PUBLISHED BY THE ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY www.ausa.org June 26, 2025 | AUSA Extra 1 AUSA names Marshall Medal recipients I n honor of the Army’s 250th birth- day, the Association of the U.S. Army’s highest award for distin- guished and selfless service is being presented this year to Army recipi- ents of the Medal of Honor. This isn’t the first time the George Catlett Marshall Medal has gone to a group instead of a person. Last year, the Marshall Medal was awarded to The Army Noncommissioned Officer. It was awarded to The Army Family in 2020 and to The American Soldier in 2004. “From the American Revolution to today, U.S. Army soldiers have fought for and defended this nation with courage and skill,” said retired Gen. Bob Brown, AUSA president and CEO. “Among those legions of he- roes is this special group of soldiers AUSA's 2025 George Catlett Marshall Medal—the association's highest award for distinguished and selfless service—honors Army recipients of the Medal of Honor. (U.S. ARMY GRAPHIC) Donahue: Allies, Industry Key to Deterrence 3 Army Seeks Ways to Better Manage Talent 4 Book Program Biographies, Histories, Collections 7 Chapter Highlights Eagle Chapters 8 IN THIS ISSUE VOLUME 7 NUMBER 7 JUNE 26, 2025 See Marshall Medal, Page 5 who displayed bravery, sacrifice and integrity above and beyond the call of duty in the brutal and unforgiving crucible of combat.” The award will be presented at the AUSA Annual Meeting and Exposi- tion Oct. 13–15 in Washington, D.C. “Any of these recipients would humbly tell you they were merely do- ing their job, but we recognize their valor and gallantry, their willing- ness to sacrifice themselves for oth- ers, and their dedication to their fellow soldiers,” Brown said. “Their stories move and inspire us and gen- erations to come, and I am honored to recognize them with AUSA’s highest award.” Of the 3,528 people who have re- ceived the Medal of Honor, the na- tion’s highest award for valor in com- bat, 2,460 were soldiers. Forty-four Army recipients are living today, including 12 who were honored for actions in Iraq or Afghanistan. Each recipient has a story to tell— from the very first Medal of Honor ever presented to the most recent— and AUSA is dedicated to helping tell those stories. The very first Medal of Honor was presented to a soldier, Pvt. Jacob Parrott, who was one of 24 men who volunteered during the Civil War to go nearly 200 miles into Confed- erate territory to steal a train and destroy tracks behind them as they sped north, all part of a plan to pre- vent reinforcements from interfering with an attempted capture of Chat- tanooga, Tennessee.www.ausa.org ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY June 26, 2025 | AUSA Extra 3 Army in Europe pushes transformation, interoperability T he Army is transforming in Europe, training with allies and working with industry to advance and scale next-generation ca- pabilities, said Gen. Christopher Do- nahue, commanding general of U.S. Army Europe and Africa. In remarks on Wednesday at a Cof- fee Series event hosted by the Associ- ation of the U.S. Army, Donahue said the U.S. military “will always lead in Europe, in particular the Army,” but as a global Army, formations must be ready to deploy anywhere in the world. Donahue, who has led U.S. Army Europe and Africa since December, noted that warfare is marked by rap- idly advancing technology such as drones, robotics and electronic war- fare, but the strongest deterrent will always be the soldiers on the ground. “Nobody can replace Roman le- gions. If you want to win, you have to put people on the ground—that will not change,” Donahue said. “You have to have brigade combat teams, and they have to be incredibly well trained.” Describing Ukraine as “the best laboratory,” Donahue pointed out that a lot is being learned from the conflict there. More importantly, he said, are the investments being made by European countries in building ranges where U.S. troops can train with their allies to build interoper- ability and strengthen their deter- rence posture. “They’ve all lined up, and they're putting millions of dollars into this,” Donahue said, describing ranges to train with unmanned aerial sys- tems and electronic warfare. In Lat- via and Romania, he said, planned brigade-sized live-fire ranges will be like the Baltics equivalent of the Na- tional Training Center at Fort Irwin, California. “Our NATO allies are building in- frastructure for us to train because they know if we can’t train, there is going to be an issue with our rota- Gen. Christopher Donahue, commanding general of U.S. Army Europe and Africa, speaks Wednesday during a Coffee Series event hosted by AUSA. (AUSA PHOTO) tional forces,” Donahue said, adding that U.S. Army Europe and Africa “is the test bed for the Army Trans- formation Initiative for a number of things.” He pointed to testing with counter- unmanned aerial systems, known as Project Flytrap, as an example of how soldiers are learning to adapt on the move with a capability that is usu- ally employed from a static location. “We know what to do from a stat- ic perspective. Well, in the United States Army, we’re an offensive force, so how do you take your UAS capa- bility with you while you’re moving, while you’re on the attack?” he said. He pointed also to Next Genera- tion Command and Control, known as NGC2, as an evolving capability that is tested “every day.” Donahue also called for a “collec- tive defense industrial base that can match this … unholy alliance that’s out there between China, Russia, North Korea and Iran.” The U.S. military must have interoperability with all NATO nations as well as South Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand to achieve a versatile defense industrial base. “We’re pushing this very hard, at LANDEURO you’ll hear this as well,” Donahue said referring to AU- SA’s two-day forum next month in Wiesbaden, Germany, on land power in Europe. “We need to co-produce, because any munition that you can shoot in Finland, Poland, you know, pick your spot, you also have to be able to use in Asia, you have to be able to use it in [the Middle East].” A soldier assigned to the 2nd Cavalry Reg- iment aims at a drone with a Smartshooter SMASH 2000L rifle attachment June 22 during Project Flytrap in Hohenfels, Ger- many. (U.S. ARMY/PFC. BRENT LEE)www.ausa.org 4 AUSA Extra | June 26, 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 Eifler: Personnel reforms fuel Army readiness, transformation efforts W ith tensions rising around the world, soldiers must grow, adapt and battle complacency to prepare for the future fight, the service’s top personnel of- ficer said. Through structural changes, stra- tegically placing people in formations and talent management reforms, the Army is working “to make sure we're on the cutting-edge of technology and on the battlefield,” Lt. Gen. Brian Ei- fler, the deputy Army chief of staff for personnel, G-1, said June 18 during a Noon Report webinar hosted by the Association of the U.S. Army. “We have to continue to learn, to grow, to adapt and think about how to get better,” he said. “No matter where we are, no matter what level we are, we have to look at things differently to make sure we're prepared.” Reflecting on the Army’s 250th birthday on June 14, Eifler high- lighted the late retired Col. Ralph Puckett Jr.’s adage to be proud but never satisfied. “When we talk about 2030, 2040 or 2026, we can't wait another year. We have to be more adaptive. We have to be faster,” Eifler said. “We have to have systems that are streamlined, that free up time for the soldier to not … spend doing administration AUSA members save up to 35% on Norton 360 with LifeLock. Norton is a champion of cybersecurity awareness with technology that blocks more than 9 million cyberthreats on average every day. Of course, no one can prevent all cyber crime or identity theft. Visit www.ausa.org/nl. Army recruits prepare to take the oath of enlistment June 14 during the 250th Army Birthday parade in Washington, D.C. (U.S. ARMY/SPC. PS BAILEY WHILDEN) Correction A photo caption on the cover of last week's issue of AUSA Extra misidentified a unit. It was the 3rd Infantry Division. and more time doing training and preparing for the fight.” Though soldiers will always make the decisions, artificial intelligence could unburden soldiers, Eifler said, adding that promotion board process- es that typically take weeks could be done in one day using AI. The Army is “doing really well in retention and recruiting” as it con- tinues to make effective changes, Eifler said. Army Recruiting Com- mand has “done a phenomenal job” revolutionizing how and where the Army recruits and how it develops re- cruiters, he said. The command also is leveraging AI to “narrow down the field instead of knocking on doors” for prospective recruits. “I still think the American Dream is available inside the Army,” Eifler said. “I still think that the Army is one of the greatest places where you could start with nothing and end up … in a profession, in a career, … get a college education and get a start on life. … It'll take care and make you a better person.”www.ausa.org ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY June 26, 2025 | AUSA Extra 5 Former Staff Sgt. Hiroshi “Her- shey” Miyamura, who fought waves of enemy soldiers before being cap- tured and held for over two years during the Korean War, received the only Medal of Honor classified as top secret—kept quiet until his release from a prisoner-of-war camp. Capt. Tom Custer was the first sol- dier in U.S. history to earn two Med- als of Honor for his actions during the Civil War, while Dr. Mary Walk- er, one of the first women to earn a medical degree in America and who served as a contract surgeon for the U.S. Army during the Civil War, is the only woman to receive the medal. Cpl. Tibor Rubin was the only Ho- locaust survivor to be awarded the Medal of Honor. Emigrating to the U.S. after World War II and joining the Army, Rubin deployed to Korea. In July 1950, Rubin single-handedly fought off a North Korean assault, inflicting a staggering number of enemy casualties. When captured by the enemy, he risked his life to gather food for his fellow prisoners. Retired Col. Roger Donlon, who disregarded his own wounds and led his 12-man Green Beret team as they held off an attack by a rein- forced battalion of Viet Cong fighters in July 1964, was the first person in the Vietnam War and the first Green Beret to receive the Medal of Honor. Former Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giun- ta, who refused to let enemy fighters carry off a fellow wounded soldier in Afghanistan, was the first living recipient of the Medal of Honor in nearly 40 years. These are just a few of the thou- sands of stories of valor and sacrifice that AUSA is proud to help share through the presentation of this year’s Marshall Medal. The Marshall Medal, awarded an- nually by AUSA since 1960, is named for General of the Army George Catlett Marshall Jr., a former Army chief of staff who also served as sec- retary of state, secretary of defense and U.S. special envoy to China dur- ing his public service career. Past recipients of the Marshall Medal include Presidents Dwight Eisenhower, Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush; General of the Army Omar Bradley; and retired Army Gens. Gordon Sullivan, Lyman Lem- nitzer, Colin Powell, Bernard Rog- ers, Maxwell Taylor, John Vessey Jr., Martin Dempsey and Eric Shinseki. Other recipients include two for- mer defense secretaries who also served as directors of the Central In- telligence Agency, Leon Panetta and Robert Gates; Duke University head basketball coach and U.S. Military Academy graduate Michael Krzyze- wski; comedian Bob Hope; and actor Gary Sinise. Marshall Medal From Page 1www.ausa.org 6 AUSA Extra | June 26, 2025 ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY Brown addresses chapter leaders Retired Gen. Bob Brown, center right, AUSA president and CEO, speaks to new AUSA chapter leaders Wednesday during training at the association's headquarters. (AUSA PHOTO) Paper: Leaders must master counter-UAS capabilities A rmy leaders must understand how to employ counter-un- manned aerial systems capa- bilities to give their soldiers freedom of maneuver and protection on the future battlefield, according to a new paper published by the Association of the U.S. Army. “The modern battlefield echoes the need to clearly understand system ca- pabilities and deployment tactics to match each unit’s mission set,” Capts. Gavin Berke and Iain Herring write. “Currently, counter-unmanned aerial systems … present similar challenges where leaders are obligated to dis- tinguish between fixed, mobile and on-the-move … systems to maximize protection and survivability.” In “Fixed, Mobile and On-The- Move: The Practical Difference,” Berke and Herring argue that on- the-move systems are “underdevel- oped across the force,” which creates “a protection and survivability gap for maneuvering units.” Berke is an air and missile defense operations officer in the 101st Air- borne Division. Herring is an air de- fense airspace management cell offi- cer with the 101st Airborne Division’s 2nd Mobile Brigade Combat Team. Fixed systems, like radar installa- tions, can form “the first line of de- tection” and are particularly effective against larger threats like fixed-wing aircraft, Berke and Herring write. Mobile systems, like the unmanned aerial vehicle integrated defeat sys- tem, fill the gap between fixed and on- the-move systems. On-the-move sys- tems, like a vehicle-mounted system, can rapidly engage enemy UASs and free up soldiers to focus on shooting adversaries and maneuvering. Filling the shoot and detect on-the- move counter-UAS system gap and integrating artificial intelligence remain essential to the future fight, Berke and Herring write. “Light maneuver units would be vulnerable to Group 1–3 unmanned aerial system attacks without detec- tion, early warning and neutralizing UAS threats on-the-move,” they write. Groups 1–3 UASs are small sys- tems that weigh up to 1,320 pounds. Mastering the intricacies of system capabilities enables Army leaders to succeed in future conflicts, Berke and Herring write. “Leaders who discern the subtle variation in terminology appreciate the consequential difference in the capabilities and limitations of fixed, mobile and [on-the-move] systems,” they write. “Understanding and ap- plying the distinctions of these cat- egories will impact the efficacy of CUAS systems in future conflicts.” Read the full paper here. A soldier with the 2nd Cavalry Regiment guides a Stryker mounted with an EchoShield cognitive radar into concealment June 20 during Project Flytrap, a series of counter- unmanned aerial system exercises, in Hohenfels, Germany. (U.S. ARMY/SPC. ELIJAH MAGANA)www.ausa.orgJune 26, 2025 | AUSA Extra 7 ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY Variety of military titles available for summertime reading I t is now summertime, and people everywhere are clamoring for good books to read on the beach (or in an air-conditioned room, de- pending on your preference). Fortunately, the Association of the U.S. Army’s Book Program has recommendations to cover all your military reading preferences. This month, we will spotlight a few titles from our exten- sive backlist in several categories. Biographies Biographies are perennially popu- lar, sharing stories of remarkable lives. Boy on the Bridge: The Story of John Shalikashvili’s American Success by Andrew Marble is a rags- to-riches, back-to-riches story of an immigrant who rose from a private to chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Jacob L. Devers: A General’s Life by James Scott Wheeler offers a look at one of only two U.S. officers to lead an Army group in World War II—the other being Gen. Omar Bradley— who yet remains one of the most over- looked leaders of the war. The Quiet Professional: Major Richard J. Meadows of the U.S. Army Special Forces by Alan Hoe is the only biography of this consummate Book Program soldier, a veteran of Korea and Viet- nam who was instrumental in the founding of Delta Force. Unit histories Offering a different viewpoint into military history, unit histories show how strategic and operational plans are enacted on the ground. Headhunt- er: 5-73 CAV and Their Fight for Iraq’s Diyala River Valley by Peter Svoboda is an account of the global war on ter- ror through the eyes of the first air- borne reconnaissance squadron. Black Ops Vietnam: The Operation- al History of MACVSOG by Robert Gillespie is a complete chronological history of the highly classified, U.S. joint-service organization through- out the Vietnam War. Sabers through the Reich: World War II Corps Cavalry from Normandy to the Elbe by William Stuart Nance provides the first comprehensive op- erational history of American corps cavalry in the European Theater of Operations during World War II. Essays and collections These choices are perfectly suited for summertime leisure reading, lending themselves to browsing. Na- poleon’s Military Maxims gathers the famed commander’s thoughts and principles on the art of waging war, appended with new commentary to apply these principles to contempo- rary warfare. The High Ground: Leading in Peace and War by retired Col. R.D. Hooker Jr. collects the author’s per- sonal experiences as a combat leader to illustrate examples of leadership at all levels. Close Quarter Combat: First-Hand Accounts of Real Combat Experiences edited by Roger Ford features per- sonal stories of combat from British, American, French and German ser- vice members across both world wars and Cold War conflicts. ****** Finally, for those preparing to make use of the G.I. Bill, Combat to College: Applying the Military Mentality as a Student Veteran by John Davis offers ten straightforward lessons learned from his own experiences. Please visit www.ausa.org/books to order these and other titles in the AUSA Book Program. Use the promo code SUM25AUSA for select member discounts when purchasing directly through the publisher links. Joseph Craig is AUSA’s Book Pro- gram director.www.ausa.org 8 AUSA Extra | June 26, 2025 ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY Eagle Chapters The following chapters attained Eagle status for May by showing positive membership growth. The number of consecutive months of growth since July 1 is shown in parentheses. Central Texas (11) First In Battle (11) Puerto Rico (11) Alamo (10) Captain Meriwether Lewis (10) Chattahoochee Valley-Fort Moore (10) Crossroads of America (10) Denver Centennial (10) Fires (10) Fort Campbell (10) Fort Riley-Central Kansas (10) Fort Sheridan-Chicago (10) Houston Metroplex (10) Pikes Peak (10) Suncoast (10) Arkansas (9) Central Virginia (9) Columbia River (9) Connecticut (9) Delaware (9) Fort Knox (9) Gem State (9) Greater Atlanta (9) Hawaii (9) Magnolia (9) Marne (9) Massachusetts Bay (9) MG William F. Dean (9) Milwaukee (9) National Training Center-High Desert (9) North Texas-Audie Murphy (9) San Diego (9) SGM Jon Cavaiani (9) St. Louis Gateway (9) Sunshine (9) Thunderbird (9) Allegheny-Blue Ridge (8) Arizona Territorial (8) Arsenal of Democracy (8) Big Bend (8) Central California (8) Coastal South Carolina (8) Florida Gulf Stream (8) Fort Leonard Wood-Mid Missouri (8) Fort Pitt (8) GEN Creighton W. Abrams (8) Greater New York-Statue of Liberty (8) Japan (8) Joshua Chamberlain (8) Las Vegas-John C. Fremont (8) Major Samuel Woodfill (8) Monmouth (8) New Orleans (8) Newton D. Baker (8) Northern New Jersey (8) PFC William Kenzo Nakamura (8) Texas Capital Area (8) Tri-State (8) Tucson-Goyette (8) Utah (8) White Sands Missile Range (8) Capital District of New York (7) Central Ohio (7) COL Edward Cross (7) Cowboy (7) CPL Bill McMillan-Bluegrass (7) CSM James M. McDonald-Keystone (7) Dix (7) Ethan Allen (7) First Militia (7) Fort Jackson-Palmetto State (7) Francis Scott Key (7) GEN John W. Vessey, Jr. (7) George Washington (7) Greater Kansas City (7) Greater Los Angeles (7) Lafayette (7) Mediterranean (7) Minutemen (7) Rock Island Arsenal (7) San Francisco (7) Silicon Valley (7) Space Coast (7) Virginia Colonial (7) Western New York (7) Des Moines Freedom (6) Fort Huachuca-Sierra Vista (6) Last Frontier (6) MG John S. Lekson (6) MSG Leroy Arthur Petry (6) Northern New York-Fort Drum (6) Rhode Island (6) United Arab Emirates (6) West Point Area (6) Carlisle Barracks-Cumberland Valley (5) Fort Novosel-Wiregrass (5) GA Omar N. Bradley (5) Guam (5) Isthmian (5) Kuwait (5) MG Harry Greene, Aberdeen (5) GEN Joseph W. Stilwell (4) MG Robert B. McCoy (4) Tobyhanna Army Depot (4) Hellenic (3)Next >