Our army at war … relevant & ready: moving from the current force to the future force … now!

Soldiers Magazine, Jan, 2004

* To reflect wartime realities

* To incorporate "next generation" capabilities

* To keep Soldiers first

* To develop a Joint and. Expeditionary Mindset

MOVIING FROM THE CURRENT FORCE TO THE FUTURE FORCE ... NOW!

TRAIN AND EQUIP SOLDIERS AND GROW LEADERS

The Soldier--Develop Soldiers with a Warrior Ethos

* Soldiers remain the centerpiece of our thinking, systems and our formations

* It is time to re-emphasize the human intangibles of combat--no Soldier is unimportant on the battlefield.

The Bench--Prepare future generations of senior leaders

* We must develop a bench of future senior leaders who are strategic and innovative at all levels.

* Leaders who are self aware and who operate seamlessly in joint, interagency and multinational environments

CTCs/BCTP--Focus the training (Current Security Context, Joint and Expeditionary)

* CTC's are vital in the development of relevant and ready forces

* The Army's Combat Training Centers (CTCs) will become joint-centric and remain an "engine for change" for the current and future Army.

Leader Development and Education--Train/Educate Army members of the Joint Team

* To remain relevant, the Army's leader development and education system must train, educate and grow leaders that are the centerpiece of a campaign-quality Army with a joint and expeditionary mindset.

* We must develop in our future leaders the right mix of unit experience, training and education to meet the current and future leadership requirements of the Army and Joint Force

Army Aviation--Conduct a holistic review of Army aviation and its role on the joint battlefield

* We will review current doctrine, tactics, and programs to ensure Army aviation remains a critical component of the joint, combined arms air-ground team.

* We must apply lessons learned from the Contemporary Operational Environment (COE) to our training and design of our future aviation forces

TRAIN AND EQUIP

PROVIDE RELEVANT AND READY LAND POWER

Current to Future Force--Accelerate fielding of select Future Force capabilities to enhance the effectiveness of Current Force

* Army transformation is on track; we must continue to transform while in contact

* Changes being made to speed the pace of transforming and bring new capabilities expeditiously to forces in the field

The Network--Leverage/Enable interdependent, network-centric warfare

* We will re-prioritize development of the Network to focus on top-down fielding to the Current Force

* The Army will continue to partner with Joint Forces Command in all aspects of Network development

Modularity--Create modular, capabilities based unit designs

* Modular, capabilities-based Army force designs will enable greater capacity for rapid and tailorable force capability

* Modular, capabilities-based forces will improve strategic responsiveness of the Joint Force for full spectrum operations

Joint and Expeditionary Mindset--Retain our campaign qualities while developing a Joint and Expeditionary Mindset

* A Joint and Expeditionary mindset will focus and prepare the Army for operations in every corner of the globe

* Prompt, sustained and decisive land power complements naval and air power to ensure a synergy that goes beyond the sum of the parts

AC/RC Balance--Redesign the force to optimize the active and reserve component (AC/RC) mix across the defense strategy

* Sustained operations will be the norm for the Army, we must rebalance AC/RC capabilities to this reality.

* We must ensure both Reserve and Active Component forces are modular, tailorable and capable of coming together in a number of force and capabilities designed units.

Force Stabilization--Ensure stability, continuity, and predictability

* We must increase stability for our Soldiers, families, and civilians to provide them with predictability.

* The Army will stabilize Soldiers to a greater extent to support the unit's operational cycle.

Actionable Intelligence--Provide intelligence to commanders with the speed, accuracy and confidence to impact current and future operations

* Instill an Armywide culture and mindset that every Soldier is a collector, in learning, adaptive organizations that leverage inherent intelligence capabilities.

RELEVANT AND READY

ENABLE THE FORCE

Installations as Flagships--Enhance installation ability to project power and support families

* Our installations are communities where the Army lives, works, trains, mobilizes, and deploys.

* Soldiers and families deserve the same quality of life as is afforded the society they are pledged to defend.

Authorities, Responsibilities, and Accountability--Clarify roles and enable agile decision-making

* We will clarify the organizational roles of the various elements of the Army, ensuring that the appropriate amounts of authority are placed commensurate with the responsibilities of those organizations and their commanders, and we will improve accountability for results.

* We will improve the Army's performance reporting systems, linking them to the Strategic Readiness System.

Resource Processes--Redesign resource processes to be flexible, responsive and timely