PUBLISHED BY THE ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY www.ausa.org November 20, 2025 | AUSA Extra 1 Harter: Army Reserve must be ready now Lt. Gen. Robert Harter, chief of the Army Reserve and commanding general of U.S. Army Reserve Command, addresses a Coffee Series event Tuesday hosted by AUSA. (AUSA PHOTO) West Point Unveils Army-Navy Uniforms 3 Noon Report Webinar Highlights Junior ROTC 4 Family Readiness Educating, Uplifting Army Families 6 Chapter Highlights Redstone-Huntsville 7 IN THIS ISSUE VOLUME 7 NUMBER 28 NOVEMBER 20, 2025 T he U.S. Army Reserve is lever- aging real-world exercises to build combat readiness, said Lt. Gen. Robert Harter, chief of the Army Reserve and commanding gen- eral of U.S. Army Reserve Command. With new and advancing threats increasing the volatility of warfare across the world, the Army Reserve must operate as a fully integrated part of the Total Army, and to main- tain that integration, its soldiers and leaders must make full and smart use of the 39 annual training days it has, Harter said Tuesday at a Coffee Series event hosted by the Associa- tion of the U.S. Army. “My message to my team, and my team gets it, my message to my [ac- See Harter, Page 5 tive duty] teammates is, you go, we go, and we’ve got to be ready,” Har- ter said. “We are not complementary. We are needed right away, and so we have 39 days a year to build readi- ness where we might have young men and women out the door, so right now that’s what we’re driving on.” Harter emphasized the Reserve’s theater-opening sustainment capa- bilities that include medical, signal and engineer soldiers and units. He also pointed out that the Reserve handles 99% of line haul bulk pe- troleum for ground and aerial plat- forms. The other 1%, he said, resides in the Army National Guard. “Our purpose in the United States Army Reserve is to [provide] combat- ready soldiers and formations at time of need, so we’re trying to channel all our energy into driving on that readi- ness 39 days a year,” Harter said. To provide realistic training sce- narios, Army Reserve units are tak- ing part in exercises with the Regular Army, the Army National Guard and joint forces at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California, and the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, Louisiana. Harter highlighted Mojave Falcon as an example of the collective train- ing partnerships that are being built with the Army’s other two compo- nents. The exercise in May and June SECURE AMERICA GOBI RAPIDLY DEPLOY AUTONOMOUS COUNTER-UAS SYSTEM BUILT TO PROTECT CRITICAL DOMESTIC AND DEPLOYED NATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURES DEFEAT FPV, FIXED-WING DRONE THREATS BEFORE THEY REACH YOUR CRITICAL ASSETS NEUTRALIZE INSTANTLY WWW.HARMATTAN.AIwww.ausa.org ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY November 20, 2025 | AUSA Extra 3 West Point Army-Navy uniforms honor 250th anniversary L ast week, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, unveiled its uniforms for the upcoming Army-Navy football game, commemorating the service’s 250th anniversary and paying trib- ute to the soldiers who have defended the nation. “For the past 250 years, the United States Army has stood as America’s enduring symbol of service and sac- rifice. Born in the desperate condi- tions of the American Revolution, the Army’s legacy is one of steadfast commitment to the defense of liberty, reflected in its motto, ‘This We’ll De- fend,’” the Army said in a news re- lease. The uniforms feature several dis- tinctive details that pay tribute to the service’s beginnings. At the top of the helmet is an es- pontoon blade, mirroring the unique weapon—a lance-like pole with a pointed blade—carried exclusively by the drum major of the 3rd Infan- try Regiment (The Old Guard) Fife and Drum Corps. Near the collar is a chain symbolic of a 75-ton chain strung across the Hudson River near West Point to blockade British ships. The uniform numbers and names use a distinctive script that mirrors that in the Constitution. “Written in the same style as the United States Constitution, it showcases the impor- tance of having an Army that swears The Army-Navy game uniforms for the U.S. Military at West Point, New York, honor the Army's 250th anniversary and the soldiers who have defended the nation. (U.S. ARMY PHOTO) Ali Muhammad has worked at AUSA since November 2005, and his passion for serving others is as strong today as it was 20 years ago. “I like taking care of people, uplift- ing people, lighting up the dark and keeping a positive attitude,” said Muhammad, who is AUSA’s facili- ties manager. Meet the AUSA headquarters staff Ali Muhammad Facilities Manager loyalty to a set of ideas rather than a monarch,” the release said. “One of the most distinctive ele- ments of the 2025 uniform is the purple streaking through the jer- sey numbers and along the helmet. Purple symbolizes the sacrifice made by Soldiers and Gold Star Families, tracing its lineage to the Badge of Military Merit, precursor to the Purple Heart, first authorized by General George Washington during the American Revolution,” the re- lease said. The uniform’s marble primary color featured on both the jersey and pants symbolizes “generations of sol- diers who have upheld the Army’s values and given their last full mea- sure of devotion to their nation,” the Army said. This is the 10th season that the U.S. Military Academy’s Department of History and War Studies has col- laborated with Nike on the specialty uniform for the game. Previous Army uniforms have honored the 10th Mountain Division, the 1st Cavalry Division, the 82nd Airborne Divi- sion and Special Forces Command. Last year, the service recognized the 101st Airborne Division. Army football is 6-3 in the Army- Navy game series since the official launch of the uniform rivalry series. The 126th Army-Navy football game is scheduled for Dec. 13 in Bal- timore.www.ausa.org 4 AUSA Extra | November 20, 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 Historian, author provides analysis of Junior ROTC program A s Arthur Coumbe conducted a top-down analysis of Junior ROTC, the former U.S. Army Cadet Command historian found sev- eral key takeaways about the history and impact of the program. “Most studies of the JROTC are either from an educational perspec- tive or from a social policy perspec- tive. They do things like measure outcomes, graduation rates, GPAs, enlistment rates … but they all start at the low level, at the classroom lev- el, and then work up,” Coumbe said Wednesday during a Noon Report webinar hosted by the Association of the U.S. Army. “I flipped the script on that, and I started at the top, at the national policy level, asking mili- tary and civilian leaders how they’ve used JROTC to accomplish national priorities.” Coumbe, who served as the Cadet Command historian from 1992 to 2010, is the author of Soldiers in the Schoolhouse: A Military History of the Junior ROTC, which offers a com- prehensive history of Junior ROTC from the perspective of the military services. Established in 1916, Junior ROTC has training programs in over 3,000 high schools and is the largest mili- tary public outreach program in the U.S., with more than half a million cadets across the country, according to Coumbe's work. After accounting for economic disadvantages schools and students face, cadets in the Army’s Junior ROTC program are more likely to graduate and have higher attendance and lower suspension rates compared to their peers, according to a Rand Corp. report from 2023. The kind of lessons in character Junior ROTC offers students makes them better citizens and better po- tential troops, Coumbe said. “The traits and characteristics that make a good soldier also make a good citi- As you’re plan- ning your holiday travel, save money using your AUSA member discounts. It’s as easy as starting at www.ausa.org/savings#travel and booking from the links. You’ll find exclusive discounts on car rentals, hotels, resorts and more. Author Arthur Coumbe, second from right, appears at an AUSA Noon Report webinar with, from left to right, AUSA Book Program director Joe Craig, retired Gen. Bob Brown, the association's president and CEO, and retired Lt. Gen. Patricia McQuistion, who moderated the discussion. (AUSA PHOTO) zen—personal responsibility, dis- cipline, punctuality, service, ethos, all of those things cement character, but they also are military traits,” he said. Junior ROTC also is directly af- fected when the nation goes to war, Coumbe said. “JROTC has expanded after every major crisis, after every major period of national attention,” he said. “No. 1, standards change, and so more of them would qualify for enlistment back then. In times of retrenchment, again, standards change, and that would disqualify fewer of them for enlistment, so there is a relationship between the two.” A strong military is more essential than ever, Coumbe said. “National security involves military readiness, but it also involves everything else, from STEM education to social cohe- sion to national resilience,” he said. “Without a strong society, you can’t have a strong military. It’s always been relevant, but maybe now that we’re going back to near-peer conflict, it might be more relevant than ever.” www.ausa.org ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY November 20, 2025 | AUSA Extra 5 Harter From Page 1 2025—the largest Army Reserve ex- ercise ever—involved some 10,000 Reserve soldiers who supported the exercise from Fort Hunter Liggett, California, a training area about 300 miles north of the National Training Center, and at ports in Long Beach, California. Coming up in June at the Joint Readiness Training Center is Opera- tion Sentinel Justice, which will see Reserve units supporting the Virgin- ia National Guard’s 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, which tran- sitioned to the 116th Mobile Brigade Combat Team in October as part of the Army’s continuous transforma- tion efforts. Reserve units will support the exercise at the training center, but also from Camp Shelby, Mississippi, which will introduce “real-world dis- tances and driving fuel and ammuni- tion” into an exercise that will “build that multi-component integration,” Harter said. “It’s train as you fight because … who knows how much time we’ll have,” Harter said, recalling the sur- prise of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and the Army’s subsequent immer- sion in combat. “We better be ready to go, so let’s put our energy into it.” Soldiers assigned to the Army Reserve's 2nd Medical Brigade carry a patient on a litter during exercise Mojave Falcon 2025 at Fort Irwin, California. (U.S. ARMY/STAFF SGT. IAN VALLEY)www.ausa.org 6 AUSA Extra | November 20, 2025 ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY Events highlight volunteerism, military family support Ginger Perkins, an AUSA Family Fellow and author of Customs, Courtesies and Traditions of the United States Army: A Primer for Family Members, signs cop- ies of her book at an educational forum hosted by AUSA Family Readiness at Fort Carson, Colorado. (AUSA PHOTO) F ollowing the Association of the U.S. Army’s Annual Meet- ing and Exposition in Octo- ber, AUSA’s Family Readiness team has been honored to support many events—including with two of the association’s chapters. The AUSA Fires chapter in Law- ton, Oklahoma, invited AUSA Fam- ily Fellow Karen Halverson to be the keynote speaker at its annual chap- ter banquet. The theme this year was “Home Front Heroes: Serving Beyond the Uniform,” making Halverson the perfect choice. She is a Navy veteran, military spouse and mother who has been honored to be an avid volunteer over the years for programs and or- ganizations that do so much for our soldiers and their family members. Halverson has volunteered with organizations such as the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, the Military Children Education Coalition, the Red Cross and Unit- ed Through Reading. In addition to serving as an AUSA Family Fellow, she volunteers at Arlington National Cemetery as an Arlington Lady. “Volunteers hold a near and dear place in my heart,” Halverson said. Family Readiness Her remarks focused on formal and informal volunteering and the im- pact it makes in all our communities, especially in military communities. The Family Readiness team was also recently invited to support sever- al events hosted by AUSA’s Pikes Peak chapter at Fort Carson, Colorado. We held our second Customs, Cour- tesies and Traditions Educational Fo- rum on Nov. 12 at the 4th Infantry Division headquarters. This new pro- gram from AUSA Family Readiness aims to help new soldiers and families navigate the unique particularities of military culture such as flag protocol, how to identify rank insignia and how to understand Army acronyms that bounce through casual conversations. Guest presenters included Ginger Perkins, an AUSA Family Fellow and author of Customs, Courtesies and Traditions of the United States Army: A Primer for Family Members, a guidebook published by AUSA on which the educational program is based. Together, Perkins and I brought to life protocol, etiquette and traditions in a fun, engaging and in- teractive way for all who attended. The following day, AUSA Family Readiness partnered with the chap- ter and Operation Deploy Your Dress to open the Fort Carson Operation Deploy Your Dress shop at The Sal- vation Army Fountain Valley Corps. Registered attendees had the option to receive a free gown and accessory and a signed copy of Customs, Cour- tesies and Traditions from Perkins. On Nov. 15, we delivered toys to the installation’s Warrior Warehouse as part of a Reindeer Ruck event. The toys will go to Fort Carson families during the holidays. We also teamed up with the asso- ciation’s NCO and Soldier Programs team to support the Veterans Day assembly at a local school, a chap- ter event honoring the Fort Carson Army Ten-Miler runners, and the annual Mt. Carmel Veterans Service Center Hoedown for Heroes. AUSA Family Readiness sends a huge thank you to the Fires and Pikes Peak chapters and AUSA’s Fourth and Seventh Region teams for their dedication and the impact they make for soldiers, families and communities. Holly Dailey is AUSA's Family Readi- ness director. AUSA Family Fellow Karen Halverson addresses an annual banquet hosted by the as- sociation's Fires chapter in Lawton, Oklahoma. (AUSA PHOTO)www.ausa.orgNovember 20, 2025 | AUSA Extra 7 ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY Chapter donation fuels expansion of veterans' museum Leaders with AUSA's Redstone-Huntsville chapter and the Huntsville community break ground on an expansion of the U.S. Veterans Memorial Museum. (AUSA PHOTO) I n honor of service members and to preserve military history, the Association of the U.S. Army’s Redstone-Huntsville chapter in Ala- bama donated $100,000 toward the planned expansion of the city’s U.S. Veterans Memorial Museum. The donation, which will help fur- nish display cases, specialty lighting and other elements critical to show- casing historic artifacts, was pre- sented Nov. 4 during a groundbreak- ing ceremony attended by city leaders and chapter Community Partners. “First and foremost, the city is pay- ing for the build- ing, but all of the display cases and things that round out the museum itself must be fund- ed,” said John Wright, the chapter president, as reported by the Red- stone Rocket. “These hundred thou- sand dollars will go to help furnish the interior, so the exhibits are spe- cial. It’s an opportunity for our Com- munity Partners to see where their support is manifest.” The $9.98 million construction proj- ect is scheduled to be completed in 480 days. It will more than double the size of the museum, allowing space for military artifacts dating to the Amer- ican Revolution and historical pieces that have remained in storage. “This is a proud day for our com- munity, and most importantly, for our veterans,” said Huntsville May- or Tommy Battle, as reported by the Redstone Rocket. The project “gives new space to remember and recog- nize the heroes of yesterday and to- day” and provides “an understand- ing and appreciation of the sacrifices that have made this country possi- ble,” Battle said. The museum, which opened shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, is “packed,” according to its director, Randy Withrow. “We have 12 major pieces we have no place to display. Today’s groundbreaking marks a new era, and our volunteers will make a great museum into a world- class museum,” he said, as reported by the Redstone Rocket. Battle also lauded the museum’s volunteer workforce, many of them veterans, and noted Huntsville’s longstanding relationship with the military and Redstone Arsenal. “Huntsville is proud of our mili- tary community and of the missions carried out here that help make our country and our world safer,” he said. “The Veterans Museum is about re- membering and preserving that history. We’re excited to start con- struction, and we’re already looking Redstone- Huntsville forward to a ribbon-cutting in 2027. What a privilege to honor our veter- ans through this project and to build a place that will preserve their his- tory for generations to come.” Wright said the AUSA donation reflects the chapter’s mission of sup- porting soldiers and preserving the legacy of military service across gen- erations. “AUSA has traditionally supported ROTC programs, soldiers and families,” he said, as reported by the Redstone Rocket. “This is a chance to contribute in another way … to help tell the broader story of service that spans centuries.” An artist rendering shows the expansion of the U.S. Veterans Memorial Museum at John Hunt Park in Huntsville, Alabama. (CITY OF HUNTSVILLE GRAPHIC)Next >