A Tradition of Service
A new name in the new year reinforces the association's mission.
By Col. Warren S. Lacy, USA-Ret.

Welcome to 2003! This year heralds a major change for the association, but more importantly, it marks the continuation of a 74-year tradition of service to the uniformed services community.

The big change, of course, is the association's name. Effective Jan. 1, 2003, we're Military Officers Association of America (MOAA). The magazine is Military Officer, and the Web site is the MOAA Web Base (www.moaa.org). With the new year, we close a multiyear name-change program of research, study, and planning - all with considerable input from the membership. For the next nine months or so, we'll use the phrase "Formerly The Retired Officers Association" in correspondence. Then, if a name recognition survey supports it, we'll drop all further TROA references.

That's the change. Now, I'd like to focus on the continuity. Simply put, the mission hasn't changed. MOAA will hold true to the association's long-held ideals, which include advocating a strong national defense and aiding "active and retired personnel of the various services from which our members are drawn, and their dependents and survivors, in every proper and legitimate manner."

This issue of Military Officer reflects the continuity of our mission to represent and assist uniformed services members. For an overview of MOAA's direction and major challenges, see the chairman's column (page 10). Every January in an expanded "Washington Scene" (page 19), we update you on legislation and list key goals for the upcoming year. This is the heart of the association - and the beat goes on!

Because we're beginning a bright new year, we'd also like to look to the future. In this light, we give you a glimpse of things to come in our feature story "Super Warriors" (page 60). Now, you've all seen the defense industry's presentations of new aircraft, ships, and land vehicles. Pretty impressive, right? But what about the man or woman in the cockpit, on the bridge, in the driver's seat, or on foot? What does modern technology offer today's individual warrior?

As Ned Thomas, director of the Army's Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies, says, "The Army has decided that the soldier has been overlooked. We have designed smart weapons, laser-guided bombs, and aircraft carriers. But ultimately you win wars by putting people on the ground and taking territory. So we're turning our attention to the soldier - not burdening him to death but giving him new capabilities and keeping him light."

To read about how science is coming to the aid of military men and women, check out "Super Warriors." And to help your association support the uniformed services community, stay in touch with Military Officer and the MOAA Web Base.