POSITION PAPER
ON
DOES THE TOTAL FORCE CONCEPT WORK
1. The positive outcomes of having a total force far outweigh the negative impacts. This paper will talk about the effectiveness and efficiency of the total force, the overuse of the reserve component and its effects on members of the force, and how civilian trained reserve personnel add diversity and a well-rounded force.
2. During a deployment it is not unusual to see active duty, guardsman and reservists working together.1 Nonetheless, reserve components maintain and provide 65 percent of tactical airlift, 60 percent of aerial refueling, and 38 percent of its fighter aviation assets.2 According to Air Force Magazine, “Officials say the integration of active duty, Air National Guard, and Air Force Reserve Command forces made possible Operations Noble Eagle, Enduring Freedom, and Iraqi Freedom.”3 Being effective in the air when it counts is one thing, but doing it while saving money is another. Engaged reserve forces comprise 39 percent of the military end strength but only use 9 percent of the department’s budget.4 This money could be used for readiness, modernization, and recapitalization
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Reserve components having such a high deployment tempo and being repetitively mobilized can have a negative impact.6 Overuse of our reserve component has caused thoughts of separation due to those strenuous deployment rates on their civilian careers. In the early 2000’s during a one year span, the Air National Guard’s retention rate dropped over five percent and in the Reserves retention dropped even more, down seven percent.7 These drops in retention can affect the mission if there remains a continued reliance on the reserve components. As the war in Iraq was winding down and the reserve component tempo slowed there was an increase in retention. According to the Defense Science Board Task Force the Army reserve components rose to 95 percent for Army Reserves and almost 99 percent for the Army National
The United States Army has been a leader in military prowess on the world stage since its inception in 1775, and with such a record, it is reasonably assumed that there must be solid foundation within the organization working to maintain the high level of performance. The Noncommissioned Officer Corps is one institution within the Army that serves as a large portion of this foundation that makes it the fighting force that it has always been, and the noncommissioned officers have been an integral piece since the very inception of the Army. The Prussian General Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben, organizer of the Noncommissioned Officer Corps, encapsulated this idea when he coined the noncommissioned officer (NCO) as the backbone of the Army. (Arms, 1991) In an Army that is continuously adjusting to world around it while maintaining its status as the military leader to all other nations, the Noncommissioned Officer Corps has always provided the platform for continuity through a growing rank system based on its original core, an evolving training program to develop effective leaders, and a creed that moves us forward while remembering the rich history of the corps that came before us.
A military officer must manage pieces of one of the largest organizations in the United States government - an organization that accounts for the third largest piece of the American budget and is comprised of 1.3 million active sailors, soldiers, airmen, and marines, many of whom are tasked with being deployable to any location within 48 hours. This is only possible through concise, professional communication on the part of every service member, especially
The Army requires its members to adhere to prolonged training and learn specialized skills. From the moment a soldier transitions from the civilian sector into the Army, he is indoctrinated with training. Regardless of rank, the Army demands each soldier to be technically proficient and mentally competent in order to be qualified in a respective Military Occupation Specialty. As a soldier progresses in his military career, he is required to continue his education and training. Army leaders are expected and required to continue developing their skills through academic studies, operational experience, and institutional training. An opposing view argues that anyone can learn these skills; however, statistics show less than 0.5% of the population serves in the armed forces, indicating a soldier is a rare mix of intelligence and character.1 These lessons are necessary qualifications to achieve what General Martin Dempsey describes as “effectiveness rather than efficiency.”2 Much like the profession of medicine which must heal, the media which must provide truth, and law which must provide justice, the profession of arms must provide secur...
The trend for this literature review topic is to discuss the benefits and shortcomings of the Department of Defense and National Guard in regards to Homeland Security. There is some controversy concerning duties that the National Guard can perform in respect to Homeland Defense and Civil Support which will be appraised.
The United States of America's military is currently involved in two major wars with U.S. opposition in Afghanistan and Iraq. All though both of these efforts can be said to be in the clean-up stages, many more soldiers will be needed to stabilize the regions, to provide police work, and to fight the insurgencies that have risen in opposition to the invasion of U.S. troops into foreign lands. The current presidential administration states that to adequately deal with the problems of post-war Iraq and unstable Afghanistan the United States needs to increase the number of active-duty soldiers serving over-seas. Top officials in the administration have said that a reorganization of the military is already in progress, and it will create more combat regiments, but the quoted additional 25,000 new military participants needed per year can hardly be met through these minor reorganizations. In addition, recruiting numbers are at their lowest in over ten years (?All Things Considered?, NPR News Source.) Many feel that the reenactment of the military service draft is inevitable because it is the only way to come up with the astounding number of new troops needed to finish the jobs started in the Middle-East by George W. Bush and his Republican administration. If increasing the size of the military is inevitable, then the draft is the wrong way to go. Aside from the moral objections that many Americans have to a draft, there are major logical fallacies in the reasoning that a draft would benefit the military, America, or its interests abroad; therefore, the draft should not be reenacted to increase the number of the United States? combat troops.
Magdoff, F., & Magdoff, H. (2004). Disposable workers: Today's reserve army of labor. Monthly Review, 55(11), 18-35. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.libraryproxy.griffith.edu.au/docview/213209994?accountid=14543
However, development starts day one with training. Therefore, the Soldiers have to be experts who have assumed the character and identity of the profession; professionalism in Soldiers enables them to perform their duties with lots of motivation and inspiration. For example, 42A - The Human Resources (HR) Sergeant supervises, performs personnel and administrative functions in support of company, battery, and troop; detachments at division, corps, and echelons above corps must master their skill level in an effort to be a subject matter expert in their profession. The functions of Human Resource support four fundamental competencies: Man the Force (ex. Strength reporting), Provide HR Services (ex. Postal operations), Coordinate Personnel Support (ex. Morale, welfare, and Recreation), and Conduct HR Planning and Operations (ex. Planning and operations) in which a HR personnel must accomplish to support the mission. As a result, a professional Soldier should meet very high standards of a profession, for example character, competence, expertise and morality to fulfil their HR role. These standards are attained through rigorous training, development, and educating the Soldiers on how to serve the nation and the constitution as professionals. After nine years of war, which erupted from 9/11 we assess the attributes
There is an every growing need for college graduates that need government benefits. There are a surplus of able body men and woman looking for a career or a chance to better their life’s using the benefits provide by the Mandatory Military Services Act as a catalyst to improve the standard of living for each citizen. By having experience that will transience to the job market, with the job market being flooded with highly train workers with military background the overall productivity will greatly improve. (Ruschmann
This essay discussed the current US military approach to the irregular challenges, the irregular challenges that the US most likely will face in the near term, and offered arguments of whether the US government and military focus is on the most important threats with the right mix of capabilities. Only time will tell if the policies set forth in the 2010 National Security Strategy, 2012 Defense Strategic Guidance, 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review, and 2011 National Military Strategy hit the mark. Current and near-term irregular challenges facing the US military requires creative approaches that maximizes people, resources, and capabilities.
In 1968, the United States Army activated the 123rd Aviation Battalion, creating a remarkable unit that was comprised of several Army assets. The design of the battalion revolutionized how assets could be combined to complete many missions by mixing infantry, signal, aviation, and support units. The 123rd’s mission ranged from was to collect intelligence, deliver supplies, insert and extract infantrymen, and provide air support. In addition to their primary mission they also participated in medical evacuation, an invaluable asset on the battlefields of Vietnam.
The Strengths and Weaknesses of Joint Warfare Armed with numerous studies, and intensive public hearings, Congress mandated far-reaching changes in DOD organization and responsibilities under the Goldwater-Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1986. This landmark legislation significantly expanded the authority and responsibility of the chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff. Included in this expanded authority and responsibility was the requirement for the chairman to develop a doctrine for the joint employment of armed forces. As operations Urgent Fury, Just Cause, and Desert Storm have vividly demonstrated, the realities of armed conflict in today's world make the integration of individual service capabilities a matter of success or failure, life or death. Furthermore, the operation Desert One demonstrated the need for a strengthened Joint Warfare Doctrine and the consequent change in Joint Warfare Employment.
An airborne force like the 82nd Airborne Division does have its limitations. An airborne planner or commander must recognize the limitations. Each leader should plan accordingly to adjust the planning concept and make the necessary changes. The Airforce is a key player in the Army airborne mission. The weather, type of aircraft dictates the airborne unit mission range and scope of time of the operation. Some policy-makers think that the airborne operation is obsolete due to technology. “Retired Col. Doug Macgregor has materialized as a vocal Army critic since retiring from the Army in 2004. The former 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry commander, holds a Ph.D. in international relations and calls large-scale airborne operations outdated
Air Force Special Operations The United States of America is a powerful and well known force throughout the world. It has become a superpower of nations in just about three hundred years, being one of the newest nations in existence today. Its military reaches out into several countries in the globe and holds a presence as a peacekeeper and wielder of democracy. Of the US military’s five branches, the Air Force is the ruler of the skies, keeping control of the earth’s aerospace. Without the Air Force Special Operations, the military could not complete operations as effectively or efficiently as it potentially could.
With the Army gearing its forces towards an expeditionary force, it is important to remember what Technical Escort Units bring to the fight. They can operate in a small group with such expertise that they truly are a force multiplier. These units will continue to evolve and provide this nations Army with unmatched CBRN capabilities. They will continue to be the longest active surviving CBRN unit in the nation.
• The Use of Force is about a girl who may have Diphtheria, but refuses to open her mouth to let the doctor look at her throat. After much struggle, emotional and physical, the doctor forces her to open her mouth and it turns out she does indeed have the disease.