Cohort: Is Readiness a Cost
Abstract
COHORT, the acronym for a unit manning system, grew from a need identified by the studies and experiences of soldiers during the Arab-Israeli Wars. The remedy for the shock of battle and the trauma of the modern battlefield was determined to be the cohesiveness of the units involved. The personnel system that the U.S. Army has used to man the force since prior to World War II is based on Individual Replacements and does not contribute to establishing cohesiveness at unit level. A test of the COHORT or unit manning system began in 1980 with COHORT companies and continued through 1986 with the rotation of COHORT Battalions. Prior to the completion of the Battalion Rotation Test, the Chief of Staff of the Army made the decision to go to a unit manning system for the entire Army. The issue of the impact of that decision on readiness was examined based on data gathered by the testing agencies. The evidence does not support a decrease in readiness as a result of the unit manning system. COHORT provides and obvious advantage in psychological readiness for combat, the desired goal, and may provide advantages in collective training, but the available data is not adequate to support or refute that point.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 23, 1988
- Accession Number
- ADA194183
Entities
People
- Robin L. Elder
Organizations
- United States Army War College