra 5 B ehind the stone, bronze and steel war memorials that line Washington, D.C.’s walkways are the stories of millions of U.S. ser- vice members who answered the call to service. While many of the names and faces behind those monuments have been forgotten over time, many were brought to the fore Tuesday by the Association of the U.S. Army’s Cen- ter for Leadership for members of AUSA’s national staff during an “In- spiration to Lead” walking tour. Organized and facilitated by AU- SA’s Center for Leadership, the ex- ercise provided ample time for re- flection on the humanity behind the sacrifices of war, with stops and edu- cational briefings at some of the city’s most prominent war memorials. Cynthia Gertsen, senior program manager with the Center for Leader- ship and lead organizer of Tuesday’s event, said the exercise was designed to inspire AUSA staff members with lessons in leadership “and connect the stories of those soldiers to our work and how we can lead to accom- plish AUSA’s mission.” The walking tour began at the new World War I Memorial, which was dedicated in September, and contin- ued at the World War II Memorial, the Korean War Veterans Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the AUSA staff honors fallen, draws inspiration from service Vietnam Women’s Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial. At each stop, members of the Cen- ter for Leadership offered short de- scriptions of the monuments while emphasizing the humanity of war by telling selected stories of the men and women in uniform, the civilians who supported them and the families they left behind. Retired Lt. Gen. Roger Schultz, former director of the Army Nation- al Guard and veteran of the Viet- nam War, joined the tour as a guest speaker at the Vietnam Veterans Me- morial, where he spoke emotionally of the toll of war and of the “courage and character” it takes for soldiers to go into battle. Addressing the 72 staff members who participated in the educational tour, retired Gen. Bob Brown, AU- SA’s president and CEO, reminded the group that “freedom isn’t free” and that America enjoys freedom be- cause of the sacrifices made by the soldiers memorialized in the nation’s war monuments. “You can look at war statistics, but they don’t tell the story,” Brown said. “When you see the monuments and realize all that was sacrificed by the people who went to war, it strikes you how fortunate we are to have our freedom.” Pointing out that AUSA’s head- quarters in Arlington, Virginia, is a stone’s throw from Washington’s war monuments, Brown noted that the memorials “are right near us, but we don’t always take time to pause and reflect on how fortunate we are to live in the greatest country in the world.” Brown also pointed out that as AUSA approaches its 75th anniversa- ry on July 5, the organization’s mis- sion to support the U.S. Army is as strong as ever. “The whole reason we were formed is to help the U.S. Army ensure our freedom,” Brown said. Retired Lt. Gen. Roger Schultz, former director of the Army National Guard and veteran of the Vietnam War, speaks to AUSA staff members at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial during a walking tour of monuments in Washington, D.C. (AUSA PHOTO) Retired Gen. Bob Brown, AUSA’s president and CEO, addresses the association's staff at the World War I Memorial on Tuesday during an ‘Inspiration to Lead’ walking tour organized and facilitated by AUSA’s Center for Leadership. (AUSA PHOTO)www.ausa.org 6 AUSA Extra | April 24, 2025 ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY Mingus From Page 1 will lead to a new Modified Table of Organization and Equipment for mobile or medium brigade combat teams, Mingus said. The change is expected by Oct. 1, he said.. Transformation in contact 2.0 will use the same logic—infuse units with new equipment, give them time to train with them, validate them at a combat training center rotation and collect their lessons learned, Mingus said. “It’s not just about giving peo- ple kit,” he said. “It’s about putting it together in a meaningful way.” Taking lessons from the fighting in Ukraine, the Army is focused on ad- vances in robotics, unmanned aerial systems, counter-UAS and electronic warfare, Mingus said. “The speed at which we want to move in the EW, counter-UAS, UAS, robotics, autono- my ... absolutely has to keep pace with the way [industry] is going,” he said. Sgt. Tucker Smith, left, and Sgt. Adrian Herrera, both assigned to the 173rd Airborne Brigade, calibrate a C-100 drone in preparation for a test flight April 20 during exercise African Lion 2025 at Ben Ghilouf Training Area, Tunisia. (U.S. ARMY/SGT. JOSE LORA)www.ausa.org ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY April 17, 2025 | AUSA Extra 7 Anthology illustrates urban operations lessons for US Army T hroughout history, armies have avoided fighting in cities whenever possible—for good reason. Battles in Stalingrad, Hue and Mo- sul demonstrated that urban fight- ing is brutal and usually protracted. More recent examples in Gaza and Ukraine support those descriptions. Yet, fighting in cities will become the norm as the world becomes in- creasingly urbanized. More than half of Earth’s population now lives in cities, and those cities get larger and larger—there are now over 30 “megacities” with populations over 10 million. The U.S. Army needs to prepare for this new reality. One book that can help is Urban Operations: War, Crime, and Conflict. Edited by John Sullivan, Nathan Jones and Daniel Weisz Argomedo, it gathers the world’s leading experts in urban warfare and urban security to describe the challenges of operat- ing in this environment. The anthology—which also fea- tures a preface from Jayson Geroux and John Spencer and a postscript by David Killcullen—is a new entry in the Association of the U.S. Army’s Book Program. We recently sat down with Sulli- van to talk about Urban Operations. ****** AUSA: How did you come together with your co-editors to create this book? Sullivan: I have known my co- editors for several years. The three of us served as guest editors for a special issue of the Journal of Strate- gic Security on urban security. That peer-reviewed special issue formed the foundation of the current Urban Operations book AUSA: Much of the discussion on urban operations relates to military concerns. What other areas are im- portant to consider? Sullivan: At the core, cities revolve Book Program around people. Urban operations are thus important to political and diplo- matic leaders, civil defense organiza- tions like the police, fire service and medical services, humanitarian or- ganizations and private businesses. It is a quintessential whole-of-society issue. AUSA: That said, the AUSA audi- ence naturally focuses on soldiers. Why is it important for Army leaders to study urban warfare? Sullivan: The world is increas- ingly urbanized. War, crime and conflict, to capture our book’s sub- title, already challenge military op- erations and will continue to do so in the future. As an instructor in the 40th Infantry Division urban war- fare planner course, I learned that brigade and division planners need deep urban mission analysis and planning skills across all combat arms and specialties. AUSA: How have the current con- flicts in Ukraine and Gaza affected our understanding of urban opera- tions? Sullivan: First, they remind us that our adversaries have a voice. We may seek to avoid the complexities of urban warfare, but our adversaries may choose to fight there. Second, they remind us that urban operations are complex and multi- dimensional—they can include sub- terranean operations, urban-littoral operations and fighting in densely populated areas, and they range in intensity. Finally, they can be bru- tal and demand efforts to protect the populace. AUSA: What is one lesson you would like readers to take away from the book? Sullivan: Urban operations are multifaceted. They can include hy- brid warfare, stability and support operations, criminal conflicts, insur- gency and terrorism and large-scale combat operations. Planning, intel- ligence, exercising and wargaming can help us better understand and prepare for urban operations across the globe. ****** Please visit www.ausa.org/books to order Urban Operations and other ti- tles in the AUSA Book Program. Use the promo code SP25AUSA for select member discounts when purchasing directly through the publisher links. Joseph Craig is AUSA’s Book Program director. Soldiers assigned to the Pennsylvania National Guard’s 28th Infantry Division prepare to breach a building April 5 dur- ing an urban operations training exercise at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania. (ARMY NATIONAL GUARD/SPC. ANNIE RILEY)www.ausa.org 8 AUSA Extra | April 24, 2025 ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY Eagle Chapters The following chapters attained Eagle status for March by showing positive membership growth. The number of consecutive months of growth since July 1 is shown in parentheses. Central Texas (9) Chattahoochee Valley-Fort Moore (9) First In Battle (9) Fort Campbell (9) Puerto Rico (9) Alamo (8) Crossroads of America (8) Denver Centennial (8) Fort Riley-Central Kansas (8) Fort Sheridan-Chicago (8) Houston Metroplex (8) Marne (8) Pikes Peak (8) Redstone Huntsville (8) San Diego (8) Suncoast (8) Arkansas (7) Big Bend (7) Columbia River (7) Delaware (7) Florida Gulf Stream (7) Fort Pitt (7) Gem State (7) Greater Atlanta (7) Hawaii (7) Joshua Chamberlain (7) Las Vegas-John C. Fremont (7) Milwaukee (7) North Texas-Audie Murphy (7) PFC William Kenzo Nakamura (7) SGM Jon Cavaiani (7) St. Louis Gateway (7) Sunshine (7) Texas Capital Area (7) Thunderbird (7) Arizona Territorial (6) Arsenal of Democracy (6) COL Edward Cross (6) Cowboy (6) CSM James M. McDonald-Key- stone (6) Dix (6) First Militia (6) Fort Jackson-Palmetto State (6) Greater Los Angeles (6) Greater Philadelphia (Penn & Franklin) (6) Korea (6) Minutemen (6) New Orleans (6) Rock Island Arsenal (6) San Francisco (6) Silicon Valley (6) Space Coast (6) Tucson-Goyette (6) Utah (6) White Sands Missile Range (6) Fort Liberty (5) Last Frontier (5) Mediterranean (5) Carlisle Barracks-Cumberland Val- ley (4) Fort Novosel-Wiregrass (4) GEN William C. Westmoreland (4) Mid-Palatinate (4) Polar Bear (4) United Arab Emirates (4) GEN Joseph W. Stilwell (3) Guam (3) MG Robert B. McCoy (3) Hellenic (2)LEARN MORE & REGISTER ONLINE AT WWW.AUSA.ORG/EVENTS Mr. Brandon Cockrell, will explore how Army installations must stand as reliable and self-sufficient strongholds, prepared to empower warfighter readiness and enable us to deploy, fight and win. He will discuss the critical role of energy in today’s evolving operational environment, underscoring how it can no longer be an afterthought. Recognizing the importance of energy in the Army’s mission, Mr. Cockrell will highlight how these initiatives en hance lethality on and off the battlefield. Don’t miss this insightful presentation! JOIN THE DISCUSSION! This webinar will include a Q&A session in which questions submitted by the audience will be selected and asked by the moderator. A recording of the webinar will be available on our Youtube page the following day. U.S. ARMY: POWERING THE MISSION Brandon Cockrell Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army, Energy & Sustainability (DASA[E&S]) Moderated by SMA Ken Preston, U.S. Army Retired AUSA Senior Fellow 8 MAY 2025 1200–1300 ESTNext >