The Joint Expeditionary Culture Gap
Abstract
Transformation has all the Services reevaluating the way they think about warfare and more importantly, how they can best leverage technology, be strategically mobile and thus relevant to future operating environment. "Getting to the fight" quickly coupled with sustainability appears to be the "long pole in the tent" for most of the Department of Defense (DOD). The term "expeditionary" pervades most Service's common vocabulary, yet it is discussed superficially not holistically. Categorized as merely a rapid deployability issue, little has been discussed of the cultural issues that are inherent in adoption of this expeditionary capability or mind-set. The significance of this topic becomes clear as Joint Vision (JV) 2020 mandates cultural assimilation. The document states, "To be the most effective force for 2020, we must be fully joint: intellectually, doctrinally, and technically interoperability is a mandate for the joint force of 2020 training, education, experience, exercises this will not only overcome the barriers of organizational culture and differing priorities, but will teach members of the joint team to appreciate the full range of Service capabilities to them." The implications of developing more expeditionary forces for our Nation go beyond getting to a hostile country quickly. The very nature of future warfare demands us to be prepared for conflict before a crisis occurs--across the full spectrum of conflict. The attributes of an expeditionary force need to be analyzed collectively, for there are many inexplicably linked visible components of this complex system. The most obvious are Service doctrine, equipment and the means for deploying. The focus of this monograph is on the not so visible component-the Service's organizational culture. Looking at the historical evolution of the Services through numerous case studies presented evidence
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 26, 2004
- Accession Number
- ADA429015
Entities
People
- James D. Davis
Organizations
- United States Army Command and General Staff College