Towards a More Relevant Engineer Command (ENCOM)
Abstract
The current National Military Strategy of the United States identifies the requirements of shaping the international environment in ways favorable to U.S. interests, responding to the full spectrum of threats and crises that may arise, and preparing now for an uncertain future. Engineer support to military operations that fulfill these requirements has proven to be and will continue to be critical to success. It follows that for an engineer headquarters to be relevant in the new millennium, it must contribute to the shaping and responding requirements, and to joint and combined operations. The current doctrinal headquarters to execute theater army level command of engineer forces is the Engineer Command (ENCOM). This study shows that although the ENCOM is doctrinally organized to be a relevant headquarters, its performance during recent operations in the Persian Gulf and Bosnia indicates otherwise. The major weakness of the ENCOM is the lack of an active duty general officer and staff, thus making it less responsive to the Army Service Component Commander (ASCC) than it needs to be. This report advocates three changes to the ENCOM that will correct identified deficiencies. The first is placing a general officer and staff on active duty. The second is linking these active duty generals to a specific ASCC. The third is ensuring the active duty portion of the ENCOM is proficient at commanding joint engineer forces. These proposed changes will make the ENCOM relevant to the Post Cold War world.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 07, 2000
- Accession Number
- ADA377478
Entities
People
- David A. Kingston
Organizations
- United States Army War College