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.
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.
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.
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.
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.