Thinking About the 21st Century Security Environment: The Need for a Whole-of-Government Approach
by General Gordon R. Sullivan, USA Ret. (National Security Watch No. 12-1W, January 2012)
NSW 12-1W examines how more interagency involvement in fighting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan might have led to an earlier conclusion and with a more satisfactory outcome for all participants. Perhaps the United States would not have been so slow to learn and adapt, as has been the case in both wars. More interagency involvement might also have encouraged a civil–military discourse at the strategic level that would have produced more reasonable U.S. strategic objectives, thus avoiding the second- and third-order difficulties in execution and in communication to the American people that we have witnessed. The paper also discusses how, operationally, the inadequate interagency effort made the stability, support and counterinsurgency operations much less effective than they could have been.
AUSA + 1st Session, 112th Congress = Some Good News
(Special Report, January 2012)
Briefly describes the major objectives AUSA supported in the first session of Congress and what actions were taken for each. In passing the 2011 Budget Control Act, Congress acknowledged the national budget shortfalls while also attempting to maintain the military’s readiness in uncertain times and an ongoing war in Afghanistan. This publication examines the112th Congress’s successes and failures in authorizing some important proposals supported by AUSA.
U.S. Army North/Fifth Army: Building Relationships for a Secure Homeland
(Torchbearer Issue Paper, December 2011)
TBIP examines how U.S. Army North (ARNORTH) is improving the enduring military-to-military relationships with border nations, growing the relationship with the reserve component—especially the National Guard—and strengthening the military-to-civilian relationships with federal, state and local authorities; together these relationships form the foundation of a deep and credible protection of the homeland.
The U.S. Army in Europe: A Pillar of America’s Defense Strategy
(Torchbearer Issue Paper, December 2011)
TBIP examines USAREUR as a strategic force that provides capability and options to the nation in support of its global role while supporting the directives to prevail, prevent, prepare and preserve. The paper posits that as one of the premier instruments for rapid, multinational power projection, U.S. Army Europe must be maintained at an effective level. As the land component for U.S. European Command, USAREUR directly affects the United States’ ability to execute national strategic imperatives and appropriately share the burden of collective security.
Military Retiree Health Care Faces a Triple Whammy
(Torchbearer Issue Paper, November 2011)
TBIP discusses the ways in which health care benefits for military retirees are rapidly shrinking. The aggregate impact has begun to yield serious consequences for military retirees at stages of their lives when they have little financial flexibility. Although no single legislative action or major proposal has placed an unbearable health care burden on the military retiree, the cumulative effect of numerous small-cost increases approaches such a burden. This issue paper examines how the nation can afford to keep its critical all-volunteer force and pay for the benefits owed to the select few who earn them. Ultimately, the paper posits that the nation’s debt crisis cannot and should not be alleviated on the backs of those few who answer duty’s call.
Unleashing Unlimited Potential: The Army Warrior Care and Transition Program in 2011
(Defense Report No. 11-4, October 2011)
DR 11-4 examines how the Warrior Transition Command (WTC), which oversees the Army’s Warrior Care and Transition Program (WCTP), has made impressive progress in automation, documentation and training programs for medical, rehabilitation, patient care, ministry and other professionals who work with each Soldier and family to put together a step-by-step, comprehensive plan for recovery and preparation for the future. Also implemented over the past year is the Army Warrior Care Tracking System (AWCTS), which provides improved capabilities to track each Soldier’s progress every step of the way. Over the past year WTC has addressed all 56 recommendations made by a November 2010 Department of the Army Inspector General (IG) report on the WCTP. This Defense Report discusses the implementation of some of the best practices that resulted from these recommendations.
The U.S. Army Squad: Foundation of the Decisive Force
(Torchbearer National Security Report, October 2011)
TBNSR discusses future equipping strategies that must make the squad as competitive for resources as major weapon and vehicle programs. To facilitate resourcing the squad as the foundation of the decisive force, the Army is taking a bottom-up approach to codifying requirements and capabilities needed to dominate the current and future fights. The Army is working to improve the following key capability areas: training, leader development, the network, mobility, power and energy, the human dimension, lethality and force protection. In examining each of these areas, the report examines the plans the Army must develop and implement to fully empower its squads for success.
A Case for Human Dimension Training: Decision Science and Its Potential for Improved Soldier Resilience and Decisionmaking at Every Level
by Kevin M. Felix (Land Warfare Paper 85, October 2011)
LWP 85 examines decision science, a field that explores the interconnected influences of emotion, neuroscience and psychology in shaping human judgments. The Soldier as teammate, team leader, decisionmaker, member of a household and individual can benefit from current and future decision science research. It can start a positive chain reaction of better-informed decisions for the Soldier at home and on the battlefield. The author argues that creating a cadre of “decision engineers” has the potential to bridge existing gaps between science and military application and to push decision science further, by looking for continuous applications within the domain of the Soldier as individual and as leader/decisionmaker. The basic result of this research—greater emotional self-awareness for Soldiers—can come about through the growth, understanding and application of decision science.
Fiscal Year 2012 Army Budget: An Analysis
(Special Report, September 2011)
Fiscal Year 2012 Army Budget: An Analysis details the resources required for the Army to accomplish its missions today and tomorrow. It examines the Army’s proposed budget in the context of the federal and Department of Defense budgets and breaks down requests according to funding authority and programs, from Soldiers’ pay to research and development. It explains budget terminology and procedures, including the supplemental funding process that is necessary for the Army to sustain the current level of operations and provide for Soldiers.
Network Integration Evaluations: Developing Technologies with the Army’s Industry Partners
(Defense Report No. 11-3, September 2011)
DR 11-3 examines how Network Integration Evaluations (NIEs) represent a new way of doing business for the Army; the NIE series is designed to evaluate and integrate emerging technologies before they are sent downrange. The first NIE is resulting in numerous key lessons learned regarding networking technologies. Future NIEs, currently in the planning stages, will accommodate these changes and work to establish a network baseline. Networking the individual dismounted Soldier so as to ensure improved battlefield awareness is a key element of the ongoing NIE process.
U.S. Army Pacific Contingency Command Post: A Theater-Army Expeditionary Capability
(Torchbearer Issue Paper, September 2011)
TBIP discusses how the theater-army contingency command post (CCP) provides the commanding general of U.S. Army Pacific (USARPAC) with a small, rapidly deployable cell that brings prompt command, control and liaison capability to U.S. and allied forces in the region. It will increase the response options for combatant commanders and decrease response times for regional contingencies. As the U.S. national strategy elevates the importance of assistance and response, the CCP’s flexible mission capability, small size and ease of deployment will prove invaluable. The opportunities to expand operations and partnerships in historically economy-of-force theaters, even if they start small, must be pursued to give the United States the global relationships required for strategic flexibility. Ultimately the question is not whether the contingency command post will be useful but whether one per theater will be enough.
U.S. Army Retirees: Retired Pay and Health Care at Risk
(Torchbearer Alert, September 2011)
Examines current and potential legislation that may threaten military retiree pay and health care. It gives an overview of the current legislation and future possibilities, calling for readers to voice their support for the full value of military retirement and health care earned benefits (deferred compensation) and ask their Members of Congress to protect the interests of those who have served.
U.S. Army Training for Unified Land Operations
(Torchbearer National Security Report, September 2011)
TBNSR recognizes that the current Army doctrine of FSO is evolving toward the concept of unified land operations. Unified land operations—seizing, retaining and exploiting the initiative to gain and maintain a position of relative advantage in sustained land operations to create the conditions for favorable conflict termination—are executed through FSO by means of the core competencies of combined-arms maneuver (CAM) and wide-area security (WAS) and guided throughout by Mission Command. As the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq progress toward conclusion, the Army is returning to its focus on the core competencies of CAM and WAS. By restoring a set of skills and disciplines atrophied by a decade of theater-specific training, the Army is restoring balance to its capabilities and will be better prepared for its worldwide, expeditionary mission.
Laying the Groundwork for the Army of 2020
(Landpower Essay 11-2, August 2011)
LPE 11-2 comprises the remarks of General Robert W. Cone, Commanding General, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), at AUSA’s Combined Arms Maneuver Symposium and Exposition in Kansas City, Missouri, on 26 July 2011. General Cone describes the Army Concept Framework—a series of seminal ideas published by TRADOC to define capabilities for 2020—which consists of the Army Capstone Concept, the Army Operating Concept and the six warfighting functional concepts. He outlines a vision for the future force—the Army of 2020—and discusses how the core competencies of combined-arms maneuver and wide-area security play a vital role in creating the ability to conduct future unified land operations.
One Step Forward, Two Steps Back: Mission Command versus the Army Personnel System
by Donald E. Vandergriff (Land Warfare Paper 84, August 2011)
LWP 84 examines how Mission Command would operate in contrast to the environment the U.S. Army has known since the Industrial Age. According to the author, Mission Command would inevitably see a reduction in undue competition between officers and noncommissioned officers; with this shift, trust and flexibility would become more widespread throughout the institution. This paper addresses the cultural ramifications that make the U.S. Army personnel system perfectly suited to support Mission Command because its members are managed as professionals. In his support of Mission Command, the author poses many questions that must be addressed in order to develop a feasible and efficient personnel system to support the U.S. Army in the 21st century.
The Professional Military Ethic and Political Dissent: Has the Line Moved?
by Eric A. Hollister (Land Warfare Paper 83, August 2011)
LWP 83 discusses how the military–political line has moved since the United States won its independence. Legislation intended to keep the country’s military leaders and servicemembers out of political debates and decisionmaking has often proved insufficiently specific, opening statutes and regulations to a wide variety of interpretations. The author attests that legislation is not the primary issue in determining the military–political boundary. Rather, the country’s military and political leaders need to reassess how this line should be drawn when considered alongside the current operational environment, generational shifts and technological innovations.
First with the Truth: Synchronized Communications in the Counterinsurgency Fight
by Richard D. Hooker, Jr. (Landpower Essay No. 11-1, August 2011)
LPE 11-1 examines how Combined Joint Task Force (CJTF) 82’s experience in Operation Enduring Freedom suggests a way ahead for mastering the information domain in counterinsurgency. The 82d Airborne Division’s 2009–2010 rotation as the core headquarters for CJTF82 and Regional Command(East)—RC(E)—in Afghanistan marked an innovative break with the past in evolving counterinsurgency (COIN) doctrine and practice. In the critical area of synchronized communications, CJTF82 implemented new approaches at the CJTF level. Both structural and conceptual, these changes marked a clear departure from past practices, refined existing procedures and suggested new doctrinal concepts and approaches.
Resetting Reserve Component Units: Taking Care of Soldiers and Families
(Torchbearer National Security Report, July 2011)
TBNSR examines how the unprecedented pace of repeated RC deployments has made resetting the force—returning units, Soldiers and families to the level of readiness necessary for future missions—a formidable challenge. During reset, these Soldiers need to assimilate back into their local communities by reuniting with family, having timely and predictable access to health care-related resources, engaging successfully with the civilian workforce and pursuing educational opportunities. Both the Army National Guard and the Army Reserve have instituted a variety of programs and initiatives during the past ten years to ameliorate these challenges and take care of Soldiers and their families; these efforts have made the RC’s contributions much more sustainable and have greatly facilitated the Army’s retention of the invaluable experience found today within its ranks.
What Drives Pakistan’s Interest in Afghanistan?
by LTC Christopher L. Budihas (Land Warfare Paper 82, April 2011)
LWP 82 examines the current regional dynamics that explain how national security drives Pakistan’s ultimate interest in controlling Afghanistan. To preserve national unity, Pakistan must use Afghanistan to guard against internal militant groups as well as its aggressive Indian neighbor. Stable national security is also necessary for Pakistan to achieve the economic growth necessary to achieve global leadership within the international community. The author also provides recommendations for future U.S. strategies and finds that failure to understand the complexities analyzed in this article could lead to a failed NATO strategy in Afghanistan and a debunked U.S.–Pakistani–Afghan partnership. With Pakistan’s security, politics and economy inextricably linked with Afghanistan, the relationship between these two countries must be recognized by regional and international policymakers.
Equipping the Reserve Component for Mission Success at Home and Abroad
(Defense Report No. 11-2, June 2011)
DR 11-2 examines how the Army plans to evaluate and implement recommendations from the Independent Panel Review of Reserve Component Employment in an Era of Persistent Conflict study commissioned by the Secretary of the Army and the Chief of Staff, Army in May 2010. Operations Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom and New Dawn triggered a paradigm shift that transitioned the RC from a strategic reserve to an operational reserve. However, despite the cooperation on the battlefield, changing conditions and preexisting equipment shortages present new issues concerning equipment transfers and automation systems. This Defense Report discusses what steps the Army has taken, with great success, in efforts to develop transparent equipment processes and to better equip Soldiers—both in the RC and AC—who are going into harm’s way with the most capable systems possible.
The 2011 National Military Strategy: Resetting a Strong Foundation by Nicholas R. Krueger
(National Security Watch 11-2, 2 May 2011)
NSW 11-2 examines how the international security environment has changed since the previous National Military Strategy was produced in 2004 and how these changes have shaped the 2011 National Military Strategy. The NMS serves two main purposes: to assess the global security situation and some emerging forces likely to mold it in the future, and to identify a set of discrete national military objectives that define the main missions to be undertaken by the armed forces. The 2011 NMS discusses challenges presented by ten years of continuous combat operations, the longest span in our country’s history. During this time, America’s adversaries have been innovative: state actors have been arming, nonstate actors have been subverting and the nexus of state and nonstate actors has become even more threatening. The new NMS incorporates these recent developments and aims to supply the armed forces with strategic direction for the future.
U.S. Army Energy Security and Sustainability: Vital to National Defense
(Torchbearer National Security Report, April 2011)
TBNSR examines the Army's growing challenges to its energy supply at home and abroad. It is essential that the Army take significant steps today to protect reliable access to energy, water and other natural resources to preserve strategic choice and operational flexibility into the future. The Army is addressing the ideas of sustainability and energy security through the development of a forcewide energy doctrine and operating principles. In particular, the sustainability principle seeks to instill Army-wide change in both culture and practice with regard to energy consumption and generation. Technological investments and developments, operational training, education and facilities management are all critical aspects of instilling a mindset of conservation, efficiency and sustainability. This total institutional change is driving the Army's movement toward the concept of Net Zero.
Win, Learn, Focus, Adapt, Win Again by General Martin E. Dempsey
(Special Report, March 2011)
This compilation of writings by General Martin E. Dempsey—six articles published in ARMY magazine from October 2010 to March 2011, plus the speech he delivered at AUSA’s 2011 Winter Symposium in February—captures the mutual focus of General Dempsey and General George W. Casey on what our Army must do to shape itself for the future. These articles are based around an ongoing dialog, which also included other senior Army leaders, that has been focused on charting the Army’s direction when, after years of combat, it again transitions as a trained and ready force into another uncertain future such as we faced after the Gulf War. There is recognition that our Army is always a force in transition, that it will expand and contract, train and deploy, and perpetually modify its Tables of Organization and Equipment.
The Enduring Need for an Effective U.S. Landpower Presence in Europe
(National Security Watch 11-1, 14 February 2011)
NSW 11-1 examines U.S. landpower in Europe and its importance to preserving strategic flexibility and regional stability while preserving the legitimacy and efficacy of multinational coalition operations around the globe. U.S. global power in the modern era rests on a set of enduring strategic principles that remain constant in a shifting political landscape. Collective defense, ally reassurance, crisis response, partner building and freedom of action are fundamental pillars to U.S. strategic stability. U.S. landpower in Europe has been the embodiment of those principles for the last half century, clearly demonstrating the nation’s commitment and strategic intent to international peace and stability. Recent discussions about budgets, burden-sharing and force retrenchments have cast an ominous shadow over U.S. landpower in Europe, despite its significant current and future value in support of U.S. strategic interests around the globe.
The French-British Defense Treaty: Setting History Aside?
(Defense Report 11-1, January 2011)
DR 11-1 examines the “Declaration on Defence and Security Co-operation,” a defense treaty signed by France and Britain on 2 November 2010. This Defense Report looks at how the treaty may pave the way to a new level of cooperation, surpassing anything previously achieved between the two countries on a bilateral basis. France and Britain are well matched to cooperate on defense as equal partners, given the similarities in national objectives and capabilities. This report discusses how the steps put forth in the treaty will rely on commonality of policy and objectives.
U.S. Army Aviation and Full-Spectrum Operations
(Torchbearer National Security Report, December 2010)
TBNSR examines the ways in which the Army has conducted several expansive self-assessments over the last decade to ensure it is configured, manned and equipped to meet the nation’s warfighting needs. The Army has embraced the transformative model that strives to dominate the current fight while preparing for the future by capitalizing on a deliberate and effective reinvestment strategy. This modernization strategy, including missile-warning systems and countermeasures, improved performance engines and upgraded sensors and monitors, will provide greater situational awareness and capability for aviation warfighters on future battlefields. The demands of current battlespaces have placed Army aviation at the forefront of these operations.
The Army National Guard’s Path to Greater Resilience
(Torchbearer Issue Paper, December 2010)
TBIP examines the Army National Guard’s response to the toll that multiple deployments and two long and ongoing wars have taken. Army leaders are continuously seeking methods and establishing programs to further support Soldiers and their families. With this in mind, several states have developed comprehensive social support and mental health initiatives. These programs emerged out of a need to deepen Soldier resilience and were prioritized by Army National Guard senior leadership. More steps to build resilience within the Army National Guard will continue across the 50 states, three territories and the District of Columbia, all sharing the challenge of finding unique solutions to recurring problems such as post-traumatic stress and suicide among Soldiers.
Army Strong Community Centers: Serving Army Families
(Torchbearer Issue Paper, October 2010)
TBIP looks at how repeated deployment of Army Reserve Soldiers over the past years has required differing approaches to supporting geographically dispersed families. To ensure that these families are able to access Army services despite living a distance from the nearest installation, Army Strong Community Centers (ASCCs) have been opened to bridge the gap between distance and accessibility to information. The positive, tangible results garnered from the first three ASCCs have demonstrated the need for such facilities.
New Educational Opportunities for Soldiers and Families
(Torchbearer Issue Paper, October 2010)
TBIP takes a look at Tutor.com, with which the Department of Defense has contracted to connect servicemembers and families seeking educational and professional guidance to certified, professional tutors or career specialists for one-on-one assistance whenever they need it. With approximately 2 million military children having experienced a parental deployment since 2001, the support provided by Tutor.com helps to relieve the concerns and stress on families during parental deployment.
Assembly Line to Custom Design: Reforming the Officer Development System by Maj. Kent W. Park
(Land Warfare Paper No. 81, October 2010)
LWP 81 discusses a whole-of-government approach to address future security threats. This approach calls for government agencies to leverage civilian expertise to provide integrated “soft-power” solutions to complement proven “hard-power” options. The paper examines how the U.S. government’s plan to combine these two approaches into an effective strategy (“smart power”) also necessitates an understanding that the development of junior officers is the most effective way to shape organizational culture. According to the author, this bottom-up approach requires a long-term perspective but will ultimately create the most durable cultural change.
Leveraging Science in the Manoeuvrist Approach to Counterinsurgency Operations by Ernest Y. Wong (Land Warfare Paper No. 80, October 2010)
LWP 80 examines how military planners can utilize modern scientific principles to improve understanding of insurgencies and leverage what is learned into even better counterinsurgency (COIN) doctrine. In particular, the author addresses what we can discern from Disruptive Change, Complexity Theory and Markov Chains to help in formulating winning COIN strategies that will prevail in the 21st century. The paper discusses how the Manoeuvrist Approach, which British military doctrine defines as a focus on shattering an enemy’s will to fight through skillful identification of the enemy’s vulnerabilities, is instrumental to analyzing the insurgent fight.
A Shot in the Dark: The Futility of Long-Range Modernization Planning by LTC Eric A. Hollister
(Land Warfare Paper 79, October 2010)
LWP 79 shows why the utility of long-range future modernization planning should be revisited in this era of persistent conflict. According to the author, the complexities of the environments for which the Army is required to plan makes predicting the future—and being prepared for the next war—impossible. The author examines changes that occurred during the post-Vietnam era, includes a review of past Army futures studies and discusses the Army’s most recent attempt at modernization, the Future Combat Systems program. The paper uses the National Security Strategy, the Quadrennial Defense Review and the Army Modernization Strategy to suggest a framework for future modernization and a less risky method for long-range futures studies.
Fiscal Year 2011 Army Budget: An Analysis
(Special Report, October 2010)
Fiscal Year 2011 Army Budget: An Analysis details the resources required for the Army to accomplish its missions today and tomorrow. It examines the Army’s proposed budget in the context of the federal and Department of Defense budgets and breaks down requests according to funding authority and programs, from Soldiers’ pay to research and development. It explains budget terminology and procedures, including the supplemental funding process that is necessary for the Army to sustain the current level of operations and provide for Soldiers.
Capability Portfolio Reviews
(Defense Report 10-3, September 2010)
DR 10-3 takes a look at the Capability Portfolio Review (CPR), a new tool created to evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of the whole range of Army programs, both material and non-material. While not designed to cut or save a certain dollar amount, the CPR is supposed to reveal potential savings by validating the link between requirements and capabilities. Two of 11 total CPRs have concluded, with the remainder scheduled to proceed over the next five years, ensuring that the warfighter receives the maximum capability and the taxpayer derives maximum value.
Looking Forward: People First by Gregory Motes
(Landpower Essay No. 10-2, September 2010)
LPE 10-2 examines the future operating environment of the U.S. Army in a world increasingly dependent on new technology. The author discusses the importance of educating and training Soldiers and leaders while developing new devices, systems and data networks. The author proposes that a balance between knowledge about technology and knowledge derived from contextual training or introspection will best ready the U.S. Army for future demands and challenges.
Grey Eminence: Fox Conner and the Art of Mentorship by Major Edward Cox
(Land Warfare Paper No. 78W, September 2010)
LWP 78W combines existing scholarship with long-forgotten references and unpublished original sources to achieve a comprehensive picture of Fox Conner, a dedicated public servant whose life and service to the Army and the nation are revealed primarily through passing references in the memoirs of other great men. Conner’s influence helped to shape the careers of George Patton, George Marshall and, most notably, President Dwight D. Eisenhower. The portrait that emerges here also provides a four-step model for developing strategic leaders that still holds true today.
New NATO Member States: The Benefits and Drawbacks of Enlargement by Christine Le Jeune
(Land Warfare Paper No. 77, September 2010)
LWP 77 addresses the question of NATO’s relevance by examining the results of its geographical expansion. Regardless of the conclusions reached in NATO’s 2010 Strategic Concept, the fact remains that the alliance is only as strong as its member states. A fundamental question over the past years has been whether or not NATO expanded too quickly to include members not able to effectively contribute to the collective security capabilities necessary for it to remain a credible defensive alliance. The paper examines this question by taking a closer look at the defense transformation of Slovenia and Bulgaria, two Southeast European states both admitted during the 2004 round of expansion.
Consequence Management: Steps in the Right Direction? by Christine Le Jeune
(National Security Watch 10-2, 8 September 2010)
NSW 10-2 takes a look at the need to build capacity to respond to major national incidents—natural disasters, terrorism, large-scale cyber attacks, pandemics and other potential threats—and the collaborative efforts of federal, state and local governments, communities and public/private partnerships that are necessary to achieve that goal.
The (New?) National Security Strategy
(National Security Watch 10-1, 20 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.