AUSA’s Army Matters Podcast

Curious about the Army Finance Strategy for 2026 (AFS26)? Two top officials from the office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Financial Management & Comptroller), Mr. Jonathan Moak and LTG Thomas Horlander, join us to describe how the AFS26 supports the Total Army. Find out how the 5 Pillars for Acceleration, core to the AFS26 framework, support the Army’s overall People First strategy. The pillars are: Develop the Workforce, Assign and Align Culture, Build the Bench, Inspire Innovation, and Enhance Communication.
Guests:
Mr. Jonathan D. Moak, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (Financial Management & Comptroller) 
LTG Thomas A. Horlander, Comptroller and Military Deputy, Assistant Secretary of the Army (Financial Management & Comptroller) 
Host: Mr. Mark Haaland, AUSA’s Director of Government Affairs
Recommendations for future topics are welcome via email at podcast@ausa.org.
Resources:
Army Financial Management & ComptrollerWeb: https://www.asafm.army.mil/Twitter: @asafmcLinkedIn: @ASA (FM&C)

How does wearing blue support our Army? Gold Star spouse, Lisa Hallett, started running as a coping mechanism after her husband John was killed in Afghanistan in 2009. Other surviving spouses joined her, wearing their fallen service members’ blue PT shirts during their first runs. The support system they built evolved into Wear Blue: Run to Remember, a nonprofit running community that honors the service and sacrifice of the American military. They run as a living tribute to the fallen, the fighting and the families of the U.S. military. Lisa and her colleague Dave Leach, join us today to discuss the background of the organization, their pivot to virtual races during the pandemic, and how supporters from both military and civilian communities can get involved. Recommendations for future topics are welcome via email at podcast@ausa.org.
 
Guests:
Lisa Hallett, President & Co-Founder, Wear Blue: Run to Remember
Dave Leach, Chief Operations Officer / Director For the Fighting Race, Wear Blue: Run to Remember
 
Host:
Patty Barron, AUSA’s Director of Family Readiness
 
Family Voices, a segment of AUSA’s Army Matters Podcast, aims to connect Army families to speakers and issues that are important to their everyday lives.
 
Resources:
 
Wear Blue: Run to Remember
Web: https://www.wearblueruntoremember.org/
Virtual Summer 2020: https://www.wearblueruntoremember.org/virtual-summer-2020
LinkedIn: @Wear Blue Run To Remember
Facebook: @wearblue
Twitter: @wbr2r
 
Army Ten-Miler
Web: https://www.armytenmiler.com/
Facebook: @ArmyTenMiler
Twitter: @armytenmileratm

Immunizations are key to staying healthy during this unprecedented time, but there are a lot of questions about them. Does my child need immunizations even if school is virtual this Fall? Is it safe to take my child to the doctor during the pandemic? If I social distance and wear a mask, do I still need to get the flu vaccine? Two experts from the Defense Health Agency (DHA), Immunization Healthcare Division, Lt. Col. (Dr.) Ruth Brenner and Ann Morse, MSN, join us today to guide us through common queries, provide immunization resources and describe how the DHA is supporting Operation Warp Speed to provide a coronavirus vaccine to 300M individuals by January 2021. Recommendations for future topics are welcome via email at podcast@ausa.org.
Guests:
Lt. Col. (Dr.) Ruth Brenner, USAF, Deputy Chief, Defense Health Agency, Immunization Healthcare Division
Ann M Morse MSN, APRN, FNP-BC Immunization Healthcare Division, North-Atlantic Regional Vaccine Safety Hub, Naval Medical Center Portsmouth
Host: Patty Barron, AUSA’s Director of Family Readiness
Family Voices, a segment of AUSA’s Army Matters Podcast, aims to connect Army families to speakers and issues that are important to their everyday lives.Resources:
DHA Immunization Healthcare DivisionWorldwide Support Center Line: +1-877-438-8222; Option 1. Licensed providers on call 24/7.Email: dodvaccines@mail.milWeb: https://www.health.mil/vaccinesPaper (PDF): Recommendations for Mass Immunization Events During Pandemic ConditionsFacebook: @DHAImmunizationHealthcareTwitter: @dha_ihb
CDC Vaccines & ImmunizationsWeb: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/
Military Health SystemWeb: https://www.health.mil/Facebook/Twitter: @militaryhealth
Defense Health AgencyWeb: https://www.health.mil/About-MHS/OASDHA/Defense-Health-AgencyFacebook: @DefenseHealthAgencyTwitter: @DoD_DHALinkedIn: @Defense Health Agency

Developing Soldiers as athletes is a top priority. MG(R) Malcolm Frost, former Commanding General, Center for Initial Military Training, TRADOC, joins us today to discuss Army recruiting and training. He explains the background behind the new Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) in the broader context of the Holistic Health and Fitness (H2F) program, and its five pillars: physical fitness, physical readiness, mental readiness, spiritual readiness and performance, nutrition and sleep hygiene. The new ACFT tests 11 components that are good predictors of what Soldiers will need to do to prepare for the rigors of the job. It is geared towards changing the culture of fitness within the Army and at increasing physical readiness, when lack of fitness, health and muscular-skeletal injuries were leading to higher undeployable rates. MG Frost discusses the drawbacks to the old Physical Training (PT) approach, and emphasizes that the ACFT is the first big change we are seeing within the Army as part of the H2F program. He suggests that recruiting Soldiers who are also athletes, or developing athletes, will be an elevated priority moving forward. Army hopefuls might worry about the impact COVID-19 could have on recruitment, but MG Frost reminds us that the ACFT can be trained for at home, without special equipment. Additionally, recruiters have shifted to more online hiring sessions due to the pandemic, so potential recruits can meet them in a virtual environment. In a COVID world, we expect to see continued online interaction and continued H2F rollouts supporting our Soldier Athletes.
Additionally, we welcome our new co-host, LTC Brittany Woods, AUSA’s new U.S. Army Fellow, to her first podcast with us. Recommendations for future topics are welcome via email at podcast@ausa.org.
Guest: MG(R) Malcolm Frost, former Commanding General, Center for Initial Military Training, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC)
Co-Hosts:Nzinga Curry, AUSA’s Director of Education & Programs
LTC Brittany Woods, AUSA’s U.S. Army Fellow
Army Real Talk, a segment of AUSA’s Army Matters Podcast, aims to help AUSA and the Army better connect with the younger generation.
 
Resources:
Center for Initial Military TrainingWeb: https://usacimt.tradoc.army.mil/ACFT Guidance: https://usacimt.tradoc.army.mil/ACFTGuidance.htmlFacebook: @USArmyIMT
 
Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT)Web: https://www.army.mil/acft/
 
Mission ReadinessCouncil for a Strong AmericaWeb: https://www.strongnation.org/missionreadinessFacebook: @missionreadinessTwitter: @mission_ready

What are the DoD’s top priorities in security cooperation and assistance? LTG Charles Hooper, retiring this July from 40 years of service, tells us how the security assistance environment has changed over the past few years, how it fits into the larger U.S. defense strategy, and how the U.S. can effectively compete with China in this area. He also reflects on his time serving at the U.S. Africa Command, and later leading the Office of Defense Cooperation in Egypt before eventually becoming the Director of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) at the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). Recommendations for future topics are welcome via email at podcast@ausa.org.
Guest: Lieutenant General Charles Hooper, Director, Defense Security Cooperation Agency
Host: General (Retired) Carter F. Ham, AUSA’s President & CEO
Resources:
Defense Security Cooperation Agency
Web: https://www.dsca.mil/
LinkedIn: @Defense Security Cooperation Agency

Today’s discussion with SMA Grinston covers a broad range of topics that are on the minds of our Soldiers, our leaders and our listeners.  These topics include: The loss of Army SPC Vanessa Guillen, racial inclusion and diversity in the Army, the impact of “This is My Squad,” an update on COVID-19 protection measures, and the new Army Combat Fitness Test 2 rollout. Recommendations for future topics are welcome via email at podcast@ausa.org.
Guest: Sergeant Major of the Army Michael A. Grinston, 16th Sergeant Major of the Army (SMA)
Host: Sergeant Major of the Army (Retired) Daniel A. Dailey, AUSA’s Vice President for NCO and Soldier Programs
Soldier Today, a segment of AUSA’s Army Matters Podcast, focuses on what is important to Soldiers and NCOs.
 
Resources:
Sergeant Major of the Army
Web: https://www.army.mil/leaders/sma/bio/
Twitter: @16thSMA
 
AUSA’s NCO & Soldier Programs
Web: https://www.ausa.org/programs/nco-and-soldiers
Twitter (Dailey): @15thSMA

How will the new U.S. Space Force (USSF) affect the Army? COL(Ret) Dan Roper, AUSA’s Director of National Security Studies, interviews LTG(Ret) Richard P. Formica about how the Defense Department should determine which space capabilities should be transferred to the USSF and which space-related capabilities should be retained by their respective service.  LTG Formica calls for a disciplined and thorough process and proposes three principles to guide the way forward to the mutual benefit of all services and combatant commands.
 
Recommendations for future topics are welcome via email at podcast@ausa.org.
Guest:  LTG(Ret) Formica, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives, CALIBRE Systems
Host: COL(Ret) Dan Roper, AUSA’s Director of National Security Studies
Resources:
 
AUSA Spotlight: The U.S. Army and the U.S. Space Force
 
United States Space Force (USSF)
Web: https://www.spaceforce.mil/
Facebook: @USSpaceForceDoD
Twitter: @SpaceForceDoD

Everyone’s working hard to get medical measures out there to defeat COVID. What is the Army doing, and how can families stay physically and mentally healthy while we wait for a solution? COL Deydre S. Teyhen, DPT, PhD, OCS, Commander, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR), joins us today for an update on the Army’s vaccine effort, emphasizing safety throughout the development process. She describes how academia, industry and government have all come together to fight COVID-19, and how we will defeat it together as a team and as a community. Since mind and body are so intertwined, COL Teyhen also provides tips for relieving COVID-related stress arising from things like social isolation, too much family togetherness, and dealing with our emotions. Recommendations for future topics are welcome via email at podcast@ausa.org. 
Guest: Colonel Deydre S. Teyhen, Commander, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research
Host: Patty Barron, AUSA’s Director of Family Readiness
Family Voices, a segment of AUSA’s Army Matters Podcast, aims to connect Army families to speakers and issues that are important to their everyday lives.
Resources:
Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR)Website: https://www.wrair.army.mil/Facebook: @WRAIROfficialTwitter: @WRAIR
U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command (MRDC)Website: https://mrdc.amedd.army.mil/Facebook/Twitter: @USAMRDC

Honoring those who served in Operations Desert Storm and Desert Shield, a new memorial in Washington, D.C., is planned for 2021. Authorized by Congress for construction, the memorial will create a meaningful and deeply moving experience for visitors as it educates them about the historical significance and accomplishments of Desert Storm/Desert Shield. Despite its swift and successful completion, the war took the lives of many service people, and this new space, located downtown on the corner of 23rd and Constitution Avenue, will commemorate them.
Two DS/DS veterans join us today to share their enthusiasm about how the new memorial will honor our troops and connect with the American public. Recommendations for future topics are welcome via email at podcast@ausa.org.
Guest: Cee Freeman, Vice President and Deputy Associate Director of Planning & Design Team, National Desert Storm and Desert Shield Memorial Association 
Co-Hosts:Nzinga Curry, AUSA’s Director of Education & Programs
CW3 (Retired) Steve Collins, Branch Chief, Materiel Fielding & Training, U.S. Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM) 
Army Real Talk, a segment of AUSA’s Army Matters Podcast, aims to help AUSA and the Army better connect with the younger generation.
Resources:
National Desert Storm and Desert Shield MemorialWebsite: http://www.ndswm.org/Facebook: @NationalDesertStormWarMemorialTwitter: @DesertStormMeml

Americans have elevated the discussion on race following the killing of Mr. George Floyd, and that includes the U.S. Army. Further discussions and the aftermath have revealed that there are still racial injustices seen in the workplace, organizations, as well as within the military. Thereby, AUSA along with the U.S. Army are having needed, yet uncomfortable, conversations in order to gain a better understanding and allow for voices to be heard. We hope that we can learn and grow from one another.
In this special edition episode, a group of former soldiers join us to discuss their experiences with race in the Army, and also touch on how the Department of Defense and the Army are already responding to diversity and racial concerns. This program follows two AUSA webinar events featuring current and retired Army leaders discussing the same topic. Links are included below.
Recommendations for future topics are welcome via email at podcast@ausa.org.
Guests:LTC Frank Turner, USA Retired 
LTC Ivery Taylor, USA Retired 
MAJ Taunya Ford, USA Retired 
1SG Darrian Gailes, USA Retired 
 Host: Nzinga Curry, AUSA’s Director of Education & Programs
Army Real Talk, a segment of AUSA’s Army Matters Podcast, aims to help AUSA and the Army better connect with the younger generation.
Related AUSA Webinars on YouTube:
 17 June 2020: AUSA Noon Report - An ARMY Discussion on Race (Part 1) with James E. McPherson, Under Secretary of the Army and Gen. Joseph M. Martin, Vice Chief of Staff of the Army
 29 June 2020: AUSA Noon Report – An ARMY Discussion on Race (Part 2) with GEN (R) Dennis Via, GEN (R) Vincent K. Brooks, LTG (R) Nadja Y. West, and CSM (R) James K. Sims