War or Operations other Than War: The Light Force Leader's Training Dilemma.
Abstract
Since the end of the Cold War, the world seeurity environment has been characterized by ethnic and regional turbulence. Consequently, the number and frequency of operations other than war (00TW) requiring the deployment of the U.S. Army have increased. The majority of these 00TW missions have been conducted by light force units. Light force U.S. Army units are defined as airborne and light infantry units. With the advent of these operations, a debate has arisen over whether light forces should train on OOTW tasks. Many military officers argue that units trained for war can quickly adapt to 00TW. While other soldiers and leaders believe that OOTW requires unique considerations which war fighting training alone does not provide. This monograph examines whether current training conducted by light forces prepares soldiers for the full spectrum of conflict. The monograph examines selected light forces operations over the last thirty years to demonstrate operational patterns. The historical survey includes operations in the Dominican Republic from 1965-66, in Grenada during 1983, in Panama from 1989-90, in Somalia from 1992-94, and in Haiti during 1995. The historical examples confirm that these operations oscillate between traditional combat and 00TW and they provide data for analysis to determine if their training adequately prepared units for operations in fluid environments. Examination of these actions includes comparisons between the unit's war fighting training, the actual tactics the units used to accomplish their mission, and the changes to their normal training in preparation for or during the operations. The monograph then examines infantry training manuals to determine whether the tasks, conditions, and standards are appropriate for preparing light forces for these 00TW environments.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 1996
- Accession Number
- ADA324371
Entities
People
- Christopher J. Rizzo
Organizations
- United States Army Command and General Staff College