Association of the U.S. Army, Delaware Chapter

In his final Pentagon press conference as Army chief of staff, General Raymond T. Odierno said he has “great concern personally” about the Army’s fate, fearing the nation is “sacrificing the long-term viability of our military.”

The 60-year-old General, whose Army career started in 1976, retires at a time of uncertainty about funding available for the military and increasingly complicated national security threats.

“Our security environment remains uncertain and dynamic,” Odierno said, citing Russian and Chinese aggression, unrest in the Middle East caused by the Islamic State, threats of global terrorism, and an “unstable and provocative North Korea” as a short list of problems that could require military response.

Addressing or preparing for those threats requires a stable and certain budget, something that has proven politically difficult as the fiscal year approaches on Oct. 1 without a bipartisan budget agreement, raising the possibility of a government shutdown and cuts in the Army budget from a possible second round of sequestration.

“The whole four years I have been chief of staff of the Army, we have been in this deadlock,” Odierno said. “We are reaching a point where we have to be careful,” raising the specter the Army could lose capabilities and the ability to quickly respond to threats or a crisis.

General Mark A. Milley’s nomination to become the 39th Army chief of staff was approved Wednesday by the Senate, and President Obama nominated an Iraq War veteran to become under secretary of the Army. Milley will succeed GEN Raymond T. Odierno, who will retire after 39 years of service.

GEN Milley told Congress that he believes his 35 years of Army experience qualified him to lead the Army. “I had the honor to lead soldiers in combat as a captain and major along with combat leadership as a brigade commander, division deputy commander and corps commander,” he said to the Senate Armed Services Committee. “With service in Special Forces and conventional units, as well as operational experience in a variety of contingencies around the globe. I have a broad perspective of the Army, its processes and capabilities, and my experience includes operations in the Sinai, Somalia, Panama, Haiti, the Balkans, Afghanistan and Iraq, along with tours in Korea and Colombia.

Milley’s most recent deployment had him serving as the III Corps commanding general and heading U.S. and multinational forces in Iraq, which he said gave him “the opportunity to apply the full range of Army, joint, combined and coalition capabilities in complex environments on my third tour in Afghanistan while commanding all the ground forces in combat and security force assistance operations. ”The Army, GEN Milley said, “is and must remain the world’s premier ground combat force, capable of conducting sustained campaigns on land to achieve U.S. national security objectives.”

Also, Patrick J. Murphy, the 41-year-old nominee to be Under Secretary of the Army, was the first Iraq War veteran to be elected to Congress, where he championed improvements in the GI Bill and veterans’ employment programs. Defeated for re-election in 2010, he has been working at a Philadelphia law firm and as a fellow at the Center for American Progress, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank that works on progressive policies. Murphy was commissioned through an ROTC program and served two overseas deployments; deploying to Bosnia in 2002, and Iraq in 2003 as part of the 82nd Airborne Division.

If confirmed, Murphy would fill a position currently held by an acting undersecretary, Eric Fanning. It is not clear when the Senate will take up his nomination.

Two hundred forty years ago this Sunday, our founding fathers established
the Continental Army. Today, the Army is the strategic land power of the
joint force; called upon to prevent, shape, and win against our adversaries.

This year, we celebrate 240 years of selfless service to the nation.
Selfless service is at the core of what it means to be a Soldier – putting
the welfare of others ahead of oneself. The willingness of our Soldiers – to
place themselves in harm’s way and to protect our nation’s freedoms – is
what makes us the premier all-volunteer force. The Army has served proudly,
faithfully, and selflessly for 240 years, and we remain steadfast in our
commitment.

Happy Birthday, United States Army!

We also celebrate Flag Day, which commemorates the adoption of the flag of
the United States by the Second Continental Congress.

FRANCIS D. VAVALA
Major General
The Adjutant General of Delaware

Our thoughts and prayers are with the Biden family as we mourn the loss of Beau; beloved and respected by all who knew him. The former Attorney General of Delaware was also a Major in the Delaware Army National Guard who deployed to Iraq in 2009. When our AUSA Chapter organized the first ‘Our Community Salutes’ event in 2012, Beau agreed to be our first keynote speaker. Although our event was new to Delaware, Beau did not hesitate to join the many community leaders, military members, parents and friends to say ‘Thank you’ to the high school seniors who were joining the military after graduation that year. Farewell to a good man indeed.

5 Weight of Deployments Fell on Soldiers

While all of the services contributed to operations in Iraq and Afghanistan since the 9/11 attacks, the burden was greatest on soldiers, according to a RAND Corp. report. Of 1.6 million deployments between September 2001 and December 2012, 59 percent were Army, 15 percent Air Force, 14 percent Navy and 12 percent Marine Corps. The percentages include reserve components. The Regular Army provided 70 percent of the Army’s contribution, while the Army National Guard provided 21 percent and the Army Reserve provided nine percent.

What to watch: The report, Measuring and Retaining the U.S. Army’s Deployment Experience, was evaluating the substantial loss of combat experience facing the area, a serious problem as a result of normal turnover and the reduction in the size of the Army. While not it’s intention, the report provides a good reason to rethink Army force cuts.