Managing Non-Standard Force Demands: Risk Implications of the Global Force Management System
Abstract
The Department of Defense's (DoD) management of crisis augmentation forces in support of contingency operations, as executed through the Global Force Management (GFM) allocation system, is inadequately designed to manage risk and resources for nonstandard capabilities requested by the Combatant Commands. These nonstandard forces (e.g., ad hoc units and individual augmentees) represent the difference between the force currently constructed and the force currently requested to prosecute today's operations. Extant and survey-based sources describe how nonstandard requirements, when processed through the existing allocation system, increase risk to the force by degrading existing Service competencies and levying unknown or unpredictable risks to other standing global missions without meaningfully informing insight into accumulated departmental risk. Based on the system's inability to meaningfully inform risk for this type of demand, the thesis draws on survey-based data to present a hypothesis of how differing perspectives from process stakeholder staffs may obstruct fundamental process changes from being instituted. Building on the survey of global DoD risk and perspectives from GFM practitioners, the thesis also contextualizes similar issues in a historical perspective, showing the timeless character of these challenges. Finally, the thesis presents a series of recommendations to address the described design seam.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 26, 2012
- Accession Number
- ADA562434
Entities
People
- James C. Wright
Organizations
- National Defense University