The U.S. Army has introduced the global landpower network (GLN) concept as a means to integrate, sustain, and advance the Army's considerable ongoing efforts to meet U.S. national security guidance emphasizing the importance of working closely with partner nations to achieve U.S. strategic objectives. This report develops the GLN concept further.

The Global Landpower Network

Recommendations for Strengthening Army Engagement

Angela O'Mahony, Thomas S. Szayna, Christopher G. Pernin, Laurinda L. Rohn, Derek Eaton, Elizabeth Bodine-Baron, Joshua Mendelsohn, Osonde A. Osoba, Sherry Oehler, Katharina Ley Best, et al.

ResearchPublished Aug 21, 2017

The U.S. Army has introduced the global landpower network (GLN) concept as a means to integrate, sustain, and advance the Army's considerable ongoing efforts to meet U.S. national security guidance emphasizing the importance of working closely with partner nations to achieve U.S. strategic objectives. This report develops the GLN concept further and addresses three questions: What benefits can a GLN provide the Army? What are the essential components of a GLN? What options exist for implementing the GLN concept? By developing the GLN concept, the Army has the opportunity to transition the way it engages with partners from an often ad hoc and reactive set of relationships to one that the Army more self-consciously prioritizes and leverages as a resource to meet U.S. strategic objectives.

Key Findings

A GLN Can Benefit the Army

  • The Army's GLN is the existing and evolving network of partners, connected by a dynamic set of relationships formed through formal agreements, informal interactions, and shared infrastructure, with a common interest in developing and delivering land power–based options to further collective security objectives.
  • It could lead to more-effective focusing of the Army's efforts in its engagement activities and partnerships.
  • The institutionalization of the GLN concept will span the operating and generating forces, pulling training, intelligence, operations, policy, and other offices together under a general rubric.
  • Army service component command personnel identified five benefits to deepening engagement: improved access and opportunities to work with and through partners, improved Army readiness, strengthened regional partnerships, engagement mind-set for working more effectively multilaterally, and opportunities to transform interpersonal relationships into institutional relationships.

Strengthening the Global Landpower Network Has Benefits and Challenges

  • They also identified five challenges to deepening engagement: having the right people, in the right place, at the right time; funding uncertainty; lack of accessible data on partner nations; difficulty in assessing success in engagements; and the operational headquarters structure.
  • To address these challenges, the Army can change personnel and training systems and personnel selection and develop strong, persistent relationships with partners.

Recommendations

  • Determine a champion for the GLN concept.
  • Test and codify the value propositions of the GLN.
  • Discuss the importance of engagement and demonstrate commitment to the GLN.
  • Determine roles and responsibilities for the GLN concept.
  • Integrate GLN into Army strategy, vision, and doctrine.
  • Improve data collection and data access on engagement activities.
  • Improve assessment of engagement activities.
  • Develop a stronger culture of engagement.
  • Realign and expand structures and programs to support the GLN.
  • Expand the meaning of the engagement warfighting function.
  • Expand and cultivate the pool of engagement personnel.
  • Incentivize personnel to undertake partner engagement in line with the value of partner engagement for the Army.
  • Develop and integrate network-centric planning procedures and visualization tools.

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Document Details

  • Copyright: RAND Corporation
  • Availability: Available
  • Year: 2017
  • Print Format: Paperback
  • Paperback Pages: 152
  • Paperback Price: $31.50
  • Paperback ISBN/EAN: 978-0-8330-9748-4
  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.7249/RR1813
  • Document Number: RR-1813-A

Citation

RAND Style Manual
O'Mahony, Angela, Thomas S. Szayna, Christopher G. Pernin, Laurinda L. Rohn, Derek Eaton, Elizabeth Bodine-Baron, Joshua Mendelsohn, Osonde A. Osoba, Sherry Oehler, Katharina Ley Best, and Leila Bighash, The Global Landpower Network: Recommendations for Strengthening Army Engagement, RAND Corporation, RR-1813-A, 2017. As of September 20, 2024: https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR1813.html
Chicago Manual of Style
O'Mahony, Angela, Thomas S. Szayna, Christopher G. Pernin, Laurinda L. Rohn, Derek Eaton, Elizabeth Bodine-Baron, Joshua Mendelsohn, Osonde A. Osoba, Sherry Oehler, Katharina Ley Best, and Leila Bighash, The Global Landpower Network: Recommendations for Strengthening Army Engagement. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2017. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR1813.html. Also available in print form.
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The research described in this report was sponsored by the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command Army Capabilities Integration Center and conducted within the Strategy, Doctrine, and Resources Program within the RAND Arroyo Center.

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