Expanding the United States Army for 21st Century Roles and Missions: Foreign Legion or Foreign Augmentation?
Abstract
This monograph considers expanding the U.S. Army using non-citizens to man new units. Both the French Foreign Legion and British Brigade of Gurkhas provide useful examples of the types of forces needed by the United States to preserve American hegemony and win the GWOT. This monograph presents models for an American foreign legion and indigenous units using the DTLOMS force development framework. While both concepts presented in this work would provide the U.S. Army with sorely needed additional manpower, the foreign legion model is the most feasible. In addition, the United States Army should actively recruit skilled non-citizens overseas through the promise of American citizenship as a reward for their service. Neither an American foreign legion based on the French model nor units of indigenous forces based on the British Gurkha model should be formed at this time. Two rationales led to this conclusion. First, the increasing militarization of American foreign affairs has had several unfortunate consequences, and this trend would be furthered by the creation of the units presented in this monograph. Second, the creation of an American foreign legion or battalions of foreign troops would continue to allow the youngest generations of Americans to forgo one of the primary obligations of citizenship - compulsory military service, thus indirectly exacerbating the "Civil-Military Gap" and further eroding the trust and understanding between civilian and military leaders, possibly with dire consequences.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 26, 2004
- Accession Number
- ADA429154
Entities
People
- John M. Cyrulik
Organizations
- United States Army Command and General Staff College