Multitasking Under Fire
Abstract
It is ironic that as the United States Army focuses on the modularity of its force, one unit strived for and succeeded in forming a legacy-type force. The effort was based on the needs of the current fight and the results could only be accomplished through flexibility. This commonsense determination was due to the foresight of the leaders of the 40th Engineer Battalion and the 2d Brigade Combat Team (BCT) of the 1st Armored Division, home-stationed in Baumholder, Germany. This article is not an argument for a return to the earlier structure of fighting force, but it serves as a good example of Army small-unit flexibility and versatility. Assuming command, breaking apart task organization, retraining for a new mission under the parent battalion, and moving into a different operational environment were the jobs on the first quarter calendar of events for Charlie Company, 40th Engineer Battalion. The Army has come to a point where that kind of flexibility is the norm. Four or five years ago, flexibility was a buzzword that fit cleverly into every canned set of talking points. Now, flexibility coupled with determination is at the heart of the Army culture. Whether it s a field artillery battery that retrains to serve in a military police capacity or the Soldiers of an engineer platoon who serve as civil affairs escorts, the Army has come to employ all forms of flexibility effectively. In October 2008, Charlie Company was to conduct a change of command while deployed in Baghdad, Iraq. Normally this is a run-of-the-mill activity, even while deployed. However, it was the fifth company-level change of command for the BCT in as many months. The only obstacle to the obligatory change-of-command inventories was the task organization of each of the company s platoons to different maneuver battalions organic to the 2d BCT. What made the inventories especially challenging was that the platoons were located at different combat outposts and forward operating bases.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 2010
- Accession Number
- ADA560168
Entities
People
- Daniel J. Lucitt
Organizations
- United States Army Engineer School