AUSA urges Congress to increase support to the Reserve Component

Update from Gary Dawson

The Association of the U.S. Army (AUSA) has joined six other organizations to get congressional support for the Reserve Component, including expanded health care coverage, eliminating equipment shortfalls, and an increase in full-time personnel support.

Along with the Adjutants General Association of the U.S., Air Force Association, Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the U.S., National Governors Association, National Guard Association of the United States and Reserve Officers Association, AUSA wrote to leaders of the House and Senate Armed Services committees seeking support for legislative priorities that “directly correspond with the National Defense Strategy to restore readiness and build a more lethal force” and “will enhance Reserve Component operational readiness while continuing to promote the goals of the Total Force.”

The Associations are asking Congress to consider expanding the Tricare program to federal employees, who are now excluded and study the feasibility of eliminating premiums.

Additionally, the associations ask for an increase in authorized full-time National Guard and Reserve personnel that keeps pace with increases in the size and optempo of the Reserve Component. They also ask for continued congressional support for “robust funding” of equipment and platforms to ensure the reserve component keeps pace with active forces and funding to address equipment shortfalls and compatibility issues.

America’s Anchor: A Naval History of the Delaware River and Bay

190411_AUSA_History
BG(Ret) Kennard Higgins will be presenting a talk entitled “America’s Anchor: A Naval History of the Delaware River and Bay” at the Delaware Military Museum located at First Regiment Road, Wilmington, Delaware, on Saturday, April 13, 2019, at 1:00 PM. The talk is free and open to the public and the museum will be open at 12:00 noon.

Army Must Get Back to Basics

The Army must regain its expertise in maintenance and sustainment as it prepares to fight on a fast-paced, austere and deadly battlefield, a panel of senior Army leaders said during the Association of the U.S. Army’s Global Force Symposium and Exposition.

Soldiers have seen their skills atrophy after more than 17 years of war in Iraq and Afghanistan, where they could rely on contractors and the safety of large, sprawling bases.

“We have raised midgrade officers and NCOs who didn’t know what a LOGPAC was,” said Maj. Gen. Glenn Curtis, the adjutant general of the Louisiana National Guard, referring to a logistics package. “So, we forced our units back into the field, and we throttled back on the high-speed training, as we perceived it, and we had sergeants major and colonels teaching what a LOGPAC is and what’s the field craft you have to go through.”

A unit that’s unable to sustain itself will quickly get bogged down on the battlefield, and that’s evident at the Army’s combat training centers, said Lt. Gen. Laura Richardson, deputy commanding general of the U.S. Army Forces Command.

“If a unit doesn’t come in with the basic foundation of knowing their business and knowing sustainment, it will eat their lunch in terms of the operational tempo of their rotation,” she said, adding that Gen. Robert Abrams, who relinquished command of FORSCOM in October to lead U.S. Forces Korea, believes that “sustainment is training.”

Annual Renewal Time

We sincerely hope you will renew your AUSA membership and your membership with our Delaware chapter. Because we don’t have an active duty army base in our state, our chapter’s focus is on our National Guard and Reserve Soldiers and their families, retirees in the state of Delaware, and our veterans. We also annually support “Our Community Salutes” (OCS) which acknowledges those young women and men who have volunteered to serve in our nation’s Armed Forces.

We appreciate your past support and we are always looking for people to help and new ideas for our chapter events. AUSA is the only organization focused on all Soldiers and their families regardless of their status or rank. We hope you will join us in supporting Delaware’s Soldiers, their families, our retirees, and our veterans. Check out all the member benefits available to you.

 

2019 Soldier Pay Increases Set

[From AUSA National: Wednesday, December 26, 2018]

A 2.6 percent across-the-board pay raise in basic pay and drill pay is set to appear in mid-January payroll deposits for Regular Army, Army National Guard, and Army Reserve soldiers, along with an average 2.55 percent increase in basic allowance for housing for those who receive this payment.

There is no increase in 2019 in basic allowance for subsistence payments.

The basic pay hike is the biggest increase in nine years. It matches last year’s average private-sector pay increase.

Military retirement, Social Security and veterans’ disability and survivor benefits increased 2.8 percent, effective Dec. 1. Those increases, based on the increase in consumer prices, will first be paid in January.

Negotiations over the 2019 federal civilian pay raise have not been resolved.

Chapter Meeting and Air Mobility Command Museum Tour

Delaware Chapter
 Association of the United States Army


Members Meeting and Museum Tour 


 

Continental Breakfast, Chapter Update, Tour of the Air Mobility Command Museum,
and Overview of Aircraft on Display
 …………………………………………..


Saturday, October 27, 2018
 Air Mobility Command Museum
 Dover Air Force Base
 Time: 0930-Noon
Breakfast and Museum donation – $10.00

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Please RSVP by October 24, 2018
 

Checks payable to DE Chapter, AUSA
 Mail check and portion below to:



James C. Vavala
 2628 Longfellow Drive,
Wilmington, DE 19808-3710
 (302) 339-0025 or jcvav@comcast.net


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Sign-up for Delaware Chapter, AUSA Breakfast Meeting – 27 Oct 2018


Member / Guest Name_______________________________________________ Email _________________________________________________________ or,
Phone _________________________
 Number Attending ______ x $10.00 per person = Amount Enclosed $ __________


Bring a new member; they attend as our guest!

First Annual Charity Golf Event

On Friday, May 18, 2018 the Chapter conducted its first Charity Golf event to raise funds for the Delaware Veterans Trust Fund. 60 golfers signed up but a steady rain prohibited players from venturing out as some tee boxes were under water.  The Golf Course offered a rain-check for all those that came out, and we distributed awarded prizes, awarded money to the 50-50 winners, and auctioned off some of the larger donated prizes.  Lunch was served early (10:30).

Ft Miles Tour and Lunch

The Delaware Chapter held a Members luncheon following an orientation and tour of Ft Miles, a WWII Army Coastal Defense Fort in Lewes, on April 21, 2018. The tour included the coastal guns at the Fort and the interior of Battery 519.  Twenty-eight members and friends attended, and we presented a check for $100.00 to the President of the Ft Miles Historical Association, Dr Gary Wray. The photo is the group in front of the 16” gun, similar to those housed in one of the coast artillery bunkers at the Fort. This barrel was actually the middle gun on the #2 turret from the battleship U.S.S Missouri.

 

 

Delaware Chapter Lunch and Tour of ** Fort Miles **

The Delaware Chapter is having the next Chapter Members Lunch meeting on April 21, 2018 at Fort Miles in the Cape Henlopen State Park. As you may know, Ft Miles was an active Army installation constructed in World War II to protect the Delaware coast and shipping near the Delaware Bay. It was linked to the many observation towers along the Delaware shoreline.

Over the past 12 years the Ft Miles Historical Association has worked to engage the community, local businesses, and State government to preserve and restore a portion of this facility. Battery 519 is the centerpiece of this restoration and is currently the Museum. The Association staff
will meet at 10am, have a site overview from a member of the Ft Miles Historical Association, followed by a tour of Battery 519. This battery, the last one constructed, was built to house two 12-inch guns, a railway, and a chart room. It now serves as the Museum.
After the tour, we will have lunch with a Chapter update. The cost of the lunch and tour is $15.00. (Reduced, thanks to sponsor support).
Please RSVP with your check + contact info to CSM (Ret) Jim Vavala, 2628 Longfellow Drive, Wilmington, DE 19808 by April 10, 2018.