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 The (New?) National Security Strategy
(National Security Watch 10-1, July 2010)
NSW 10-1 compares the 2010 National Security Strategy (NSS) of the United States with previous versions in the context of goals, ways and means. While widely considered a departure from previous iterations, a closer look at the 2010 NSS compared to those of 2002 and 2006 show it to be not that substantively different. Additionally, the 2010 NSS advances a broad agenda that poses unique challenges to the planning and budgeting process; success will be largely dependent on the ability of the United States to organize and provide itself the means to execute.
U.S. Army Unmanned Aircraft Systems: Changing Modern Warfare
(Torchbearer National Security Report, July 2010)
TBNR takes a look at rapidly evolving Army UAS technology and its impact on the need for reliable collection and dissemination of information on the battlefield. From the small hand-launched Raven to the mid-size Shadow to the larger Hunter and Extended Range Multi-Purpose systems and the ground control stations that keep them all in the air and on point, the Army’s “eyes in the sky” have proved to be vital battlefield assets.
Building Resilience: Comprehensive Soldier Fitness
(Torchbearer Issue Paper, April 2010)
TBIP discusses Comprehensive Soldier Fitness (CSF), a holistic fitness program for Soldiers, family members and Army civilians that is designed to enhance performance and build resilience. CSF is taking a deliberate approach to equipping Soldiers with the psychological tools to unlock their potential in this era of sustained operations, teaching thinking skills and coping strategies based on how to think rather than what to think. CSF consists of four program elements--the Global Assessment Tool, Comprehensive Resilience Modules, the Master Resilience Trainer program and Sustainment Resilience Training--that are mandatory for all Soldiers. Family members and Army civilians are also given the opportunity to participate. This holistic approach to fitness seeks to effectively and efficiently ensure the quality of life of those who serve the nation is commensurate with the quality of their service.
Today's Training and Education (Development) Revolution: The Future is Now
by Donald E. Vandergriff (Land Warfare Paper No. 76, April 2010)
LWP 76 discusses the changes the Army is making to its educational system to provide Soldiers with the best tools for success on the battlefield. Today’s highly complex operations have emphasized the importance of quality decisionmaking at junior levels. Even with modern command, control, communications, computer, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C4ISR) capabilities, the noncommissioned officer or junior officer on the ground sometimes has the best situational awareness and thus is likely to make the best decision—but only if he or she is equipped, intellectually and culturally, to properly assess the situation and creatively arrive at the best solution. Adaptability, critical thinking and creativity have become critical skills for modern Soldiers. The Army’s new approach, Outcomes-Based Training & Education (OBT&E), is an educational philosophy that teaches both basic skills and aids the development of leaders, using the Combat Applications Training Course (CATC ) and the Adaptive Leader Methodology (ALM). These new training and education tools will produce the kind of flexible, adaptable Soldiers and leaders the modern battlefield demands.
Strengthening and Sustaining Army Families
(Torchbearer Issue Paper, April 2010)
TBIP discusses the Army's newly-established Child, Adolescent and Family Behavioral Health Proponency (CAF-BHP), which supports and sustains comprehensive and integrated behavioral health care for military children and their families at all Army installations. The goal of the CAF-BHP is not to add to the number of programs that already exist but to capitalize on existing programs and achieve synergy from effective coordination, integration and targeted strengthening of current resources to better sustain Army families.The Army Capstone Concept and Institutional Adaptation
(Landpower Essay No. 10-1, March 2010)
LPE 10-1 is a transcript of remarks made by GEN Martin E. Dempsey, Commanding General, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, during AUSA's Winter Symposium and Exposition in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on 25 February 2010. He discusses the latest revision to the Army Capstone Concept, published in December 2009, that describes the broad capabilities the Army will require between now and 2028 to defend America and help to secure U.S. interests in the world. This Capstone Concept reconsiders, rethinks and challenges previous assumptions now that eight years of war have passed and the Army knows more about the 21st century enemy. GEN Dempsey describes the Army's objectives of decentralization, improved mission command, leader development and improving the Army's training and education system.
The 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review: Refocusing Priorities
(Defense Report 10-2, March 2010)
DR 10-2 discusses the Defense Department's strategy outlined in the 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review Report. The report itself describes the security environment and America's role in the world to provide context for its examination of all the elements of the United States' national defense plans, programs and policies. Four broad objectives are established: to prevail in today's wars; to prevent and deter conflict; to prepare to defeat adversaries and succeed in a wide range of contingencies; and to preserve and enhance the All-Volunteer Force. These top priorities set the direction that defense planning will take for the next four years.
U.S. Army Special Operations Forces: Integral to the Army and the Joint Force
(Torchbearer National Security Report, March 2010)
TBNSR discusses how Army special operations forces, teamed with general purpose forces, achieve strategic effects through tactical- and operational-level excellence on the battlefield and in lesser-known areas around the world. The ability to control and influence people establishes the strategic underpinnings of this nation's security and its land forces. Landpower--lethal, engaging, enduring--remains a keystone in the overarching integration of all elements of national power. The U.S. defense strategy reinforces the principle of balance: in the response to the current conflict while preparing for future ones; in preparing for full-spectrum operations; and between the cultural advantages that have provided security and the cultural changes needed to preserve it. Army special operations forces, a key element of landpower, are an integral part of the Army and the joint force and provide the nation with unique, sophisticated and tailored capabilities.
Army Software Transformation: Delivering Applications to the Warfighter
(Torchbearer Issue Paper, February 2010)
TBIP examines the current environment for software applications and how Army Software Transformation will help the Army's information systems radically decrease the time it takes to deliver relevant applications across the force. The Army's goal is for Soldiers to have a smartphone-like experience wherein applications, services and data are accessible globally without requiring end-user intervention or costly, inefficient and burdensome technical support. Faced with enemies skilled at exploiting cheap, commercially-available communications devices and off-the-shelf electronics, the Army has implemented this new approach to software acquisition and implementation to stay relevant to the challenges posed by the complex global security environment.
The Army Management Enterprise
(Defense Report 10-1, February 2010)
DR 10-1 briefly examines how the Office of Business Transformation (OBT), established in April 2009, will help the Army run its business operations more effectively and efficiently, including business systems architecture, information technology acquisition oversight and business process reengineering. In October 2009, the Under Secretary of the Army was designated as the Army's Chief Management Officer, who will work with the Army Secretary and other pertinent stakeholders to determine the missions, roles, responsibilities and staffing of the OBT. The Army's business transformation is driven by an urgent requirement to align the end-to-end business processes of the generating force, and the capabilities they provide, to the operational needs of an expeditionary and campaign-capable force. |
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