Budget Cuts and Army Essay

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Force Management System or FMS Utility exists due to the complex array of people existing within the army. These people have one or more of an assortment of skills and access to several millions of items of equipment. An organized system for the documentation of how much is authorized and what is required is put in place to keep things in order. Taking that into consideration, the force development process and its five phases keeps coordinated efforts in order as shown in the "Gen. Odierno AUSA Winter Symposium" reading. To begin, there was a mention of Odierno having difficulty turning a "1.1 million-man Army and another 250,000 civilians in a direction"[footnoteRef:1]. [1: U.S. Army,. "Feb. 24, 2012 - Gen. Odierno AUSA Winter Symposium." Www.Army.Mil. Last modified 2016. Accessed November 8, 2016. https://www.army.mil/article/74650/Feb__24__2012___Gen__Odierno_AUSA_Winter_Symposium.]

First, it important to understand how an army runs within the five phases. The first phases 1 and 2 are to develop capabilities and design organization. Phases 3,4, and 5 are develop organizational models, determine organizational models, and document authorizations. Phases 3,4, and 5 are seen within the context of the article and require more explanation to assess the readings impact on each applicable phase. Phase three has keep players which are USASOC, USAFMA, and MEDCOM. They used the organizations designed in phase 2 following the requirements based on rules, policy, and doctrine and BOIP/TOE requirement to go into the DA Approval and then the next phase, Phase 4. Phase 4's players are the Organizational Integration Team and they follow BOIP/TOE requirements, then resourcing factors, and then aim for an affordable and balanced force structure before DA Approval and Phase 5. Phase 5 has OCS, G-37, and FMSA/USA players and aim towards an affordable, balanced force structure and then the authorization of documents. Going back to Phase 3, the holistic approach within this phase is to create requirements based on desired Army and Joint warfighting competences versus recognized deficits. With this approach, there is full consideration of Army functions and operations. Furthermore, in this phase, there is a change in desirable domain with materiel being the least needed for alteration due to acquisition schedules and expenses. There is also employment within a multidisciplinary framework to integrate capabilities to a higher degree. Phase 4 is where the DOD performs an ongoing change and upgrade in the manner it fights to maintain battlefield advantage against all enemies to accomplish complementary capabilities with other countries. Phase 5 provides final assessment via a series of seminar wargames through the capstone concept. Such concepts refine the foundation for experimentation, studies simulations, and analyses.

Odierno discusses in the article the need for the Army's formations to continue standing watch on the Balkans, the Middle East, and the Korean Peninsula. He also notes and repeats, they continue to offer crucial executive and institutional agent support throughout the world that enables in a major way, the Joint Force. With a mission to win the country's wars, there is a need for the army to be innovative, agile, flexible, adaptive, synchronized, integrated, and lethal. There is also a need to pause for reflection to observe the various processes existing within such a dynamic and complex system. Odierno shares the new processes added that will provide information for serious decisions concerning force design soon like TRACDOC, combat modeling, and sufficiency analysis. With a decreasing military force, the three phases discussed in the previous paragraph will be affected not just be a reduction in personnel numbers, but also in the latest use of new techniques, and the need to have a high success rate. Assessment will become key along with ability to provide adaptability and flexibility.

Question F104

The first reading covers the Defense Acquisition System. It exists to assist in the management of the country's investment in programs, product support, and technologies required to support the U.S. Armed Forces and accomplish the National Security Strategy. The DOD's investment strategy must be postured to support today and tomorrow's forces, shaping the main aim of defense acquisition. This is where things can be adjusted to suit the needs of the ongoing demand.

The main objective is to collect quality products that placate user needs with marked enhancements to operational provision and mission ability within a judicious manner and at a reasonable, fair price. Getting things cheap and fast is the objective for many businesses and organizations. However, this can be difficult to achieve due to the 'pick two' dilemma. The goal of finding a 'good, fast, and cheap' tool or resource is near impossible because most the time, only two of the three objectives are fulfilled.

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An example the reading provides is the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. Advances within the rapid acquisition area typically offered very fast and good materiel at an expensive price. Due to the budget reductions as well as the drawdown, the emphasis went from fast and very good to cheap and good, forcing the change to go towards longer lead times and deliberate planning, removing the goal of 'fast'. With continued cutbacks and ongoing reductions, the emphasis on 'good' and 'cheap' continues, impacting the way the DOD handles and makes decisions regarding acquiring materiel. The DOD has three main decision support systems that deals with cost (cheap), schedule (fast), and performance (good). Since budgetary concerns are a main concern, any decisions in the schedule aspect must go in the way of slow and take into consideration the longer than planned times to receive materiel to get them cheaply and in good working order. Adjustments must then be made to plan long-term for the Defense Acquisition System and allow the JCIDS and PPBES continue planning for cost-efficient, good condition, materiel acquisition. There is no need at this point in time to adjust the emphasis on acquiring materiel at the prototype or mature stage as this ensures it can meet the 'good' requirements. Neither is the aim to find versatile affordable materiel. The adjustments must fall within the area of equipping units and soldiers with required equipment in a manner that meets deadline, but takes into consideration longer wait times.

How can these adjustments to DAS be made? The reading provides a pre-systems acquisition, systems acquisition, and sustainment parts of the DAS system. Notable changes to process include the introduction of novel program procedures and structures better custom-made to the leading features of the acquired product as well as unique program conditions like urgency and risk. This led to creation of six product-tailored, novel acquisition models. The one to be adjusted is Model 4: Accelerated Acquisition Program. This is because the emphasis on 'good' and 'cheap' is further pressed due to budgetary concerns. Therefore, the model can stand to include non-materiel solutions. Non-materiel solutions may help address time-sensitive matters without having to spend more on new materiel solutions. Non-materiel solutions may involve repair, maintenance, or recapitalization. Part of recapitalization is keeping the same model, but injecting it with new life, or getting a new model. In conclusion, the army must deal with new problems every day. The DOD handles acquisition of materiel and has a system in place to help acquire materiel that is 'cheap, good, and fast'. However, recent times have demanded focus on 'cheap and good' and therefore, inclusion of non-materiel solutions may provide the adjustments needed to continue delivering.

Question F105

GEN Odierno in the F105 reading covers the current situation of the U.S. Army, discussing the budget cuts and drawdown. The reality of the situation that lies ahead is the lack of available equipment, training capability, and personnel to maintain and source every unit to the readiness levels standards that were seen in the past. For the next three years, the readiness issue will take center stage and may impact greatly the Army's ability to respond in the manner it is expected to. For the Army to meet the demands place on it, it must form and implement mitigation processes and strategies aimed at supporting the sourcing of what the reading calls 'the right units at the right times'. The newly proposed Army force generation model is a means of achieving the 'right units at the right times' to show the U.S. Army can handle and adapt to the new changes and obstacles it is currently facing and will face soon. However, some may argue the Army force generation model may not offer suitable manned, trained, and equipped Army forces that will meet global requirements.

The Army Force Management Model consists of three main areas. The first is strategy and capability development. The second is force development. The third is force integration. This model is already something the Army uses along with readiness mitigation strategies. There are main areas covered in readiness mitigation strategies. They are: manning, equipping, training, and sustaining. Manning entails use of the Total Force Policy along with integration of AC/RC personnel management. Equipping uses Documentation and Readiness Reporting. Essentially what this section covers are Army goals like mitigating risks of capability deficits and assessing how the Army should….....

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