AUSA

In the name of efficiency, the Army is making what it calls a big change in the way that it manages e-mail. The service said the move is designed to save millions of dollars at a time when the secretary of Defense is mandating significant savings.

Tom Temin spoke with Army Major Mark Cervantes, assistant product manager for the Infantry Brigade Combat Team from the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, about how network integration is getting intelligence into the hands of combat troops on the battlefield.

Computer Sciences Corporation’s David Rohret explains what federal networks look like from a would-be hacker’s point of view. Plus, Federal Drive broadcasts live from the AUSA Conference in Washington.

Army says its implementation of DoD’s Better Buying Power directives saved hundreds of millions of dollars last year, but this year’s budget chaos will undo much of the progress.

Assuming sequestration continues, the Army’s near-term procurement plans are in severe jeopardy. But leaders say long-term investments in science and technology are a must.

Only a few weeks ago, Army leadership was planning to shrink its force to levels unseen since before World War II. But that was before Islamic State terrorists threatened to take over Iraq and Syria, before Russia invaded Ukraine and before the U.S. began deploying 4,000 troops to West Africa to help control the Ebola outbreak. Now the Army’s Chief of Staff, Gen. Ray Odierno, suggests the Army and political leaders need to rethink their plans. He spoke with Emily Kopp at the Association of the Army Expo about the Army’s next steps.

Sometimes you have a plan but contingencies come up and force you to change. That’s the situation the Army finds itself in. The service is taking a close look at how budget constraints and blossoming global conflicts are forcing it to adjust. Army Lt. Gen. Michael Williamson is military deputy to the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology and director of Acquisition Career Management. He spoke with Emily Kopp at the Association of the U.S. Army Expo.

The Army brought its top brass to Washington this week for its annual Association of the U.S. Army Expo. Among the dignitaries, an unusual recipient of the Medal of Honor. It’s typically given to service members within three years of their heroics in battle. In the case of 80 year old retired Special Forces member Bennie Adkins, it took nearly five decades. Adkins tells Emily Kopp how he learned he would receive the nation’s highest military award.

In recent years, the Army Reserve has provided important sustainment to the long ground wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and many other Army missions. Now the Reserve is focused on what’s ahead. Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Talley, commander of the Army Reserve, spoke to Federal Drive with Tom Temin, which broadcast live from the Association of the U.S. Army convention in Washington.

Presidents, members of Congress, veterans and many others call it the finest fighting force in the world. But the Army doesn’t stay that way by accident. Recruiting is a constant challenge, particularly as society and culture change. Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Snow is commander of the Army Recruiting Command. He joins Federal Drive host Tom Temin at the Association of the U.S. Army convention in Washington.