PUBLISHED BY THE ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY www.ausa.org October 2, 2025 | AUSA Extra 1 AUSA moving ahead with Annual Meeting T he Association of the U.S. Army will hold its 2025 An- nual Meeting and Exposition on Oct. 13-15, even if the government remains shut down. While we await and encourage fur- ther action from Congress regarding government funding, we continue to work closely with the Army Staff to plan the Annual Meeting, and we are maintaining our momentum as we provide a venue that brings together leaders from the Army, industry and academia to discuss issues vital to the Army. With a theme of “Agile, Adap- tive, Lethal: Winning at the Pace of Change,” the 2025 Annual Meeting and Exposition will highlight the Ar- Soldiers, AUSA members, defense industry representatives and more enter the Walter E. Wash- ington Convention Center during the 2024 AUSA Annual Meeting and Exposition. (AUSA PHOTO) New 4-Star Command Activated 3 Army Must Continue to Experiment, Transform 4 Member Benefits Gifts, Shopping Discounts 7 Chapter Highlights Fort Leonard Wood-Mid Missouri Henry Leavenworth 8 IN THIS ISSUE VOLUME 7 NUMBER 21 OCTOBER 2, 2025 my’s continuous transformation for a complex future battlefield. If the government shutdown con- tinues, the Annual Meeting will proceed as planned, and AUSA will continue telling the Army story and bringing together key stakeholders and partners who are invested in the Army and its transformation for the future. As an educational nonprofit dedi- cated to supporting and advocating for America’s Army and a strong na- tional defense, AUSA is focused on its mission to support the Army. Facing an increasingly complex security environment, the Army is taking on a sweeping and continuous transformation effort that aims to build a leaner and more lethal force. Soldiers are testing and experi- menting with new, emerging capa- bilities, while leaders are pushing for more agile and flexible funding to keep up with urgent needs and rap- idly evolving technology, particularly in drones, counter-drone systems, electromagnetic warfare and robotics. “We know the world is changing,” Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George said earlier this year. “Com- mercial technology is rapidly evolv- ing, and this is impacting the char- acter of war. We understand we must transform to stay ahead of our adver- saries.” For more information on the An- nual Meeting, click here.www.ausa.org ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY October 2, 2025 | AUSA Extra 3 Army stands up Transformation and Training Command Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, center left, and then-Lt. Gen. David Hodne, center right, visit Project Convergence Capstone 5 at Fort Irwin, California. (U.S. ARMY/AUSTIN THOMAS) I n a ceremony this morning in Aus- tin, Texas, the Army stood up U.S. Army Transformation and Train- ing Command as part of its effort to create a leaner, more lethal force. The command, also known as T2COM, merges U.S. Army Train- ing and Doctrine Command and U.S. Army Futures Command. TRADOC was inactivated on Sept. 26 after more than 52 years, while the 7-year- old Futures Command was inactivat- ed Thursday. T2COM will be led by Gen. David Hodne, who received his fourth star and most recently was deputy com- manding general of futures and con- cepts at Futures Command. The new command’s motto is “From Vision to Victory.” In his remarks during the activa- tion ceremony, Hodne emphasized the importance of leading the Army’s continuous transformation. “Technology alone never trans- formed war. The tank, the airplane, the drone—none changed battlefields by themselves. They required new tactics, new concepts and new or- ganizations,” Hodne said. “We must turn warfighting concepts into war- winning capabilities at speed and at scale. To win the future fight, we must close the gaps between vision and victory.” On Sept. 26, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George joined Gen. Gary Brito, Training and Doctrine Com- mand’s 18th and final commander, for the inactivation ceremony at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia. The inactivation is “bittersweet,” George said during the ceremony. But it’s necessary as the Army trans- forms for the future, he said. “The world has changed dramati- cally since TRADOC was estab- lished,” he said. “I know this TRA- DOC team understands that the world is changing fast. Our adversar- ies are moving quickly, and technol- ogy even quicker.” See T2COM, Page 5 While T2COM will have its head- quarters in Austin, elements of the former Training and Doctrine Com- mand are expected to remain at Joint Base Langley-Eustis. 'What right looks like' Training and Doctrine Command was created on July 1, 1973. Since then, the command has shaped the Army’s people, George said. “Every soldier in our formation … has been trained, developed and impacted by this command,” he said. “They learn what right looks like at TRADOC and carry those habits and lessons with them.” The command’s recent accomplish- ments include improving basic com- bat training to better emphasize physical fitness, weapons proficiency and discipline, and incorporating battlefield realities such as drone and counter-drone systems into sol- dier training, George said. The command fought “tough re- cruiting headwinds” and upheld the Army profession, he said. “TRADOC is an organization that delivered things that always matter—winning doctrine and leaders who thrive in uncertainty,” George said. Driving change The Training and Doctrine Com- mand team has been working on the transition since May, said Brito, whose retirement ceremony is sched- uled for Friday. “I was amazed every day at the dedication, commitment and professionalism this team dis- played on a routine basis,” he said. “TRADOC drove change like no other Army institution,” he said, cit- ing as examples Army doctrine and www.ausa.org 4 AUSA Extra | October 2, 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 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. To celebrate the U.S. Army’s 250th birthday, from April 1, 2025, to Dec. 31, 2025, membership rates are reduced to a fi ve-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- efi 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 Ryan: Army transformation must be continuous to maintain advantage T ransformation will be continu- ous for the Army far into the foreseeable future, the ser- vice’s offi cer in charge of operations and planning said. Lt. Gen. Joe Ryan, deputy Army chief of staff for operations, G-3, said that as one of Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George’s top four priorities, the focus on continuous transformation “falls pretty squarely in the [G-3]’s lap, so we’ve taken this on with some vigor.” Speaking Sept. 10 at the Maneuver Warfi ghter Conference at Fort Ben- ning, Georgia, Ryan said that while people tend to focus on the word “transformation” to describe the mas- sive changes taking place across the force, the word “continuous” is what is going to matter to young leaders as they progress in their careers. “Having been doing this now for a little bit over 34 years, the pace of transformation has started and is likely to continue, certainly for the rest of my career, and I would argue should continue for the majority, if not the entirety, of yours,” Ryan told the audience, which included infan- try and armor offi cers attending their captains career courses. “It is about continuously trans- forming and innovating at the speed required to maintain our advantag- es over our adversaries,” Ryan said, adding that “we don’t have an advan- tage, and we need to gain or regain that advantage if we ever had it, and that’s going to be something that is going to fall to you in your operation- al units as we move forward.” Pointing to transformation in con- tact, which puts equipment into sol- diers’ hands for testing, evaluation and feedback within a period of 18 to 24 months, Ryan explained that the unprecedented short timeline is allowing changes to take place more rapidly now than at any time in the past. Lt. Gen. Joe Ryan, deputy Army chief of staff for operations, G-3, speaks Sept. 10 during the Maneuver Warfi ghter Conference at Fort Benning, Georgia. (U.S. ARMY/DAN MARBLE) “In previous Army history, we have not focused on that timeframe. We’ve waited until we’ve gotten further out in time because we had to program for those changes to take place, and that takes time,” he said. With transformation in contact tak- ing place at every echelon, from the theater and corps levels down to the smallest units in the Regular Army, Army National Guard and Army Re- serve, the approach is “not just a one- trick pony,” Ryan said, adding that the feedback the Army receives from all those units is critical. “[We’re] expecting transformation to occur, not just with what we di- rect, but with what those headquar- ters and organizations at those levels feed back to us when they do either get the equipment or they get the im- petus to change from headquarters,” Ryan said. Continuous transformation, he said, “is not just about getting new stuff, it’s about reforming our orga- nizations to fi ght the adversary the way we need to fi ght him in a differ- ent way today.” Benefi tHub is the world's largest member/employee discount program with exclusive and larger savings, sav- ing members an average of $2,500 per year on deals from thousands of lead- ing brands. And, you now earn cash back rewards when shopping. Visit ausa.benefi thub.com for more. www.ausa.org ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY October 2, 2025 | AUSA Extra 5 T2COM From Page 3 Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George, left, looks on as Gen. Gary Brito, the final U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command commander, and Command Sgt. Maj. Raymond Harris, the command's senior enlisted leader, case the TRADOC colors during an inactiva- tion ceremony at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia. (U.S. ARMY/JEAN WINES) concepts and the development of the so-called Big Five. Developed in the late 1970s and 1980s, the Big Five are the AH-64 Apache and UH-60 Black Hawk heli- copters, the M1 Abrams main battle tank, the M2 Bradley Fighting Ve- hicle and the Patriot air defense mis- sile system. Representing the Army’s first major weapons system acquisi- tions since before the Vietnam War, the Big Five remain critical weapons and systems in the Army today. Brito called on his team to be “very proud” of what they’ve accomplished. “You will be an integral part of the next chapter yet to be written," he said. "You will build the first layer of bricks, ensuring that our great U.S. Army is ready to fight at any time. Our security depends on it, our warf- ighting readiness depends on it, and guess what? Our soldiers deserve it.”www.ausa.org 6 AUSA Extra | October 2, 2025 ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George speaks to Army fellows on Monday at AUSA headquarters in Arlington, Virginia. (AUSA PHOTO) Chief addresses Army fellows at AUSA headquarterswww.ausa.orgOctober 2, 2025 | AUSA Extra 7 ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY AUSA members save on gifts, entertainment and more I f you are beginning to think about holiday shopping, your member- ship in the Association of the U.S. Army provides many opportunities for savings and discounts. Here are some examples. SmartGift for Business SmartGift for Business is a cor- porate gifting platform through the 1-800-Flowers.com family of compa- nies, which includes companies such as Harry & David, Things Remem- bered, Cheryl’s Cookies, Wolferman’s Bakery and many more. I have received a gift from Smart- Gift on two occa- sions, and they were wonderful experiences. I re- ceived an email stating who was sending me a gift, and a link to pick what I wanted from several options. This allowed me to avoid foods I’m allergic to and products I wouldn’t use, and I could choose something that was meaningful to me and se- lect the best address and date for de- livery. The company even provided a link after delivery for me to send a thank you note. The program includes great tools where you can upload your holiday list—only an email address or mobile phone number is needed. You can au- tomate engagement to your employ- ees for birthdays, anniversaries and special occasions, or to potential and existing clients to create and nurture relationships. There are branding and person- alization options to really make the impact you’re looking for. The system also seamlessly in- tegrates with work platforms like Zoom, Slack, Salesforce and Micro- soft Teams. It includes built-in re- porting and analytics so you can bet- ter understand your outreach and results. You only pay for gifts that are ac- cepted and delivered. And, of course, you get your 20% AUSA member dis- Member Benefits count across all the brands. This is an efficient and popular way to man- age your gifting throughout the year. View a short video about Smart- Gift and learn more by visiting https://www.smartgift.com/. Create your account, then contact Brooke Fine at bfine@1800flowers.com or 617-733-9183 to tell her you’re with AUSA—you save 20% on all gifts, and she can provide personalized service for each member of the association. Savings website For all your shopping needs, be sure to visit AUSA’s benefits/sav- ings page at www.ausa.org/savings to take advantage of your member discounts. You don’t need to log in on that page—it’s set up just for mem- bers to immediately access savings. Most companies donate back to AU- SA’s mission, so it’s a win-win-win. Click “Shopping & Entertainment” for: • AUSA Store: A fun variety of high-quality items with an Army or AUSA focus. • BenefitHub: The world’s larg- est member discount program with exclusive and larger savings from thousands of leading brands. • GE Appliances: Save up to 25% off list price. • Member Deals: Exclusive dis- counts on fun things to do like sport- ing events, ski resorts, theme parks, movies, concerts, shows and more. • R.Riveter: Support military spouses with a purchase from their collection of handmade leather hand- bags and accessories, with 20% sav- ings courtesy of AUSA. • RubyCar: Avis sells the gems from their inventory—meaning their vehicles that are like-new, accident- free and low-mileage—and delivers to your door. AUSA members save $250, and sales include 12 months of emergency roadside service and a 24-month/24,000-mile warranty. • Spouse-ly: An online market- place to shop and support a wide va- riety of military and first responder owned businesses and save 10%. Click the other categories and take advantage of all our member savings programs, and contact me at srubel@ ausa.org if you have any questions. Susan Rubel is AUSA’s Association and Affinity Partnerships director. AUSA members get a discount when they use SmartGift for Business, a corporate gift- ing platform through the 1-800-Flowers.com family of companies . (COURTESY GRAPHIC)www.ausa.org 8 AUSA Extra | October 2, 2025 ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY Left: Retired Command Sgt. Maj. Freddie Brock, left, president of AUSA’s Fort Leonard Wood-Mid Missouri chapter, greets retired Sgt. Maj. of the Army Daniel Dailey, the as- sociation's vice president for NCO and Soldier Programs, during a Life Skills training event at Fort Leonard Wood. Right: Judy Bauer, president of AUSA’s Henry Leaven- worth chapter, shares information about the association during a Post Activities and Information Resources Day at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. (AUSA PHOTOS) Chapter presidents honored by Military Police Corps T wo Association of the U.S. Army chapter leaders were recognized by the Army’s Military Police Corps during a Sept. 25 ceremony at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. During the event, retired Com- mand Sgt. Maj. Freddie Brock, president of AU- SA’s Fort Leonard Wood-Mid Mis- souri chapter, was inducted into the U.S. Army Military Police Hall of Fame, and Judy Bauer, president of the association’s Henry Leavenworth chapter, was named a Distinguished Member of the Corps. “Each year, this ceremony allows us to pause and recognize not only the excellence of individuals, but the enduring impact they have had on our profession of arms and our regi- ment,” said Col. Charles Green, com- mandant of the Army Military Police School and chief of the Military Po- lice Corps Regiment. “The Military Police Corps has never been on the sidelines. It is our duty to protect, to defend and to serve. Today, we honor those who embody this devotion.” Brock enlisted in the Army in 1979 and served for nearly three decades. He deployed multiple times to Korea during his military career, including a stint as the senior enlisted leader for the 8th Military Police Brigade in Seoul. He was vice president of NCO and Soldier Programs for the Fort Leon- ard Wood-Mid Missouri chapter be- fore becoming its president. With decades of experience in the enlisted ranks, Brock has been deep- ly engaged in supporting soldiers, veterans and their families through local initiatives, including transition workshops, Life Skills training and ceremonies honoring Vietnam-era veterans. Under his leadership, the chapter provides scholarship oppor- tunities, organizes community part- Fort Leonard Wood-Mid Missouri Henry Leavenworth ner events and works to strengthen ties between Fort Leonard Wood and the local community. In remarks during the ceremony, Brock emphasized the importance of balancing “family, faith and profes- sion.” “I had a great profession because I had great leaders,” he said. “Thank you very much.” A native of Louisiana, Bauer served 40 years in the federal government, including more than two decades as the protocol officer for the command- ing general of the Combined Arms Center and Fort Leavenworth, Kan- sas. In this role, she provided expert, specialized advice and guidance to the command, as well as other mili- tary installations and organizations. As president of the Henry Leav- enworth chapter, Bauer coordinates community outreach, fundraising and membership activities, including the chapter’s annual golf classic—its primary fundraiser—and member- ship breakfasts. She frequently rep- resents the chapter at ceremonies and events across Fort Leavenworth. Under her leadership, the chapter has been active in supporting sol- diers, families, ROTC award ceremo- nies and veteran-related community programs. Bauer said it was “such an honor to receive recognition as a distin- guished member of the Military Po- lice Corps Regiment.” “It was a reunion with so many friends and colleagues from years ago, as well as making new friends. The ceremony was amazing from start to finish,” she said. All the honorees “have lived lives of loyalty, perseverance and profes- sional excellence,” Green said. “Even now, their impact reverberates across the force.”Next >