The End of Readiness

Abstract

What do US Army leaders mean when they talk about "readiness?" This paper examines the origin and evolution of the Army's use of the term, the changing definition of the word based on historical context and budgetary fluctuations, the difficulties presented by the Army's attempts to measure it, the challenging ethical situations its measurement promotes, and the ever-increasing lists of tasks and activities required to "achieve" readiness. It suggests ways to reframe discussions about Army capabilities away from an abstract concept of readiness and toward a more precise, actionable, and thoughtful conversation about what the Army can and should be capable of doing.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 27, 2021
Accession Number
AD1162045

Entities

People

  • Christopher M. Dempsey

Organizations

  • School of Advanced Military Studies

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Army
  • Artillery
  • Combat Effectiveness
  • Combatant Commanders
  • Congress
  • Department Of Defense
  • Deployment
  • Environment
  • Governments
  • House Of Representatives
  • Korean War
  • Law
  • Military History
  • Military Personnel
  • National Security
  • New York
  • Plastic Explosives
  • Second World War
  • Task Forces
  • Training
  • Unified Combatant Commands
  • United States
  • United States European Command
  • United States Pacific Command
  • Universities
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Military Leadership and Professional Education.
  • Systems Analysis and Design