The U.S. Army has put much effort into revising the approach to planning and implementing Stabilization, Security, Transition, and Reconstruction operations to ensure a common U.S. strategy. However, some elements essential to the success of the process are not yet in place.
Concerns about a civil-military gap and possible erosion of the principle of civilian control of the military appear to be overstated. The groups do not differ greatly on the questions that are most pertinent to military effectiveness.
The Iraq debate is focused on whether to legislate the time that soldiers must be at home between overseas deployments. Stretched Thin discusses how to assess the tradeoffs among the number of combat units, the level of Iraq deployments, and the time that soldiers have at home.
The U.S. Army should change the way it plans for domestic emergencies to better support state and local first responders.
Changes in the world over the past two decades have made the conduct of military operations more complex and varied. More needs to be done to prepare Army leaders to meet the challenges of the contemporary environment and to continually learn and adapt to new circumstances.
While the major combat operations of Operation Iraqi Freedom were successful, logistical problems still hampered materiel sustainment. Supply chain improvements could help better prepare the U.S. Army for future operations.
Predicting the force needs of the Army is difficult in today's uncertain world. Alternative futures analysis offers a spectrum of different "future worlds" to help force developers meet the challenges of the next 20 years.
Unexploded ordnance (UXO) on closed military bases has become a costly environmental problem. To facilitate the cleanup process, baseline standards for clearing UXO need to be established and cost estimation tools improved.
Historically, combat stress casualties are not higher in city operations. Commanders still need the skills to treat and prevent stress casualties and understand their implications for urban warfare.
Americans support the global war on terror because they believe the United States has “important stakes” in the conflict, and will support other military actions overseas as well if they believe important stakes are involved.
The U.S. Army spends an average of $15,000 to recruit each soldier, and current recruiting policies and management influence their retention rate. Different management strategies could cut attrition without compromising Army standards.
Military operations in urban areas are among the most complex challenges confronting the U.S. Army. Analysis of urban terror campaigns in Sri Lanka, India and Pakistan provide insight into operating in this new environment.
In the ongoing process of U.S. Army base closure and realignment, lands containing unexploded ordnance have proved particularly difficult and costly to transfer. With few exceptions, little progress has been made.
As part of the RAND Arroyo Center, the Military Health Program conducts analyses designed to ensure that the medical readiness and health benefit missions of the Army are carried out effectively and efficiently. This includes studies of policies and programs for enhancing health promotion and providing care on the battlefield, in garrison, and by Army medical facilities.
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