PUBLISHED BY THE ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY www.ausa.org June 20, 2024 | AUSA Extra 1 M-SHORAD named for air defense hero T he Army has renamed its short-range air defense system for Medal of Honor recipient Sgt. Mitchell Stout, an artilleryman who was killed protecting his fellow soldiers in Vietnam. Announced June 15 at the National Museum of the United States Army during a celebration of the Army’s 249th birthday, the Maneuver-Short Range Air Defense system, known as M-SHORAD, is now the Sgt. Stout, named for the only air defense artil- lery soldier to earn the nation’s high- est award for valor. Stout was honored for “sacrificing his life to protect his fellow Soldiers during the Vietnam War,” Army Sec- retary Christine Wormuth said in a statement shared on her social media accounts. “The SGT STOUT detects, tracks and engages aerial threats & will protect our Soldiers, like its namesake, well into the future.” Stout, a native of Loudon, Tennes- see, dropped out of high school and enlisted in 1967 at age 17. He com- pleted basic training and paratroop- er school before he was discharged for being too young, according to an Army news release. At 18, he re- turned to the recruiter and signed up, this time as an artilleryman, ac- cording to the release. He completed a tour in Vietnam and returned home in 1969, only to volunteer to do another tour so he could help young soldiers who were Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael Weimer renders a salute at the unveiling of the Sgt. Stout Maneu- ver-Short Range Air Defense system June 15 during a celebration of the Army’s 249th birthday at the National Museum of the United States Army. (U.S. ARMY/CHRISTOPHER KAUFMANN) Guard, Reserve Need ‘Robust Investment’ 3 AUSA Paper Advocates for Spatial Computing 4 Family Readiness Honoring Army Traditions 7 Chapter Highlights Arkansas Community Partner Challenge 8 IN THIS ISSUE VOLUME 6 NUMBER 8 JUNE 20, 2024 still fighting, according to the re- lease. “He wanted to be where he was needed,” said his sister, Susan Tyler, in the release. “That’s the way we grew up. If your country needs you, you do what you can and volunteer.” On March 12, 1970, Stout and his fellow soldiers with 1st Battalion, 44th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, were attacked with heavy mortar fire by a North Vietnamese company at their position at the Khe Gio Bridge. When the firing stopped, Stout grabbed a grenade that had been tossed into a bunker where he and his men had taken shelter. As he ran to the bunker’s opening with the See Sgt. Stout, Page 5www.ausa.org ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY June 20, 2024 | AUSA Extra 3 Guard, Reserve call for equipment, force modernization B oth the National Guard and Army Reserve need increased support to modernize their equipment and manning for future conflict, the components’ top leaders testified Tuesday on Capitol Hill. “Unpredictable and inconsistent funding … reduce [the National Guard’s] buying power and negative - ly impact our strategic readiness and modernization,” Gen. Daniel Hokan- son, chief of the National Guard Bu- reau, testified before the Senate Ap- propriations defense subcommittee. “If we fail to modernize our equip- ment and force design adequately, we increase the risk of sending Ameri- ca’s sons and daughters into large- scale combat operations with equip- ment and formations that may not be fully interoperable with the active- duty forces we serve alongside.” As the Army builds toward the force of 2030, it remains focused on modernization and has requested $38.5 billion in fiscal 2025 for re- search and development and to mod- ernize its aircraft, missiles, weapons and tracked combat vehicles and am- munition, according to an Army bud- get overview. The Army Reserve also needs “robust investment” to modernize its equipment, and the component’s “unfunded equipment requirements list continues to increase while the Soldiers with the Tennessee Army National Guard’s 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment conduct battle drills June 16 at Fort Cavazos, Texas. (U.S. ARMY/STAFF SGT. CORNELIUS MCLEAN) Ebony Evans joined AUSA in January. With over 10 years of ad- ministrative experience, she pro- vides assistance with AUSA’s ROTC programs and chapter support coor- dination. Ebony is a former junior ROTC cadet at South Central High School in Winterville, North Caroli- na, and in her spare time she enjoys singing and distance running. Meet the AUSA headquarters staff Ebony Evans Program Coordinator, Chapter Support degree of funding does not,” Lt. Gen. Jody Daniels, chief of the Army Re- serve and commanding general of Army Reserve Command, testified during the hearing. About half of the Army Reserve’s 18,000 Humvees, which are consid- ered mission-critical, are “beyond their useful life” and need upgraded anti-lock brake systems and elec- tronic stability control kits, Daniels wrote in her prepared testimony. In addition to its equipment, the National Guard’s formations will need to modernize through “restruc- turing,” Hokanson said. “In terms of our formations, we must be deployable, sustainable, in- teroperable and operationally ready,” Hokanson wrote in his prepared tes- timony. “Force structure design in National Guard divisions should re- flect their active-duty counterparts as closely as possible. This enhances our operational readiness to respond wherever and whenever the National Guard may be needed.” Adequate manning is essential to maintaining deterrence, Hokanson said. “Our strategic competitors are seeking advantages in every domain. … Ensuring that our Reserve and Guard units are manned, trained and equipped just like their active- duty component” increases deter- rence, he said. Ensuring that the National Guard has “the same capa- bility and capacity” so that they can bring the same to the battlefield is essential, he said.www.ausa.org4 AUSA Extra | June 20, 2024 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 refl ect the opinion of the offi cers 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 refl ecting the offi cial 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. Premium membership rates are $40 for two years or $75 for fi ve years. Lifetime membership is $400 and can be paid in full or in four monthly installments. A special Premium rate of $10 for two years is open to E1–E4 and cadets only. New two-year Basic membership with select benefi ts 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 Paper: Spatial computing supports Army modernization priorities National Guard soldiers and airmen participate in the annual Cyber Shield exercise June 6 at the Virginia State Military Reservation. (ARMY NATIONAL GUARD/STAFF SGT. HANNAH TARKELLY) As you make summer plans, be sure to check out all your AUSA member travel discounts at www.ausa.org/savings. You can save on hotel stays, vacation resorts, guided travel, car rentals and more, as well as entertainment at your destination. T o achieve its modernization pri- orities, the Army will need to bring together the digital and physical aspects of confl ict through spatial computing, according to the author of a new paper published by the Association of the U.S. Army. “The Army should … include spa- tial computing research as its tenth priority research area and allocate additional resources to bridge the seemingly overlooked gap within the Army Modernization Strategy,” Maj. Daniel Eerhart writes. “In multi-do- main environments, where the lines between the digital and physical aspects of confl ict become increas- ingly blurred, the Army must make a concerted effort to invest in techno- logical research that brings together those environments.” In “Army Modernization and Spa- tial Computing,” Eerhart, a psycho- logical operations offi cer serving as a cyber policy, law and strategy re- search scientist at the Army Cyber In- stitute, contends that the Army can- not achieve its modernization goals absent spatial computing research. Spatial computing is “human inter- action with a machine in which the machine retains and manipulates referents to real objects and spaces,” according to a defi nition cited by the Harvard Business Review. Everyday technologies, including smartphones, self-driving cars and virtual meeting technology, rely on spatial computing, but civilian ad- aptation and innovation outpace the Army’s willingness and ability to in- tegrate, Eerhart writes. The Army’s autonomous multidomain launcher, a vehicle that uses an unmanned launcher capable of autonomous nav- igation, could benefi t from more nu- anced object detection through spa- tial computing, he writes. As the Army builds for the fu- ture, embracing spatial computing “will ensure success as [the service] strives toward a modernized Army capable of multi-domain operations,” Eerhart writes. “The physical and digital realms will continue to blur as the Army transitions toward its modernization goals, and the ability to address the complex spatial user interface prob- lems inherent in developing synthetic training environments and augment- ed reality combat support tools will be decisive in the Army’s ability to adapt and compete in the global pow- er competition,” he writes. Read the paper here.Sgt. Stout From Page 1 www.ausa.org ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY June 20, 2024 | AUSA Extra 5 Your Summer Travel Could Earn You 40K Bonus Points¹ Navy Federal is federally insured by NCUA. ¹Offer valid for new Visa Signature® Flagship Rewards Credit Card accounts applied for between 5/1/24 and 6/30/24. 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A travel purchase may only earn 2 points per dollar spent, depending on the merchant code used to process the transaction. Travel is typically categorized under merchant category codes such as airline, hotel, car rental, bus lines, taxis, cruise lines, time shares, parking, and transit. Additional categories may be ineligible, in which case you will receive 2 points per dollar spent at these locations based on the merchant category codes. For more information, view the Flagship Rewards Program Description at navyfederal.org. © 2024 Navy Federal NFCU 14225 (3-24) 3 X Points on Travel Purchases 4 2 X Points on Everything Else 4 Open a Flagship credit card, and you can earn 40,000 bonus points (a $400 value) when you spend $3,500 within 90 days of opening your account. 1 Plus, you’ll get a free year of Amazon Prime® 2 (a $139 value)—on us. 3 Hurry—offer ends June 30, 2024. Apply today! Visit navyfederal.org/flagship . You’ll also enjoy: grenade held close to his body, the grenade exploded, killing him and shielding his fellow soldiers, accord- ing to the news release. “He cared about those soldiers that put their boots on every day, who shine their brass and do their best,” Tyler said in the release. “And that’s what he died for, he died for them.” Stout was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor on July 17, 1974. “Naming this game-changing air defense capability after Sgt. Stout was appropriate and well-deserved, given his heroic efforts to protect fellow soldiers from danger,” said Douglas Bush, assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology, in the release. “The M-SHORAD was designed to do the same against a variety of airborne threats.” The system uses a mix of guns, missiles and onboard sensors at- tached to a Stryker Infantry Carrier Vehicle to defend against unmanned aircraft systems and rotary wing and fixed-wing aircraft, according to the Army. Soldiers with the 5th Battalion, 4th Air Defense Regiment, were the first to receive and test four of the Increment One systems. They suc- cessfully conducted live-fire tests at the Putlos Bundeswehr range on the Baltic Sea coast of Germany in 2021 and became fully equipped with the systems in 2023, according to the re- lease. The Army plans to field 144 air de- fense systems to four battalions by fiscal year 2025, with an additional 18 systems for training, operational spares and testing, according to the release. Incremental upgrades to the sys- tem will feature enhanced effects, including directed energy and im- proved missiles and ammunition. The Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office delivered four directed energy systems to 4th Bat- talion, 60th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, last fall. The Army’s short-range air defense system has been named for Sgt. Mitchell Stout, the only air defense artillery soldier to re- ceive the Medal of Honor. (U.S. ARMY PHOTO)www.ausa.org6 AUSA Extra | June 20, 2024 ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY Stop overpaying for MANET Explore Mesh Rider Radios www.doodlelabs.com WEARABLENANOEVOLVE DYNAMICS SKY MANTIS 2MINI High-performance mesh radios at a fraction of the cost. Available in L, S, C-band & more. ® Rand: Scholarship program boosts spouse employment M ilitary spouses who used the Defense Department’s My Career Advancement Ac- count Scholarship Program had high- er employment rates, according to a recent report from the Rand Corp. “The MyCAA Scholarship is sup- porting military families with a higher-than average commitment to military life, and its users go on to have higher-than-average rates of employment several years after program participation,” the report found. “Users had higher rates of em- ployment than nonusers throughout our observation period.” The My Career Advancement Ac- count Scholarship provides up to $4,000 in tuition or fee assistance in portable career fields to spouses whose active-duty service member is in pay grades E-1 to E-6, W-1 to W-2 and O-1 to O-3. There are over 430,000 Army spouses, according to an Army news release. Spouses of enlisted sol- diers made up the greatest share of scholarship users, and spouses who earned money in 2018 made an aver- age of just over $27,700, according to the report. The Rand report analyzed the employment and earnings of schol- arship users who enrolled between October 2010 and December 2011 with updates from 2018 and 2019 to understand how the scholarship af- fected employment and income. Active-duty military spouses face unique employment challenges giv- en the rhythm of military life. In an already competitive job market, military spouses often balance their professional careers with child care, frequent moves and lowered wages following moves. Between 2012 and 2018, spouse employment jumped from just over one-half to just over two-thirds. Compared to their peers who didn’t use the scholarship program, Rand found recipients were more likely to be employed as of 2018, according to the report. “MyCAA Scholarship usage is as - sociated with increased personnel readiness … as well as increased attachment to military service,” the report found. “MyCAA supports the readiness of the U.S. armed forces and is an investment in those mili- tary families with higher than-av- erage attachment to military life, providing funds with which military spouses materially increase their families’ financial stability.” Read the full report here. To learn more and apply for the MyCAA Scholarship, click here.www.ausa.org ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY June 20, 2024 | AUSA Extra 7 Recognizing and preserving Army traditions, heritage As the youngest and oldest soldiers present, Pfc. Daniel Adams, left, of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard), and Lt. Gen. Laura Potter, right, director of the Army Staff, along with Deputy Undersecretary of the Army Mario Diaz, cut an Army birthday cake June 13 at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. (U.S. ARMY/HENRY VILLARAMA) O n June 14, the Army marked its 249th birthday, com- memorating another year of dedicated service and sacrifice. The Association of the U.S. Army’s Fam- ily Readiness directorate extends a heartfelt thank you to all who have served in the Army over the past 2 ½ centuries. In the Washington, D.C. area, Army birthday activities included a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, a cake-cut- ting and reenlist- ment ceremony at the Pentagon, and the Army Birthday Festival at the National Museum of the United States Army. Celebrations wrapped up Tuesday with an “Army Day” at a Major League Baseball game between the Washington Na- tionals and Arizona Diamondbacks. Soldiers, family members, Army civilians, veterans and retirees have all served key roles in shaping the Army’s history. As members of the Army community, it is crucial to keep the flame of tradition burning bright to remind us of the service’s rich heritage. Ginger Perkins, an AUSA family fellow, is an Army tradition expert. Perkins thrived as an Army spouse for 38 years, enduring over 20 moves and multiple combat deployments be- fore her soldier retired in 2018. She also is a proud mother of two soldiers: a daughter who is a UH-60 Black Hawk pilot with two combat tours in Afghanistan, and a son who graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, and serves as an Army engineer. The Army Spouse Handbook, co- authored by Perkins and Ann Cross- ley, is your go-to guide for mastering the ins and outs of Army culture. With the handbook, you can navigate military events and social interac- tions with ease and confidence, mak- ing every aspect of an Army spouse’s life enjoyable and fulfilling. Family Readiness Customs, Courtesies and Tradi- tions of the United States Army: A Primer for Family Members is an- other must-have AUSA publication for every Army family. Whether you are a new Army bride, parent of a sol- dier or a Soldier for Life, Perkins has created a condensed A-to-Z reference that you will turn to repeatedly. Did you know that it is an Army tradition for the oldest and youngest soldiers at any Army birthday cake- cutting ceremony to cut the cake to - gether using an Army saber? This tradition signifies “the continual ser- vice of the generations of soldiers to the nation,” Perkins said. “My wish is that these books continue to inspire you to a life of service to our Army and to our nation whether wearing or supporting the uniform.” Here’s to the Army, its remarkable legacy and a bright future ahead. Kaylee Spielman is AUSA’s Family Readiness intern. Ginger Perkins, AUSA family fellow and author of The Army Spouse Handbook, speaks at a family forum during the 2023 AUSA Annual Meeting and Exposition. (AUSA PHOTO)Retired Col. Harold Tucker, president of AUSA’s Arkansas chapter, presents plaques to the top male and female cadets from the 2024 Arkansas JROTC Cadet Leadership Challenge: Robert Treadwell, left, of White Hall High School, and Kierra James from Watson Chapel High School in Pine Bluff. (AUSA PHOTOS) www.ausa.org8 AUSA Extra | June 20, 2024 ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY AUSA chapter supports junior ROTC cadets, programs V olunteer leaders at the As- sociation of the U.S. Army’s Arkansas chapter are going above and beyond in their efforts to support junior ROTC programs across the state, including the recent JROTC Cadet Leadership Challenge at Camp Robinson. Every summer, junior ROTC pro - grams send cadets to Camp Robinson in North Little Rock for a weeklong training and edu- cation exercise, said retired Col. Harold Tucker, the chapter presi- dent. Upon arrival, all cadets are as- signed to one of four platoons from various schools across Arkansas. During the exercise, cadets nego- tiate an air assault obstacle course, rappel off a 40-foot tower, complete a Cadet Challenge Physical Fitness Test and learn water safety and survival techniques. They are given leadership positions that rotate daily and are evaluated on their leadership abilities as they learn from the ex- perience. “The cadets are challenged many times throughout the week to do things they could not have imagined themselves being able to accomplish,” Tucker said. At the conclusion of the exercise, the AUSA chapter awards plaques to recognize the best female and male cadets. “Our chapter Community Arkansas Community Partner Challenge The following chapters are the May winners of AUSA’s Community Partner Challenge in their award categories. Each winner receives $500 and 5 points toward Best Chapter in their group. • Redstone-Huntsville – Award Group 1 • Fort Leonard Wood-Mid Missouri – Award Group 2 • GA Omar N. Bradley – Award Group 3 • Fires – Award Group 4 • Stuttgart – Award Group 5 Partner, AARP Arkansas Veterans Team, also provides refreshments (ice cream sandwiches) after a hot Chant Challenge competition their last night before going home,” Tucker said. Army junior ROTC instructors from 17 high schools across the state came together to plan and execute the 2024 Arkansas JROTC Cadet Leadership Challenge. “It takes a lot of work before we even get here,” said retired Col. Pat Daniels of Malvern High School, who served as the exer- cise commander. “It takes a lot of folks to put this on, and we appreciate each and every one of them,” including the “excel- lent support” from the AUSA chap- ter, Daniels said, as reported by the Malvern Daily Record. AUSA chapter members support ju- nior ROTC outdoor activities such as orienteering competitions through- out the year, attend military balls and awards banquets and present end-of-year awards to many junior ROTC and ROTC programs in the state, Tucker said. They also pres- ent a copy of the U.S. Constitution to every graduating ROTC student as they pin on their new gold bars at commissioning. “Our chapter is proud to support the junior ROTC programs across the state,” Tucker said. “These ca- dets are learning life skills, self-dis- cipline and developing character at- tributes that will help them become better citizens and future leaders.”Next >