Operations Other Than War and Its Impact on Combat Training Readiness
Abstract
Every commander, soldier, and unit in a force-projection Army must be trained and ready to deploy. All concerned share this solemn responsibility. Commanders must remember that their primary mission is always to prepare for, fight, and win America's wars. This rigorous task requires nothing less than the highest priority when training and equipping the forces. FM 100-5, Operations, along with other Army doctrine and Joint doctrine document the criticality of preparedness. However, both sets of doctrine also define another commitment, a "non-lethal" operation called Operations Other Than War (OOTW)'. As we continue to deploy on these "other" operations, we must continually assess their impact on the primary mission. This study describes some OOTW impacts on training readiness through interviews with those who have served in OOTWs. This study is based on the results of a survey distributed to the US Army War College students from the l997 and 1998 year groups. The study identifies a widespread and significant "cost" of OOTW in training readiness with recovery time ranging from 7l/2 weeks to 13 weeks. However, the survey also describes a changing Army. Doctrine may be changing from below through the initiative of unit commanders and their training plans.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 22, 1998
- Accession Number
- ADA344867
Entities
People
- Michael J. Walsh
Organizations
- United States Army War College