Keeping Faith: Manning the Army Chaplain Corps During Persistent Engagement
Abstract
By all predictions, the United States Army will continue to be involved in some form of persistent conflict or engagement for at least the next decade. In order to meet expanding mission requirements, the Army, and consequently, the Army chaplaincy, is likewise expected to continue to grow in officer allocations. In the active component deployable units, current doctrine and manning criteria call for one chaplain per battalion/brigade headquarters and between three to five chaplains per Division and higher headquarters. Since 1997, despite diligent efforts in chaplain recruiting and accessioning, those two means by themselves have not been sufficient to fill all the authorized active duty chaplain officer positions. This paper briefly examines the current strategic environment; it evaluates some current chaplain personnel management practices; it identifies possible Department of the Army level strategies for addressing the growing shortage of active duty chaplains; and it uses a systems approach and critical thinking to analyze potential second and third order effects inherent in each identified strategy with the aim of optimally shaping the Chaplain Corps to provide world-class religious support to the Army Family.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 12, 2009
- Accession Number
- ADA498473
Entities
People
- Dan Ames
Organizations
- United States Army War College