A STRATEGIC FORCE
As the United States moved from a Cold War security strategy of containment to one of engagement and enlargement, the Army changed itself to prepare for the challenges ahead. The Army's tremendous versatility gives the President and the Secretary of Defense the option of employing tailored infantry, armor, airborne, air assault, and special operations forces to achieve U.S. national security objectives. America's Army has truly become a power projection Army. Most Army forces today are based within the United States; however, supported by the other Services, the Army can project and sustain a ground combat force anywhere in the world.
A DECISIVE FORCE
The Army plays a unique role in the defense of our nation. History shows that wars are won on the ground and the Army is the only Service capable of prompt and sustained land combat operations. The nation requires a technology-enhanced land combat force that can deter potential adversaries and protect U.S. interests around the world. America's Army is that force. Only the Army has the assets and the staying power to operate over an entire battlefield and bring a conflict to its successful military conclusion, regardless of the opponent or region of the world. Successful military operations require the control of the air, sea, and land, but a nation's ability to impose its will can be assured only if it is capable of controlling the land. The Army -- and only the Army -- provides the United States that capability.
A FORCE SERVING THE NATION
America's Army serves the nation in many ways. Although its primary mission is to fight and win the nation's wars, the Army can execute military operations other than war because it is trained and ready. The training and expertise required for operations other than war may be specialized, but these missions require the same disciplined troops that we rely upon for combat. In the last year, American soldiers have upheld democracy in Haiti, faced down a new threat to regional stability in Southwest Asia, delivered relief supplies to Rwandan refugees in Zaire, conducted a peacekeeping exercise in Russia, reinforced peace in the Sinai, supported refugees in the Caribbean, protected United Nations operations in Somalia, treated the wounded in Croatia, demonstrated resolve in Macedonia, deterred aggression in Korea, and continued to support law enforcement efforts to stem the flow of drugs into the United States. America's Army also fought floods in the Southeast and forest fires in the West and provided earthquake relief in California.
Two recent operations demonstrate the versatility of today's Army. They also demonstrate that force -- or the threat of force -- is still a partner of diplomacy in today's changing world. Operation Uphold Democracy in Haiti highlighted the Army's ability to tailor itself to accomplish specific tasks, to project power on short notice, and to adapt to a changed mission on even shorter notice. Originally structured to forcibly enter the country to restore the elected government, our plans were quickly modified to enter the country without opposition to implement a diplomatic agreement. Intervention in Haiti also demonstrated an unprecedented level of joint operations. A Navy admiral commanding U.S. Atlantic Command chose the Army's XVIII Airborne Corps as a joint task force headquarters. Commanded by an Army general, this joint task force of Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine, and Coast Guard units was prepared to execute simultaneous combat actions throughout the area of operations. Finally, the operation saw the Army demonstrate that we are a force of the future. Army forces carried an amazing array of 21st century equipment, from advanced night vision devices and international maritime telephones, to laptop computers with antennas to downlink the latest intelligence.
The second example of Army capabilities occurred on the other side of the world. In October 1994, Operation Vigilant Warrior saw the deployment of thousands of Army troops to Kuwait to deter renewed aggression from Iraq. Soldiers from the 24th Infantry Division were first airlifted to the emirate, where they received equipment prepositioned in the country and moved a battle-ready force to the Iraq-Kuwait border within 72 hours of arrival. Other forces followed to link up with prepositioned ships carrying Army equipment. The quick and decisive reaction of the United States, as demonstrated by its Army on the ground, caused the Iraqi government to withdraw forces poised to threaten an American ally.
A quality Army is not possible without quality soldiers; this record of service is testimony to the high quality of the men and women serving the nation. In a world of precision munitions and high technology weapons, the individual American soldier is the Army's ultimate smart weapon. The standard of service provided comes with a price. The Army and the nation were all reminded of that price in May 1994, when President Clinton presented the nation's highest award for valor, the Medal of Honor, to the widows of Master Sergeant Gary I. Gordon and Sergeant First Class Randall D. Shughart, killed in action the previous October in Somalia. Since 1989, the Army has awarded over 700 Purple Hearts to soldiers killed or wounded in action and presented another 1,239 medals for valor. Army families also pay a price. American soldiers train hard; on average, they spend 140 days every year away from home, leaving their spouses and children behind.
A READY FORCE
Today's Army is trained and ready to answer the nation's call, a call that is coming more and more often than ever before; it is no easy task to prepare for the future while remaining trained and ready in the present. Hard decisions and sometimes unenviable trade-offs are demanded to best utilize scarce resources.
Readiness is a combination of many factors -- tough training, quality soldiers and civilian employees; modern equipment that overmatches that of potential adversaries, well-maintained installations with modern infrastructure and housing, sustainment capabilities to support deployed forces; and a quality of life for soldiers and their families that keeps good soldiers in the Army and attracts quality young people.
To optimize readiness and maintain the Army's role as a strategic force supporting U.S. foreign policy, America's Army is forging a new balance among active, Guard, and Reserve forces. At the start of a contingency mission, active units will form the bulk of a force, while high priority National Guard and Army Reserve units provide capabilities not found in the active component. As the operation progresses, a larger proportion of forces will come from the Guard and Reserve; they will support deploying forces, back-fill active units, enhance the mobilization base, reinforce sustained operations, and if needed, expand the Army to meet a larger global threat. The Army must have access to these units and individuals. The Guard and Reserve will also play an increasingly important role in military operations other than war. Both National Guard and Army Reserve soldiers served in Somalia and nearly 5,000 were called up for operations in Haiti. In January 1995, the Army began deploying a composite battalion of soldiers from the active and reserve components to the Sinai for duty with the Multinational Force and Observer organization. Guard and Reserve soldiers also serve the nation at home, reacting quickly and capably in 1994 to domestic emergencies like forest fires, floods, and earthquakes.
As the Army becomes smaller and more dependent on technology, Army civilians and contract personnel will become even more important to its readiness and success. Dedicated civilians support America's Army superbly -- at home, with overseas forces, and in contingency operations. Army civilians possess skills critical to the Army's success, make vital contributions to the nation's defense every day, and are irreplaceable players on the Army team.
Recognizing that readiness is enhanced by eliminating unnecessary barriers to service, the Army has expanded opportunities for women. More than 91 percent of the Army's career fields and 67 percent of Army positions are now open to women. Women serve today in leadership positions throughout our officer and noncommissioned officer corps. In 1994, the Army opened more than 32,000 additional positions to women in military police companies, chemical reconnaissance and decontamination teams, military intelligence units, forward support teams, medium girder/assault bridge companies, and ceremonial units in the nation's capital. The headquarters of maneuver brigades, forward area air defense artillery battalions, special forces groups, combat engineer battalions, and armored cavalry regimental aviation squadrons have also been opened to women. These developments benefit not just the women whose careers will be advanced as a result, but also the Army and our nation's defense.
Army families are a key component of readiness. As the Army deploys units more frequently, Army families must be prepared to deal with the stress and family decisions that deployment brings. Through the Army Family Action Plan, a bottom-up process beginning with family symposia at the installation level, the Army identifies, prioritizes, and ultimately resolves quality of life issues, providing improved services to soldiers and their families, which ultimately increases the Army's operational efficiency.
A 21ST CENTURY FORCE
Today's Army is on the move, transforming itself from a forward-deployed Cold War army to a power projection force based largely in the United States. The Army is restructuring itself into a 21st century fighting force, experimenting with new technologies, and reengineering its sustaining base. The Army is improving its air, land, and sea embarkation points to enhance strategic mobility. In the midst of tremendous change, America's Army has reaffirmed its long-standing tradition of selfless service to the nation. The Army knows where it is going; it has a plan to get there; and it is fully embarked on that journey. Our choice in this journey is between changing shape or shaping change -- and we will do the latter.
Today, the Army is building the information age army of tomorrow -- Force XXI. For Force XXI, information will be almost as important as ammunition. The Force XXI army will overmatch its adversaries by integrating state of the art information technologies with the weapons of today and tomorrow. Leaders of Force XXI will act on real-time information and near real-time intelligence. Because it will be a power projection force, installations and infrastructure will be vital to its success.
The Army's modernization strategy has fundamentally changed to keep in step with the realities of today's environment. A modernization vision of land force dominance requires that the Army achieve five modernization objectives -- rapidly project and sustain forces, protect committed forces, win the information war, conduct precision strikes, and dominate the maneuver battle. America's Army is executing a strategy of buying a limited number of new weapons, while extending the lives and improving the capabilities of our existing systems. Inserting information technologies significantly increases the power of proven weapons, a realistic and cost effective strategy for the near to mid-term. However, the Army will reach the point where additional technological insertions to today's systems will provide only marginal improvements to capabilities. New, replacement weapons systems must continue to be developed.
A JOINT FORCE
In any conflict and in most military operations other than war, the Army will operate with air, naval, and space assets as an important part of a joint service team. Our basic doctrine recognizes the joint nature of most Army operations. The Army provides versatility, depth, and staying power to the joint commander, with forces tailored for a given situation to achieve the best synergy across the joint force as a whole. The Army trains its forces to operate in a joint environment, sends quality soldiers to serve on joint staffs, and provides ready forces to support regional commanders-in-chief.
The Army's commitment to joint operations is one of the key points made to the commission appointed by Congress to examine the roles, missions, and functions of the military Services. America's Army will provide the commission the full benefit of its institutional and intellectual experience regarding the nature of modern warfare and the engagement of military forces in the world today. The Army has participated fully in issue identification. Today's Army has a sound vision of the future which harnesses information technologies in a trained and ready force.
A REINVENTED FORCE
While retaining and improving the programs that have successfully built a ready Army, the Department of the Army is fundamentally changing the way it does business. The Army is at the forefront of government in its implementation of National Performance Review principles and initiatives. The National Performance Review and its DoD counterpart, the Defense Performance Review, created an environment for change and the Army is responding. Army reinvention laboratories, especially the Battle Labs of the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, allow the Army to test new ways of doing business, cut red tape, and provide incentives for new ideas. Across the board, the Army has institutionalized a quality approach to managing change. It has begun to reinvent the Department of the Army headquarters and major Army commands whose missions are to staff, train, equip, maintain, and sustain fighting units. Much as civilian businesses have become more efficient by modifying internal operations, the Army seeks to utilize scarce resources better by fundamentally reexamining the way the departmental headquarters and supporting commands function.
The Army is also making fundamental changes in the way it develops, acquires, and fields new capabilities. The goal is to eliminate non-productive costs, thereby dramatically improving the development, testing, acquisition, and fielding of weapons and information systems. By emphasizing the horizontal integration of new technology, the Army is leveraging its research and development resources to save time and money.
The Army is also capitalizing on sound and innovative business practices. In August 1994, the Army implemented a new policy to waive restrictive regulations that impeded efficiency, under which only the Secretary or Under Secretary of the Army may disapprove requests for waivers. Functions, organizations, equipment, and facilities that do not contribute to the Army's mission are being eliminated; user fees are being established; functions and facilities are being consolidated when cost-effective and consistent with Army missions; and economies are being realized by consolidating with other Services and defense agencies. America's Army is transforming its financial management in line with the Chief Financial Officers Act of 1990. The Army's commitment to the Department of Defense's implementation of the Government Performance and Results Act is demonstrated by three activities -- the Army Audit Agency, Army Research Laboratory, and the Corps of Engineers' Civil Works Operations and Maintenance Program -- which are participating as pilots.
A FORCE DRIVEN BY RESOURCES
More than any single factor, resources affect the Army's capabilities, readiness, and effectiveness. A quality Army, prepared to execute a variety of operations, costs money. The resources on which the Army depends have steadily decreased in real terms -- a decrease of over 33 percent in total obligation authority since FY 1989 -- while operational deployments are up 300 percent. This decline in resources is one of the Army's toughest challenges . Sustaining a quality force requires Army leaders to make difficult choices between operational readiness and a needed investment in modernization. Readiness is the Army's first priority.
Contingency operations like those in Rwanda, Haiti, and Iraq can present special resource problems. Pending reimbursement from supplemental requests, major Army commands must divert funds from maintenance, training, and quality of life programs. While deferred maintenance can be performed eventually and spare parts can be purchased later, lost training opportunities are gone forever. Army leaders will continue to manage resources to minimize the impact of contingency operations on other Army accounts. However, congressional assistance is needed to ensure that supplemental funding and reprogramming requests are approved expeditiously.
