“America First” does not mean “America Alone.”

This is the first year the Association of the US Army (AUSA) is hosting a conference and exposition outside of the United States. It is promoting collaboration, cooperation, education, and innovation at all levels of the US Army and NATO Europe’s relationship.

In observance of this major milestone and intensified support for NATO Europe, ESD’s Curtis Hand spoke with Brig. Gen. Jack Haley,  AUSA’s Vice President, Membership and Meetings about why this event is critically important now and for NATO’s current and future capabilities and endeavours.

ESD:  What is LANDEURO – is it like AUSA for the NATO Europe Market? And how is it something different?

Brig. Gen. Jack Haley (Haley): LANDEURO is the only place where American and European army leaders, national security professionals and defense industry executives can gather to discuss European-specific issues. With the very real security challenges facing Europe today, adding a meeting that specifically examined those problems just made sense.

AUSA’s Annual Meeting and Exposition in October in Washington, which many people just call “AUSA,” is our largest and signature event, but we also host many other meetings throughout the year. Our schedule includes one-day, single issue symposiums called Hot Topics at our Arlington, Virginia, headquarters throughout the year. Every March, we host the Global Force Symposium and Exposition in Huntsville, Alabama, focusing on logistics and acquisition. In May, we host the LANPAC Symposium and Exposition in Hawaii that focuses on security challenges in the Indo-Pacific.

ESD: Why is LANDEURO significant for Germany – as the host nation – and the rest of NATO Europe?

Haley: The United States, particularly the America defense industry, remains committed to supporting Germany and our European allies and partners through this challenging time. “America First” does not mean “America Alone.” We are stronger together, and the NATO alliance—the most successful military alliance in history—will continue to ensure the peace and stability of Europe and North America for years to come. The U.S. may eventually reduce its presence in Europe, or it may not. We don’t know. So, now more than ever, it’s important for AUSA to do our part to help strengthen the bonds between our militaries at every level, as well as strengthening the relationship of the U.S. defense industry with our European counterparts.

ESD: Who should plan to attend LANDEURO – and why?

Haley: Anyone who works in national security or the military will get something out of attending LANDEURO. We will have robust discussions led by senior officers from across the U.S. and Europe on topics such as lessons learned from Ukraine, how to increase magazine depth in a resource-constrained era, innovation, multidomain operations, and headquarters command-and-control integration. With delegations from at least 30 allies and partners in attendance, LANDEURO is the perfect venue for collaboration, networking and relationship building. All of this, without having to travel to Washington, D.C., makes LANDEURO a must-attend event.

ESD: Which sorts of companies should plan to exhibit at LANDEURO?

Haley: Any company that wants to put their products in front of the leadership of every European army, the U.S. Army, and the largest defense integrators in the world, should consider exhibiting at LANDEURO. The possibilities are endless.

ESD: What are the advantages for European attendees: exhibitors and visitors?

Haley: The best advantage is having a version of the “AUSA experience” without leaving Europe. We know from the success of LANPAC that our partner nations want to attend a collaborative event specific to the challenges in their part of the world, and they’d like to do it in their own backyard. Wiesbaden, with its large U.S. Army presence and central location, is the perfect venue for this event.

ESD:  What is meant by: “Transformation in Contact: Integrating Industry, the U.S. Army, and Allies for Global Deterrence”?

Haley: A year and a half ago, when Gen. Randy George became the U.S. Army chief of staff, he introduced the concept of “Transformation in Contact” to put new and emerging technologies in soldiers’ hands. This allows soldiers and leaders to test and experiment with new equipment and even unit structures to see what works, what doesn’t and what may need some adjustments.

He’s given tremendous flexibility to the brigade commanders involved in this effort to try new ideas, build new formations, buy nonstandard equipment, and “fail fast” while still holding them accountable for being ready to deploy.

Gen. George also wants to see the Army adopt a new method of acquisition that doesn’t tie the service to years-long programs of record. The best drone today will not be the best drone next year, so rather than committing to buying this year’s model for the next five to 10 years, he wants to review the plans every year.

Getting there will take tremendous cooperation with industry and America’s partners. But the result will be robust, modern, lethal ground forces across the NATO alliance that will serve as a successful deterrent to future aggression.

With the recent announcement of an expanded “Army Transformation Initiative,” the principles of Transformation in Contact will now be applied to the wider Army enterprise.

ESD: How does this theme translate into practical terms concerning industrial cooperation, co-development of defense technologies?

Haley: Going back to the idea that “America First” does not mean “America Alone,” any successful transformation effort must involve close cooperation between the United States and its allies and partners, and all of us with industry. The question we hear most often is about interoperability of future systems with the systems used by other nations. Interoperability can only happen if everyone has a hand in developing requirements and evaluating potential solutions. Meetings like LANDEURO are a piece of that puzzle.

ESD: Of the themes being discussed, how will the USA’s overall ground warfare policies / strategies toward its allies in Europe under a Trump presidency be addressed?

Haley: The event isn’t intended to be a forum for debating U.S. foreign policy. The U.S. Army has a job to do, and until the president issues specific orders to the contrary, that job includes deterring an attack on NATO—and should that deterrence fail, winning the war. The U.S. Army has done this successfully since 1949, and we don’t see an end to that mission any time soon.

ESD: May a European-based company or trade association participate in this event?

Haley: Absolutely. The exhibitors already registered are a healthy mix of U.S. companies, European subsidiaries of U.S. companies, and European companies. We can’t be collaborative or interoperable if people are kept out of the room. All are welcome.

ESD: In your opinion, what is the main advantage of LANDEURO for NATO Europe?

Haley: Collaboration is the key to continued success. LANDEURO offers a unique opportunity to gather on the European continent for frank and open discussions in a setting free from other distracting issues. This is a chance for NATO members of all ranks, not just the most senior officers, to discuss their approaches to shared security challenges and share the lessons learned from exercises and operations.

For more information or to register, click here.