Our Army at War - Relevant and Ready

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Situation:

The Army has a great deal of requirements prescribed by National, Defense, Combatant Command, and Joint directives.

We have clear strategic direction developed during the past year.

A well articulated, well managed Army Campaign Plan.

Numerous authoritative documents that communicate intent.

Several key papers by leaders (e.g., Adapt or Die and Serving a Nation at War).

We have several key documents in various stages of development:

The Army Plan (i.e.., Section I — Army Strategic Planning Guidance (ASPG))

Program Objective Memorandum 06-11

The FY 06 Legislative Agenda (DRAFT)

Army Strategic Communications Plan (DRAFT)

Mission:

We have a mission of deadly importance …

A unique opportunity to get it right …

Reaffirm our overarching strategic goal and broad strategic direction.

Provide a common perspective of our operating environment, in terms of challenges, uncertainties, and opportunities.

Stimulate thinking, initiative, and creativity with respect to the application of strategic leadership to deal with key challenges we face.

Provide a context to focus our strategic communications to achieve the following effects:

Externally … to maintain support for our programs.

Internally … to address the concerns of Soldiers, families, and the civilian workforce and explain why and how the Army is changing.

Add impetus to our ongoing efforts to change our culture … to reflect the realities of our new operating context.

Key Ideas:

Get in everyone’s mind what the purpose of the document is …

Focus on genuinely strategic issues …

Stay broad … people want certainty … don’t make promises you can’t deliver …

Create realistic expectations that match our operating environment …

Emphasize the importance of changing culture …

Culture:

Need to reinforce role of leadership and adaptability …

Need to unleash initiative …

Need to increase tolerance of ambiguity, uncertainty …

Change frame of reference … move beyond Task, Conditions, and Standards …

Must reinforce development of a wartime mindset …

Tension between preparing for the future and meeting the demands of the present, with finite resources, requires the Army to balance the risk.

The pace of operations, in an uncertain environment, is creating distinct challenges that require careful management to sustain our ability to achieve our strategic requirements.

Supplemental support required to continue Army Transformation while winning Global War on Terrorism. Reduction or end of this funding would have significant implications for procurement and soldier programs.

The operational fleet’s condition and age affecting current readiness. Increased depot repair and recapitalization will be required to ensure our fleet is maintained and fully capable.

The Army is focusing resources on promising technologies and rapidly spiraling these into the current force to enhance their capabilities. Our investment accounts may require additional funding to maintain technological overmatch and ensure the development and fielding of the Future Force.

Global Posture and Base Realignment and Closure related initiatives have not been programmed. Army will need $2.7B in Departmental assistance to comply with these decisions.

Identifying and mitigating risks associated with fulfilling current and future strategic commitments, will ensure the Army remains relevant and ready – to sustain its aggressive support of the Global War on Terrorism, while transforming.

We have an ambitious task ahead.

Success requires us to exploit the strategic opportunity that has been placed before us.

We must leverage this period of increased activity, operations, and examination of basing alternatives – the window of opportunity that has emerged – to build a campaign quality Army with joint and expeditionary capabilities now, while sustaining operational support to combatant commanders, and maintaining the quality of the All-Volunteer force.

As busy as we are today, we must continue to focus on tomorrow. We must challenge our institutional practices by asking two key questions.

First, armed with the knowledge we have about our recent experiences, “What decisions could we have made sooner?”

Second, and of far greater importance, “As you anticipate the challenges that derive from our Title 10 and Title 32 responsibilities, “What should we be working on now?”

How do we “integrate, coordinate, and synchronize” the actions of senior Army leaders to achieve established goals, objectives, and requirements?

What are our priorities?

How do we best focus the time, energy, and creativity of our leaders?