Army Aviation

Fair Winds Aloft

President’s Cockpit / By BG Steve Mundt, Ret.: Summer is in full swing but we want to take time to remember those who are deployed and away from those they love.

We hope those who are with their loved ones are out enjoying the weather and some much deserved time off!

It is important to note that AAAA is also in full swing and moving out on a number of fronts. First, I am pleased to announce that the 2018 AAAA Annual Summit has already sold out the majority of the exhibit area with well over $2M in revenue. Yes I said 2018 Summit is well on the way to a sell-out already. We have not seen numbers like this since 2012.

Army Aviation Congressional Caucus co-chairs Representatives Martha Roby, Mo Brooks, Rosa Delauro, and member, Marc Veasey (l to r, front row) and their staffs are updated by top Army Aviation leadership on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017 at the Rayburn Building in Washington, DC. / AAPI PHOTO BY BILL HARRIS

What this means for you is that our programs going forward from chapter level reimbursements, to support of the AAAA Scholarship Foundation, the Army Aviation Museum and others will be solid as we go forward. Keep in mind that even your AAAA dues have not changed since June 1998 for a reason. That reason is the outstanding support of our industry partners at the Annual Summit. Almost 20 years without a dues increase is pretty impressive. I doubt any other organization can make that statement.

Combine that with the four pillars of AAAA; Networking, Recognition, Voice and Support, which actualize our mission statement: Supporting the U.S. Army Aviation Soldier and Family; and what do you get – membership that has stayed very strong and stable indeed over the last few years while many other organizations have suffered significant declines.

Second, we have met with the staffs of the Army Aviation Congressional Caucus members whose events are sponsored by the AAAA to coordinate the next 12 months of meetings beginning in September after the Congressional summer break. We look forward to a dynamic exchange on a number of topics relevant to you from force structure and retention, to special operations and Future Vertical Lift with the Army’s foremost experts on these subjects.

We also met with LTC Kevin Cochie, Ret., last month in DC over our goals and objectives for The Military Coalition (TMC). Kevin is our new representative to the TMC with a great deal of experience on the Hill. It is obviously critical that your needs are expressed to key decision makers in Congress and the Caucus and Kevin are two ways we make that happen.

Last and definitely not least, we met with GEN Scott Wallace, Ret., the new chairman of the AAAA Senior Executive Associates. GEN Wallace has a clear vision for the way ahead for this group of senior influencers who can also get your voice heard at the highest level of our government. These are the volunteer non-aviator four and three star retired generals who are true believers in Army Aviation and have the credibility of being the end users of our capabilities on the battlefield. We could not have better advocates.

So, the bottom line is we are financially healthy with a stable membership and huge opportunities ahead as our Army grows to meet the challenges to our nation over the coming years. Let us know what we can do better so we can continue to earn your trust, loyalty and membership every day.

BG Steve Mundt, Ret.
33rd President, AAAA
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