PUBLISHED BY THE ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY www.ausa.org July 3, 2025 | AUSA Extra 1 Key leaders set to speak at LANDEURO L eaders from U.S. Army Europe and Africa, Ukraine and part- ner nations across Europe are scheduled to speak at the Associa- tion of the U.S. Army’s LANDEURO Symposium and Exposition. A premier international sympo- sium and exhibition dedicated to land forces in Europe, the inaugural LANDEURO will take place July 16–17 in Wiesbaden, Germany, home of U.S. Army Europe and Africa. The theme for the event is “Trans- formation in Contact: Integrating In- dustry, the U.S. Army, and Allies for Global Deterrence.” There will be keynotes and panels focused on current and future threats in the region, lessons from the war in Ukraine, the U.S. Army’s trans- formation efforts, building ties with A soldier assigned to the 2nd Cavalry Regiment reacts to contact from opposing forces June 20 during Project Flytrap in Hohenfels, Germany. (U.S. ARMY/SPC. ELIJAH MAGANA) WWII Rangers Honored on Capitol Hill 3 Land Power, Presence Key in Indo-Pacific 4 Member Benefits Discounts on Tours, Insurance 7 Chapter Highlights Redstone-Huntsville 8 IN THIS ISSUE VOLUME 7 NUMBER 8 JULY 3, 2025 See LANDEURO, Page 5 allies and partners and the role of NCOs in land power across Europe. There also will be more than 80 ex- hibits and Warriors Corner presenta- tions. During LANDEURO, AUSA’s Center for Leadership will conduct a Leadership Forum for a select group of about 100 soldiers and a Genera- tion Next Forum designed for young professionals. To register for LANDEURO or for more information, click here. You can join the conversation with the hashtag #LANDEURO. LANDEURO opens with remarks from Gen. Christopher Donahue, commanding general of U.S. Army Europe and Africa. He’ll be followed by a panel titled “World War Next— The Interconnected Global Threat.” Panelists, including Lt. Gen. Pasi Välimäki, commander of the Finnish Army, and Air Vice-Marshal Dianne Turton, Australian military repre - sentative to NATO and the European Union, will discuss deterrence and defense in an increasingly complex and interconnected world. A panel titled “Magazine Depth Wins Wars—The Future of NATO’s Arsenal,” will draw on lessons from the fighting in Ukraine to empha- size the importance of co-production of munitions, repair parts and other key systems. It will feature, among other leaders, Lt. Gen. Miles Brown, deputy commanding general of U.S. Army Futures Command. In the afternoon, Mykhailo Fe- dorov, deputy prime minister for innovation, education, science and ARMY CONTRACTING & PROCUREMENT AUSA HOT TOPIC SERIES 22 JULY 2025 REGISTER TODAY AUSA CONFERENCE & EVENT CENTER | 2425 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, Virginiawww.ausa.org ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY July 3, 2025 | AUSA Extra 3 World War II Rangers receive Congressional Gold Medal Former Pfc. John Wardell receives the Congressional Gold Medal from Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson during a ceremony honoring World War II Army Rangers on Capitol Hill. (U.S. ARMY/BERNARDO FULLER) AUSA Basic Members can now view a selection of articles from the July issue of ARMY magazine. To read the articles, click here. ARMY magazine July issue M ore than 80 years after they took part in D-Day, the largest naval, air and land operation in history, members of the all-volunteer World War II Ranger battalions were honored with the Congressional Gold Medal. “They were America’s best,” Speak- er of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson said during a June 26 ceremony on Capitol Hill as two World War II Rangers listened in person and three more tuned in virtually. “The Rangers led the way as Ameri- ca and the Allied Powers clawed back the continent of Europe, and in their courage, all Americans found some- thing to be proud of, and the free world found a reason to hope.” The June 6, 1944, D-Day invasion saw over 150,000 Allied troops land on the beaches of Normandy, France, and it was a key turning point that enabled France's liberation from Nazi control and the eventual defeat of Germany in the spring of 1945. Over 9,000 Allied troops were killed or wounded, according to the Army. During World War II, the Army activated six Ranger battalions, ac- cording to an Army website on the Rangers. The Rangers earned their motto, “Rangers lead the way!” as the 2nd and 5th Ranger Battalions took part in the D-Day landings at Omaha Beach. Under heavy fire from the Ger- mans, the Rangers depended on one another to fight back, Sen. Tammy Duckworth said during the ceremony. “When asked what kept him going in the face of the battle, Pfc. Wardell, who is here today, said that it was his buddies,” Duckworth said, refer- ring to former Pfc. John Wardell. “He knew he and his buddies were highly trained [and] that no matter how bad things got, that they would always, always look out for one another.” As they assaulted German posi- tions at Pointe du Hoc, the Rangers faced mines, machine-gun fire and enemy artillery as they scaled the 100-foot cliffs and resisted “intense German efforts to retake the posi- tion,” according to the U.S. Army Rangers Veterans of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act. The act was signed into law on June 7, 2022. The bill passed the Senate in October 2021 and the House on May 11, 2022. The Association of the U.S. Army supported and helped advocate for the legislation, and retired Command Sgt. Maj. Jimmie Spencer, an AUSA senior fellow who served as an Army Ranger, served on the committee de- signing the Rangers’ Gold Medal. The Congressional Gold Medal is the “highest expression of national appreciation,” according to a Senate website. As he accepted the medal, Wardell, who is the last living mem- ber of the 2nd Ranger Battalion from World War II, according to the Army, said that the Rangers’ legacy of cour- age, sacrifice and resolve will live on. “We trained hard, worked with de- termination and took on missions oth- ers thought were impossible,” he said. “From the cliffs of Pointe du Hoc to the battles across Europe, [we] didn't do it for recognition. We did it out of duty to one another and to our coun- try. Today, I accept this medal on be- half of all World War II Rangers, es- pecially those who never came home.”www.ausa.org 4 AUSA Extra | July 3, 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 Clark: Army’s ‘positional advantage’ critical in Indo-Pacific region P rojecting power in the Indo- Pacific is more important than ever for the Army, said Gen. Ron Clark, commanding general of U.S. Army Pacific. “Never more than now, the impor- tance of land power is coming to the fore in the Indo-Pacific, not just for the United States, but for our allies and partners as well,” Clark said June 27 during a Strategic Land- power Dialogue event co-hosted by the Association of the U.S. Army and the Center for Strategic and Interna- tional Studies. “Our ability at U.S. Army Pacific to have positional ad- vantage in the theater through per- sistent presence is really important.” Since the Indo-Pacific encompasses over half of the Earth’s surface, and it takes about a month to get to the theater from the U.S. by ship, posi- tional advantage is essential to over- coming the “tyranny of distance” in- herent to the region, Clark said. China, long considered to be the U.S.’ pacing challenge, is developing capabilities “at a pace and scale … we have not experienced,” Clark said. “Our opportunity here … is to watch and learn to understand … how they're operating, what they're doing [and] where the gaps and seams are in their learning and their operations so we can continue to ex- ploit that, because what we have to do is provide multiple dilemmas to the Chinese,” Clark said. Clark praised the Army’s trans- forming in contact initiative, which puts new technology in soldiers’ hands for testing, and its impact in the Indo- Pacific. The 25th Infantry Division in Hawaii, which has played a key role in the initiative, has provided vital feedback on equipment, includ- ing unmanned aircraft systems and counter-unmanned aircraft systems. Looking to air defense, Patriot crews from South Korea and Japan have demonstrated the Army’s air Soldiers assigned to the 25th Infantry Di- vision move to an objective June 19 dur- ing exercise Salaknib 2025 in the Philip- pines. (U.S. ARMY/SPC. MATTHEW KEEGAN) defense capabilities, even under en- emy fire, Clark said, citing the sol- diers’ successful interception of over a dozen Iranian missiles at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. “What [the Iranian strike] gives us in the Indo-Pacific, specific to our formations that are responsible for air defense, is now we have an en- tire generation of soldiers who have fought the Patriot missile system in real time,” he said. Clark stressed that the future bat- tlefield demands moving from fight- ing alongside allies and partners to achieving interoperability with them. “We're building relationships, and relationships built during times of relative peace on a bedrock of trust is where we rely during times of con- flict,” he said. “Our adversaries don't have technical, personal or procedur- al interoperability, so we have to con- tinue to cause them multiple dilem- mas [and] continue to work through the challenges associated with the changing character of warfare.” All AUSA members and their families, regardless of mili- tary service, enjoy exclusive travel deals with Armed Forces Vacation Club. Join for free at www.ausa.org/afvc to book resort stays from $419/week and get $50 off your first booking. Choose "AUSA Member" for your eligibility.www.ausa.org ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY July 3, 2025 | AUSA Extra 5 LANDEURO From Page 1 Army unveils $197.4 billion budget request for fiscal 2026 technology development-Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, will provide a keynote. There will be a panel on Ukraine’s rapid adaption on the battlefield fea- turing Lt. Gen. Curtis Buzzard, com- mander of U.S. Army Security As- sistance Group-Ukraine and NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine, followed by a panel titled “Defending the Skies—Today’s Capa- bilities, Tomorrow’s Edge,” featuring Brig. Gen. Curtis King, commanding general of the 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command. The second day of LANDEURO opens with a panel called “Breaking the Kill Chain—Multi-Domain Op- erations Against Anti-Access/Area Denial,” featuring Brig. Gen. Steven Carpenter, commanding general of 7th Army Training Command. There also will be panels on Ukrai- nian innovation and the importance of reforming Foreign Military Sales for global readiness featuring Maj. Gen. John Rafferty, commanding gen- eral of the 56th Artillery Command. The final panel of the symposium is called “Updating the Arsenal of Democracy: Co-Production With Al- lies.” It will feature Patrick Mason, acting principal deputy to the assis- tant secretary of the Army for acqui- sition, logistics and technology, and Eva Hagwall, deputy director gen- eral and deputy national armament director for the Swedish Defence Ma- teriel Administration. Warriors Corner presentations will feature topics such as transforming in contact, sustainment at the East- ern Flank Deterrence Line, investing in the NCO corps, Arctic operations and building allied warfighting capa- bility in Europe. T he Army is seeking $197.4 bil- lion in fiscal year 2026 to trans- form the force for the future. Unveiled on June 26, the budget re- quest includes $5.4 billion that’s part of a separate spending bill being con- sidered in Congress, as well as a 3.8% military pay raise. “Our Army must transform now to a leaner, more lethal force by infus- ing technology, cutting obsolete sys- tems and reducing overhead to defeat any adversary,” Army Secretary Dan Driscoll says in an Army budget docu- ment. The Army’s request, part of a $961.6 billion DoD budget request, is a 6.9% increase from the budget en- acted for fiscal 2025, which ends Sept. 30. It centers on the sweeping Army Transformation Initiative, which in- cludes big changes in force structure, weaponry, platforms and acquisition processes. “The Army Transformation Initia- tive … is a strategic shift,” said a se- nior Army official who briefed report- ers on the budget request. “We made some tough choices to shed outdated systems and programs that no longer meet our demands of the modern bat- tlefield,” the official said. In fiscal 2026, the Army is seeking $76.6 billion in military personnel funding—a 7.7% increase—to cover the 3.8% pay raise, junior enlisted pay reform (a 10% pay boost) and an end strength increase of almost 11,000 soldiers. The request projects an active Army troop strength of 454,000. The Army was authorized 442,300 in fis- cal 2025 but expects to finish the year at 452,000, according to budget docu- ments. It also projects an Army Na- tional Guard strength of 328,000, up from the 325,000 authorized in fiscal 2025, and an Army Reserve strength of 172,000, down from the 175,800 au- thorized in fiscal 2025. This would bring the total Army troop strength to 954,000 soldiers. The Army’s fiscal 2026 request includes $73.4 billion for operations and maintenance, including barracks sustainment and modernization, the Army Transformation Initiative and Holistic Health and Fitness expan- sion. That’s a 6.4% increase from the totals enacted in fiscal 2025. The Army also is requesting $43.6 billion for procurement and research, development, testing and evaluation. Key efforts include divesting old equipment or ineffective programs, such as the Gray Eagle unmanned aerial vehicle, the M10 Booker and the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, and merging key Army command head- quarters, including merging Army Futures Command with Army Train- ing and Doctrine Command, as well as Army Forces Command and Army South and Army North. The Army also will invest about $8.9 billion in warfighting capabilities, in- cluding five brigade combat teams’ worth of loitering munitions, convert- ing seven infantry brigade combat teams into mobile brigade combat teams, modernizing unmanned aerial systems and updating seven organic industrial base facilities. The Army also expects to spend $2.4 billion on barracks sustainment, res- toration and modernization, $411 mil- lion on barracks construction and $82 million on child development centers. The Army's $197.4 billion budget re- quest for fiscal year 2026 centers on the sweeping Army Transformation Initiative. (U.S. ARMY/PFC. BRENT LEE)www.ausa.orgJuly 3, 2025 | AUSA Extra 7 ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY Members save on group tours, insurance, legal documents T o celebrate America's 250th birthday next year, the Associ- ation of the U.S. Army has re- served slots for members interested in two group tours of historic sites. • Celebrating America’s 250th Anniversary: This tour is planned for April 6–14 and will visit Mas- sachusetts, Virginia, New York, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C. Sites of interest include the Muse- um of the Ameri- can Revolution, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, a New York City panoramic tour, Arlington National Cemetery, the U.S. Capitol, Lexing- ton and Concord, the Liberty Bell and more. Learn more and register with your AUSA member discount at gateway.gocollette.com/link/1345440. • American Heritage: This tour, scheduled for Sept. 4–11, focuses on Virginia and Washington, D.C. It in- cludes twilight monument and Green- brier history tours and visits to the Smithsonian museums, Arlington National Cemetery, Monticello, Co- lonial Williamsburg, Mount Vernon and more. Learn more and register Member Benefits with your member discount at gate- way.gocollette.com/link/1344568. Groups will be between 37 and 44 members. New benefit: Home/auto insurance Farmers Group Select is a new AUSA member benefit partner, pro- viding a discount on home and auto insurance in most states and situa- tions. They are not going to be the least expensive option for everyone, but a benefit of this program is that they will connect you with the insur- er with the best rate for you. Visit www.farmersgroupquote.com/ AUSA or call 855-766-5216 and pro- vide the AUSA member discount code FX3. Review wills, other legal documents Reviewing and updating your will is an important part of estate plan- ning maintenance. This should be done at regular intervals—every three to five years is often recom- mended—and after major life events such as marriage, divorce, births and deaths, real estate purchases and other milestones. If you find that you want to make a change, do not make handwritten changes to your will, even if it’s a small tweak. Instead, it’s often best to revoke your existing will and create a new one. This can help avoid confu- sion, inconsistencies and omissions. Redoing your will may seem daunt- ing, but it’s not when you use the La- wAssure benefit that AUSA provides at no cost to members. The step-by- step questions and thoughtful expla- nations walk you through the process of drafting your new will. You’ll also find instructions for how to sign your will and make it legal. Once you see how easy it is, you may want to check out some of the other estate planning documents and tools, also free to AUSA members, in- cluding powers of attorney, advance directives and more. Visit www.ausa.org/legal to log in or create your account on the LawAs- sure website. Don’t use your AUSA website login credentials—create new ones on the LawAssure site. Find all your AUSA member ben- efits at www.ausa.org/savings. Susan Rubel is AUSA’s Association and Affinity Partnerships director. AUSA has reserved slots for members for two tours celebrating the nation’s 250th birthday next year, visiting museums, monuments and a variety of historic locations. (U.S. ARMY PHOTOS)www.ausa.org 8 AUSA Extra | July 3, 2025 ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY Chapter recognizes Army civilians for outstanding service I n June, the Association of the U.S. Army’s Redstone-Huntsville chap- ter honored outstanding Army ci- vilians during an event at the Jack- son Center in Huntsville, Alabama. During the chapter’s annual Dr. Richard G. “Dick” Rhoades Depart- ment of the Army Civilian of the Year Awards Dinner, 22 nominees in four categories were recognized. “We have a great community of leaders here in Huntsville,” said chapter board member Clay Cole- man, who served as the event’s em- cee. “These are the best of the best.” J. Caleb Nabors, a nominee in the technical/technical management cat- egory who serves as product manager in the Integrated Fires Mission Com- mand Hardware Product Office, was named the 2025 Department of the Army Civilian of the Year. Nabors, an Army civilian for more than 15 years, has worked in the Army Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technolo- gies Office and the program execu- tive offices for aviation and missiles and space. “It’s all about the soldier,” Nabors said, as reported by the Redstone Rocket. “That’s why we do what we do. It’s about putting relevant operational capability in the hands of the soldier.” Winners in other categories include Lawrence Kokocha of Defense Acqui- sition University in the management/ executive category; Luke Railey from Army Combat Capabilities Develop- ment Command in the professional/ technical category; and Kimberly Reed, who works in Program Execu- tive Office Missiles and Space, in the support staff category. Guest speaker Liz Miranda, ex- ecutive deputy to the commanding general of Army Materiel Command, said the nominees were chosen be- cause they make a difference for the Army. “Each day you make an impact on our mission and enable our soldiers to perform at their very best,” Mi- randa said, as reported by the Red- stone Rocket. “Personally, I cannot think of a more important job than supporting our soldiers and ensuring they are ready for combat, and you are all part of that. They are doing everything they can to protect us, so we owe it to them to work hard every day to give them our absolute best.” The chapter’s Army civilian awards recognize outstanding service to the Army’s mission, quality support to soldiers, demonstrated excellence in assigned duties and contributions to the community, Coleman said. “Each of these nominees more than meets all of those qualities,” he said, as re- ported by the Redstone Rocket. Lauding the “outstanding” Army civilian nominees in a Facebook post, the chapter said, “It’s a privilege to spotlight their dedication and im- pact. Thank you for your unwavering service and the incredible work you do every day.” Redstone- Huntsville J. Caleb Nabors, center, is honored as the 2025 Department of the Army Civilian of the Year by retired Lt. Col. Marc Jacobson, second from left, president of AUSA's Redstone- Huntsville chapter, and Clay Coleman, right, a chapter board member. (AUSA PHOTO) Twenty-two Army civilians in four categories were honored during an awards dinner hosted by AUSA's Redstone-Huntsville chapter in Alabama. (AUSA PHOTO)Next >