Generating Large Unit Staffs during Wartime Mobilization
Abstract
This monograph examines building large unit staffs to include divisions, corps, and field armies during mass mobilization. Unlike generating company grade officers, creating leaders capable of operational art is more challenging with tight time constraints. To discover trends on how the Army has generated large unit staffs before, the monograph uses three historical periods, each beginning with a force size contraction and ending with the conclusion of a wartime mobilization. The first period starts with the United States Army after the War of 1812 and ends with the Mexican American War. The second period is the Army following the Civil War to the Spanish-American War. The final period is the aftermath of World War I to World War II. While distinct, the three periods revealed the evolution of expeditionary staff structures, the role of doctrine, force generation, training, and professional education. The findings include three key deductions including doctrine, officer education, and officer selection that helped generate or expand large unit staffs. To begin, doctrine allowed a common point of reference for staff officers to learn and bridges gaps in experience. When the Army grew, officers found themselves in unfamiliar positions and echelons. Doctrine provided a framework, facilitated learning, and afforded a common lexicon. Next, officer education was critical prior to and during war. When staffs expanded due to war, an educated officer corps served as the primary trainers to the unit that was also preparing for a deployment. In addition, education increasingly played a role in maintaining proficiency in maneuvering large units when none existed. Finally, successful units had commanders take an active role in identification and selection of personnel capable of adaptive and creative learning. Officers in large unit staffs required many intangible attributes that are difficult to screen based on paper qualifications alone.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 10, 2013
- Accession Number
- ADA606216
Entities
People
- Erik S. Peterson
Organizations
- United States Army Command and General Staff College