AC/RC battalion command: a superb opportunity

Infantry Magazine, Summer, 2002 by Kevin J. Dougherty

I am getting toward the end of a two-year tour as commander of the 2nd Battalion (TS) (IN), 393d Regiment at Fort Chaffee, Arkansas, and can say that this has been one of the best assignments in my career. I also think that these Active Component/Reserve Component (AC/RC) battalion commands are among the best-kept secrets in the Army. So this article is designed to provide some information about the job. It's certainly not intended to be a "how I did it" war story--just an effort to share what I think is a really good deal.

Background. The AC/RC program stems from the difficulties experienced during the Persian Gulf War in deploying the Army National Guard's "round-out brigades" and high-priority combat arms units. The old methods and criteria for reporting readiness showed that the units were combat ready, but when the units arrived at their mobilization stations, their readiness reports were viewed with suspicion, and some units were put through an extensive train-up period that included National Training Center rotations. Three of the National Guard's combat brigades--designed to go to war with active Army combat divisions--were mobilized and trained, but were never deployed to the Persian Gulf War. The entire mobilization and train-up process revealed numerous problems with the units' readiness, readiness tracking and reporting, and AC interaction with the RC.

These experiences led Congress to push for a new system of training and evaluating RC units. In 1995, .the Army responded to Congressional legislation by developing the Ground Forces Readiness Enhancement (GFRE) program, which dedicates extensive personnel and material resources to ensure that RC units can adequately train and prepare for deployment. The program directed the realignment of the AC support to the RC with a focus on selected high-priority RC units, principally the 15 Enhanced Separate Brigades (ESBs). The Congressional legislation and subsequent GFRE program resulted in the dedication of 5,000 experienced AC soldiers to train and evaluate RC units. Although AC/RC embraces the Reserve Components as a whole, my experience has been primarily with the National Guard rather than the Army Reserve, and my comments here are based solely on that part of the program.

The program consists of centrally located AC observer controller/trainer (OC/T) battalions such as the one here at Fort Chaffee, and resident trainer battalions made up of AC officers and NCOs who live and work at the armories with selected priority units every day. The OC/T and resident trainer battalions work together as a team in improving RC readiness. I really didn't know the difference between the two when I signed up for the job, but I'm glad I ended up with an OC/T battalion. All my soldiers are with me here at Fort Chaffee, while the resident training battalion is spread out in armories all over the state. I'm sure someone else might tell you the resident trainer battalion is the better assignment, but I like the tactical focus, OC/T emphasis, and command and control environment of the OC/T battalion.

A Chance to Command. Of course most of us would prefer to be centrally selected (CSL) battalion commanders, and an AC/RC battalion is not a "real" battalion command in that sense. However, a limited number of CSL commands are available, and for those of us who are ready to command, these AC/RC battalions are a good opportunity to make a contribution to the Army.

The AC/RC battalion commander has almost all the things his CSL counterpart has--UCMJ authority, a staff, a budget, a mission essential task list (METL), personnel issues--albeit in more manageable and less demanding doses. The AC/RC battalion commander will issue training guidance, develop a training strategy, make decisions at training and command and staff meetings, counsel and mentor younger officers, and reward and punish behavior. Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying an AC/RC battalion command is identical to a CSL battalion command or that the jobs are in all respects equal. All I'm saying is that if you are looking for an alternative to a staff assignment and want the responsibilities and challenges of command, being an AC/RC battalion commander is a viable option.

Autonomy. I am stationed at Fort Chaffee, Arkansas, and my brigade commander is stationed at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. He has responsibility for 13 battalions--infantry, armor, field artillery, engineer, resident trainer, and CSS (which consists of Army Reservists)--spread out over four states. He stays on the road quite a bit in order to maintain a command presence, and of course we keep in touch by phone and e-mail, but the reality of the situation is that the factors of geography and multiple demands make it essential for the brigade commander to trust his battalion commanders and empower them to do their jobs without a lot of supervision. That was a welcome change from my previous assignment as one of the cast of thousands on a joint headquarters staff.

Of course the flip side to being away from the flagpole is that you are isolated from the usual post support structure. Things like personnel actions take longer because of time and distance, and there was some mission degradation involved with not having direct access to the brigade staff and a post support structure. Then again, we didn't have many post taskings either.