AUSA’s Army Matters Podcast

Our Community Salutes celebrates high school enlistees and their commitment to military service. Dr. Ken Hartman describes how his non-profit helps communities recognize, honor and support high school seniors who plan to enlist in the U.S. Armed Services after graduation. In other community news, the Military Basketball Association (MBA) announces their 3-day Finals tournament will be held 8-10 May at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, CO. The MBA was featured on our 9 December 2019 podcast episode. Recommendations for future topics are welcome via email at podcast@ausa.org.
Guest: Dr. Ken Hartman, Founder and President, Our Community Salutes
Co-hosts: Nzinga Curry, AUSA’s Director of Education & Programs, and LTC Eugene Irby, AUSA’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:
Our Community Salutes
Web: https://www.ourcommunitysalutes.org/
Facebook: @OurCommunitySalutes
Twitter: @drkenhartman  #OurCommunitySalutes
 
Military Basketball Association (MBA)
Web: https://www.facebook.com/militarybasketballassociation
Facebook: @militarybasketballassociation
The MBA was featured on Army Real Talk episode 9 December 2019: Empowerment – Outlets for Coping with TBI, PTSD, Injuries, etc.

How might changes to the Military Health System affect you and your family? How can we be smart, not fearful, about the coronavirus? LTG Ronald Place, the DoD’s senior military medical leader, updates us on maintaining access to high quality care while transitioning retirees and family members to the TRICARE network, and also provides an update on keeping the force healthy as the coronavirus comes to the United States. Recommendations for future topics are welcome via email at podcast@ausa.org.
 
Guest: LTG Ronald J. Place, Director, Defense Health Agency
 
Co-Hosts: Patty Barron, AUSA’s Director of Family Readiness & Mark Haaland, AUSA’s Director of Government Affairs
 
Resources:
The Military Health System and the Defense Health Agency
Web: https://www.health.mil/About-MHS/OASDHA/Defense-Health-Agency
Twitter: @militaryhealth @DoD_DHA @TRICARE
Facebook @militaryhealth @DefenseHealthAgency @TRICARE
Instagram: @militaryhealth
 
Nurse Advice Line – 24/7 health care support for TRICARE beneficiaries
https://www.mhsnurseadviceline.com/home

Why do we need Army Futures Command (AFC)? CSM Michael Crosby, the top non-commissioned officer (NCO) at AFC, describes it as the bellybutton of the Army acquisition process with a special emphasis on Soldier Centered Design.
 
Guest: Command Sergeant Major Michael A. Crosby, Command Sergeant Major, Army Futures Command
 
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. Recommendations for future topics are welcome via email at podcast@ausa.org.
 
Resources:
Army Futures Command
Web: https://www.army.mil/futures  
Facebook/Twitter: @ArmyFutures
 
AUSA’s NCO & Soldier Programs website: https://www.ausa.org/programs/nco-and-soldiers
Twitter (Dailey): @15thSMA

Equipping Soldiers with AI doesn’t mean computers are in charge. BG Matt Easley, Director of the U.S. Army Artificial Intelligence Task Force, explains the military implications of AI and how the Army is organized to leverage the opportunities that it presents. He explains AI’s integral role supporting the Army’s top priorities including Modernization, Multi-Domain Operations, and Talent Management. He also addresses the tight linkage between the Army’s AI Strategy and the Army’s Data and Cloud Migration Strategies as well as the ethical implications of integrating AI into modern warfare. Recommendations for future topics are welcome via email at podcast@ausa.org.
 
Guest: BG Matt Easley, Director of the Artificial Intelligence Task Force, Army Futures Command
 
Host: COL(R) Dan Roper, AUSA’s Director of National Security Studies
 
Resources:
Army Futures Command
Web: https://www.army.mil/futures
Facebook/Twitter: @ArmyFutures
 
U.S. Army Artificial Intelligence Task Force
Web: https://armyfuturescommand.com/aitf/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/us-army-artificial-intelligence-task-force/
Twitter: @army_aitf

The threat environment is more complex than ever. Find out how the Army’s fiscal year 2021 budget request addresses this new atmosphere directly from LTG Thomas Horlander, the Army’s senior financial management officer. Recommendations for future topics are welcome via email at podcast@ausa.org.
 
Guest: LTG Thomas A. Horlander, Military Deputy, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Financial Management & Comptroller)
 
Host: Mark Haaland, AUSA’s Director of Government Affairs
 
Resources:
Army Financial Management and Comptroller
Web: https://www.asafm.army.mil/
Twitter: @asafmc

Military spouses learn quickly that the road to professional credentials and employment is never a straight line. Today we speak to Dr. Belinda Hernandez and learn about the many sacrifices made on her journey towards her PhD. In addition, Dr. Hernandez shares insights from preliminary findings on a study she is conducting for the Elizabeth Dole Foundation which examines the impact on children that live in a home where a caregiver parent cares for a wounded, ill, or injured servicemember. Recommendations for future topics are welcome via email at podcast@ausa.org.
 
Guest: Dr. Belinda Hernandez, Assistant Professor, Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth)
 
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:
 
Dr. Belinda Hernandez, UTHealth
Email: UTMCHS@uth.tmc.edu
Twitter: @DrBelHernandez
 
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) School of Public Health
Facebook/Twitter/Instagram: @UTexasSPH
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/school/ut-school-of-public-health
Web: https://sph.uth.edu/
 
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth)
Facebook/Instagram: @MyUTHealth
Twitter: @UTHealth
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/uthouston/
Web: https://www.uth.edu/

Co-hosts Nzinga Curry, AUSA’s Director of Education & Programs, and LTC Eugene Irby, AUSA’s Army Fellow, interview individuals representing the Total Army to highlight the array of different positions and people that make up our Total Force. This includes representatives from the Active and Reserve Components, National Guard, Department of the Army (DA) Civilians and Family Members.
 
Active Component: LTC Eugene Irby, U.S. Army Fellow, Association of the United States Army
DA Civilian/National Guard: Ms. Erin Thede, CSA Senior Fellow, Institute for Defense Analyses; served in a civilian capacity with the Army National Guard (former U.S. Marine)
Reserve Component: CSM Robert “Todd” Priest, (former U.S. Marine) later enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve
Family Member: Mrs. Josie Beets, Army spouse & lawyer
 
Army Real Talk, a segment of AUSA’s Army Matters Podcast, aims to help AUSA and the Army better connect with the younger generation. Recommendations for future topics are welcome via email at podcast@ausa.org.
 
Resources:
U.S. Army Civilian Expeditionary Workforce
Call: 1-83-DEPLOY-ME (1-833-375-6963)
 
CSM Robert Priest
Facebook: @CSMPriest @108thTrainingCommand @95thTrainingDivision @98thTrainingDivision @104thDivision @108thDSRecruiting
Instagram: @108_tc @98th_Training_Division
 
Mrs. Josie Beets
Website: missionlicense.com
Twitter: @JosieBeets @MissionLicense
Facebook: @missionlicense

Sergeant Major of the Army Michael A. Grinston discusses hot topics with host Sergeant Major of the Army (Retired) Daniel A. Dailey, AUSA’s Vice President for NCO and Soldier Programs. They cover the “This is My Squad” initiative, quality of life in the barracks, encouraging Soldiers to take the ACFT and the rollout of the new Army Greens uniform.
 
Soldier Today, a segment of AUSA’s Army Matters Podcast, focuses on what is important to Soldiers and NCOs. Recommendations for future topics are welcome via email at podcast@ausa.org.
 
Resources:
Sergeant Major of the Army: https://www.army.mil/leaders/sma/
Twitter (Grinston): @16thSMA
 
AUSA’s NCO & Soldier Programs website: https://www.ausa.org/programs/nco-and-soldiers
Twitter (Dailey): @15thSMA

Host Joe Craig, Director of AUSA’s Book Program, speaks with authors James McLeroy and Gregory Sanders about their book Bait: The Battle of Kham Duc. The authors combine their experience as Vietnam veterans with their work as military historians to provide a personal perspective to one of the least known and most misunderstood battles of the Vietnam conflict. As part of the Mini-Tet of May 1968, two regiments of the North Vietnamese Army attacked the US Army Special Forces camp at Kham Duc near the Laos border. The NVA were looking for a major propaganda coup on the eve of the Paris peace talks, but instead they suffered massive casualties.
 
Web: https://www.armyupress.army.mil/Journals/Military-Review/MR-Book-Reviews/July-2019/Book-Review-004/
 
Thought Leaders, a segment of AUSA’s Army Matters Podcast, brings in-depth conversations with authors of military books and senior leaders. Recommendations for future topics are welcome via email at podcast@ausa.org.

Lieutenant General (Retired) Raymond V. Mason, Director of Army Emergency Relief (AER) joins AUSA hosts Patty Barron, Director, Family Readiness, and Nzinga Curry, Director, Education & Programs, to discuss AER programs. Since 1942, AER has distributed $2 billion to nearly three million Soldiers and their families. The organization is helping improve readiness within the Army by making sure Soldiers' families are taken care of financially, and today LTG(R) Mason announces a new category of assistance which will help active duty soldiers, retired soldiers, and spouses with child care costs. In 2017, LTG(R) Mason became the ninth director at AER, following a 35-year career in the United States Army and a subsequent position as the Chief Operating Officer of VT Systems in Alexandria, VA.
 
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. Recommendations for future topics are welcome via email at podcast@ausa.org.
 
Resources:
Army Emergency Relief: https://www.aerhq.org/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/aerhq
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AERHQ/
@AERHQ