Assessment of Bridging Requirements and Current Bridging Capabilities for use of Legacy Heavy Forces Inside the Contemporary Operational Environment

Abstract

In the context of increased need to deploy forces globally in support of the war on terror, the complex nature of terrain inside the operational environment demands an analysis of the ability of legacy forces to operate while deployed to diverse regions until replaced by objective force capabilities. The central research question is: Does the Army have the bridging capability to support the legacy, heavy force in the operational environment deployments likely to occur before the counter-attack corps is equipped with objective equipment? Comparative analysis is used. The operational environment is summarized by a numeric analysis of bridging requirements using a set of reasoned parameters. The bridging capability of current force structure is analyzed via the army domains yielding a detailed understanding of what force capabilities are available. A comparative analysis completes the study wherein the demands of the environment are compared to the current capabilities of the force. The answer to the central research question is: No, the Army does not have the bridging capability to support the legacy, heavy force in deployments in the near future. This conclusion is followed by a set of recommendations for action inside the Army domains as well as areas for future study.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 2003
Accession Number
ADA416452

Entities

People

  • Edward J. Repetski

Organizations

  • United States Army Command and General Staff College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Counter WMD
  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Civil War
  • Department Of Defense
  • Deployment
  • Education
  • Force Structure
  • Military Applications
  • Military Science
  • National Security
  • River Crossings
  • Second World War
  • Students
  • Test And Evaluation
  • United States
  • United States Military Academy
  • Urban Areas
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Maritime Combat Support and Expeditionary Logistics.