Army Organizational Life Cycle Model

You will address Total Army Analysis, the process that takes us from the Army of today to the Army of the future.

The organizing function of management is impacted in the globalization efforts of the Army. The process of transformation of local or regional phenomena into global ones takes the utmost managerial ability from all ranks and corporations sustaining the Army. For instance, institutional organizations provide the infrastructure necessary to raise, train, equip, deploy, and ensure the readiness of all Army forces in strategic global locations. Organizing and strategic planning functions help the training base provide military skills and professional education to every soldier -as well as members of sister services and allied forces. It also allows the Army to expand rapidly in time of war.

In this report I will be going over the importance of training and education within the military, and how they both play very important roles to not only leaders, but the service members within our ranks. The military is constantly training and, we train as we fight. However, before soldiers train, they must be well educated in all areas in which they will be training. Proper education is the key to proper training. I will also discuss the importance of becoming better educated while serving in the military, as it will make transitioning back into the

As the Army transitions from the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan, the organization is well served to take a long look in the mirror. After ten plus years of deployments, our combat tested warriors are sure to possess more than enough valuable knowledge to reinforce and improve upon our status as a profession. A TRADOC published paper explains “to be a professional is to understand, embrace, and competently practice the expertise of the profession.” I believe the profession of arms exists and there are many components that reinforce this argument. Among these components, initial entry training and institutional learning, shared values, and a monopoly on our mission are three of the most important tenants. All Soldiers must graduate

The previous promotion system that the Army had in place was designed to support an Army at war. Prior to the height of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Army mandated that soldiers attend the appropriate level of Non-commissioned Officer Professional Development (NCOPD) course before the soldier could pin on the next rank. As the Army goes through demobilization, the Army is seeing more of a garrison style of leadership come full circle, realizing that NCO development supports combat readiness long-term. The Chief of Staff of the United States Army, General Mark Milley said “Readiness is the Army’s number one priority” (www.armytimes.com) The Army’s combat readiness depends on leaders at all levels to embrace the importance of developing NCOs at a higher level. With changing and improving weapons system and equipment, soldiers of 2020 will need to be at a higher level of readiness than ever before. It must commit to placing emphasis and value on the training, education, and experiences individuals obtain in the operational, institutional, and self-development learning domains. The U.S. Army has made leaps and bounds from where it first began and leading up to the twentieth century. “In the mid 1900’s many leaders in the Army still felt that development was done through the means of on-the-job training, and that that is where it should stay.” (www.ncohistory.com) This was about as far from the today’s system of STEP as you could possibly be.

In support of my capstone project, I assessed and will submit a redesigned proposal with developmental recommendations for reformation of a solid POI for the SPCC that takes place at the Army Logistics University. In this, I have identified the foremost purpose for this redesign as the following: The investment in the education and training of rising leadership is vital to the long-term success of our sustainment support staff and the services provided. With this course providing training in modular force operations for newly selected command designees that enables them to function effectively throughout their command tour it is very important to make sure that the training is substantive. Therefore the main focus is to assure that training is current and emerging sustainment doctrine and leadership topics for commanders on the National Guard, Reservist and Active Duty levels is most essential.

The situation in today 's Army is clearly much different from what existed years ago. Many changes have occurred, moving the Army 's EO program from a strictly educational and training initiative to a multifaceted management program with clear goals and objectives. These goals and objectives are also an integral part of human relations and are nurtured and developed through a professional military education system.

My experience with this system archetype is when our brigade commander allowed the battalions to trades their missions. At the beginning of every fiscal year the brigade divides the overall recruiting mission amongst the five battalions based off their market share and historical data. In return the battalions assign the mission to the companies and recruiting centers. The mission consists of all the medical specialties the Army requires to replace the Soldiers who have left the military. The trade policy, allows the battalions to trade the mission with other battalions and companies. For instance, if battalion A has a mission for critical care nurse, but have not been able to find one in their market. But battalion B has an extra critical

Force management, or what is really otherwise known as planned comprehensive change, is in reality a complex and interwoven process. Though it was designed within the confines of a systemic approach referred to as the DOTMLPF (Doctrine, Organization, Training, Materiel, Leadership & Education, Personnel and Facilities), in reality it is meant to enable both dutiful and well-thought out change as well as faster, more urgent adjustments in accordance with the evolving nature of war and information gathering tactics. The Army, as one branch involved in this initiative, focuses most of its attention in this regard on the organizational sector because of the way it facilitates an adequate and democratic step-by-step system of review (Student Reader, F102:2). But the fact is that even this initiative remains multi-faceted and appears to be rather bureaucratic in nature (it has five phases, which seems antithetical to an urgent change process), which might not be surprising since implementing the type of changes that are demanded can have major implications of all sorts. Still, it does appear that this concentration is being well received and that it will eventually serve its goal even if it does not appear that way when detailed on a point by point basis.

As stewards of our profession, commanders ensure that military expertise continues to develop and be passed on to aspiring professionals through operational development. It is during this developmental phase that Professional Soldiers put their knowledge and skills to the test. Operational Army units certify and recertify their Professional Soldiers through repetitive and realistic training events including the Combat Life Saver Course, platoon live fires, and exercises at the National Training Center. In the course of these challenging and realistic experiences, the Army’s operational units develop Soldiers and leaders prepared to maintain high standards, discipline, and operational readiness. Operational development and adaptability will continue to drive changes in Army doctrine, organization, leadership, and education as we enter the post-war era. Without this kind of development, the Army could not maintain a well-disciplined professional fighting force.

The purpose of Army maintenance is to preserve the required performance capabilities of Army materiel or to return those assets to their baseline performance capabilities. Maintenance is an enabling process to meeting Army Force Generation (ARFORGEN) requirements. ARFORGEN is the process used to generate and regenerate combat power and preserve the capital investment of combat systems and equipment to enable training and mission accomplishment (Department of the Army, 2013). The Army’s doctrinal definition can be confusing to some and it does not make mention of efficiency, reducing non-value adding activities and the overall equipment effectiveness. This definition allow for commanders at all levels the flexibility to focus on other tasks, tasks not related to maintenance.

The Army’s mission is to build forces capable of Unified Land Operations, able to operate effectively with Joint, interagency, intergovernmental, and multinational partners across the range of military operations to provide capable and ready forces to combatant commanders (CCDRs) in support of the National Security and National Defense Strategies, while sustaining and maintaining the quality of the All-Volunteer Force. (United States, 2014)

Adaptive leadership is becoming widespread in the United States Army amongst junior officers in leadership positions that require quick thinking and innovation. Leonard Wong discusses how the versatile and unpredictable enemy and situations in Iraq produces adaptable junior officers. These officers are learning to make decisions under chaotic conditions and are becoming more mentally agile. The Army is changing. The Army is transforming its capabilities in the war in Iraq to be effective and successful. General Schoomaker states that we will not accomplish our goals as a nation in the 21st century unless our Army becomes much more agile but with the capacity for long term, sustained level of conflict. The Army is in the process of

The Army is a profession because it requires a collaboration of highly training Soldiers who possess specialized skills that combine to operate in complex situations in more complex environments. General Martin Dempsey stated that “The Profession of Arms requires expert knowledge, and that expertise is manifested as unique skills in the individual professional and by Army units.” For the purpose of this paper the operational definition of the term profession is: a type of job that requires special education training, or skill. In order to meet and maintain the demands of this definition, The Army has established the Army Development Model which consists of institutions, operational training, and self-development to create highly skilled service members.

In other words, the Army’s mission is to deploy when needed and to win in combat in support of the interests of the United States. It conducts training and operations in every part of the world with 520,000 active duty Soldiers in 223 occupational specialties or jobs. The mission seems relatively simple but recruiting Soldiers to fulfill this mission and retaining them is much more difficult than one would realize. I will present a few of the benefits in the Army’s EVP that motivate Soldiers to “be the best they can be” to make America and the world a better place.