"The Army (The US) Needs"

[Kirkhill]

I came across this article via the comments on Iraq the Model.

I presume some of you have already seen it.  I am still digesting it but I like what I see so far.  It looks every bit as applicable to the CF.  Written by Tom Donnelly for the Weekly Standard in April.

http://weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/013/696spjpr.asp?pg=1

The Army We Need
We can't fight The Long War with the forces we have.
by Tom Donnelly
06/04/2007, Volume 012, Issue 36

....To properly size and shape American land forces--so that the Marine Corps and the Army complement each other--we must answer five questions.

What is the Mission?
What Kind of War?
What Kind of Force?
How Much Is Enough?
The Costs...."


The entire article is predicated on "The Long War".

 

[pbi]

Very interesting piece. IMHO, we have suffered and struggled (on a much smaller scale) with many of the same issues, although thankfully we do not have to worry about two different land force generators. Most of the common sense in the article is pretty well understood throughout the CF (particularly in the Army). IMHO, we were fortunate in that due to our relative poverty over the last few decades, we were never able to stray far from the tactical realm. While this had drawbacks, it did mean that we continued to train and equip at the levels that are most heavily engaged in what Donnelly calls the "Long War". As well, as much as we now malign our peacekeeping/peeace enforcement experience, I am quite certain that there were good things learned at the tactical that we are able to apply now.

One thing I do wonder about though: absent a return to conscription (which Donnelly probably rightly dismisses) and given the serious recruiting difficulties faced by the US Army (it recently started accepting the lowest category of recruit permitted by US law) how does the author imagine that the Army could be made significantly bigger, and then sustained at the new strength level? Where would these people come from?

Cheers

 

[KevinB]

Where would these people come from?

Canada 

 

[Jacqueline]

Are we allowed to join the American army?

 

[Kirkhill]

Where would these people come from?

Cheers

I still like the idea of "Foreign Legions" - "Gurkha Brigades" - "Takjik, Pashtun and Baluchi Brigades" wearing Canadian or other OECD flags?

 

[medaid]

Are we allowed to join the American army?

Yes, provided that you meet the requirements. Trades offered will be extremely limited, because you cannot get a security clearance, same thing with officer trades. You will not be able to become an officer, until you have gained your citizenship.

If you have a criminal conviction or criminal record, you can pretty much forget about it. You won't be let in the country if you've got a record.

 

[tomahawk6]

We dont have a problem recruiting because of the serious bonus money anywhere from $10,000 - 40,000 or more if Congress approves bonus increases. Retention is also very high again thanks to generous bonus money. The real issue that may limit recruiting is the poor state of education among the prime age group 17-24.