Keeping the Warfighting Edge: An Empirical Analysis of Army Officers' Tactical Expertise
Abstract
Over the past decade, the U.S. Army has been profoundly affected by changes in military missions, repositioning and reduction of forces, and a heightened pace of deployments. Some observers argue that these changes, in conjunction with normal personnel movement through units, may seriously limit leaders' opportunities to conduct the unit training that is critical to the development of warfighting skills. If this is true, the result could undercut the tactical capabilities of future generations of combat leaders. Interviews conducted during RAND visits to warfighting brigades indicated that some commanders shared this concern. They attributed it to officers' shorter assignments to key developmental positions and fewer opportunities within those assignments to participate in field training. Others viewed the pace as quick, but they believed their subordinates were being well prepared for future responsibilities. To address this issue, a RAND Arroyo Center study team analyzed career histories of past and current cohorts of Army combat leaders. In addition, during 1998 and 1999 the team also collected data from and conducted extensive interviews with commanders and staff in most of the combat brigades in the continental United States. This report presents the results for a policy audience. The topic was also the subject of the author's Ph.D. dissertation in the RAND Graduate School.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2002
- Accession Number
- ADA400748
Entities
People
- Maren Leed