Bridging the Cultural Gap Between the Active Component and the National Guard: A Gateway to the Effective Army Total Force
Abstract
The National Guard (NG) has evolved in its roles and responsibilities as a result of combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan while maintaining its role as the state militia. Despite a decade of war serving side by side, the cultural divide between the Active duty and the NG still exists. This divide hinders the United States Armys ability to become an efficient fighting total force. One of the most critical ways to an integrated force is to provide an environment for both active duty and NG members to gain a better understanding of one another and eliminate the barriers between them. The Armys Professional Military Education(PME) system should increase the NG related curriculum and opportunities for NG members to attend resident programs with active duty members. Additionally, there should be increased opportunities for active duty and NG members to train together. By improving the current PME system and increasing opportunities for active duty and NG members to interact, the change can bridge the cultural gap and achieve a true Total Force that embodies the One Team, One Fight concept; relationships do matter. Those informal relationships formed during resident PME and multi-component, integrated training would have a huge influence on becoming the efficient, seamless Army Total Force the United States Army is trying to become.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 04, 2015
- Accession Number
- AD1175823
Entities
People
- Hyo J. Cho
Organizations
- Marine Corps University