Army Force Structure and Regional Combatant Commander Requirements

• Main Author: Wilcox, Paul J.
• Other Authors: ARMY COMMAND AND GENERAL STAFF COLL FORT LEAVENWORTH KS
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2008
• Subjects: Military Forces and Organizations; *MEASURES OF EFFECTIVENESS; *QUANTITY; *ARMY PERSONNEL; *MILITARY FORCE LEVELS; *ACTIVE DUTY; *MILITARY REQUIREMENTS; ARMY PLANNING; MILITARY COMMANDERS; ARMY; MILITARY CAPABILITIES; THREATS; NATIONAL SECURITY; DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE; THESES; *ARMY FORCE STRUCTURE; *REGIONAL COMBATANT COMMANDERS; ARFORGEN(ARMY FORCE GENERATION); ARMY FORCE DEVELOPMENT; CONTEMPORARY OPERATING ENVIRONMENT; ARMY ENDSTRENGTH; ARMY CAPABILITIES; BCT(BRIGADE COMBAT TEAMS); CENTCOM(US CENTRAL COMMAND); EUCOM(US EUROPEAN COMMAND); NORTHCOM(US NORTHERN COMMAND); PACOM(US PACIFIC COMMAND); Pacific; NORTHCOM
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA501890; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA501890

The Department of Defense requested an increase of 74,200 soldiers to the Army in January 2007 to meet strategic demands, mitigate capability issues, and relieve the pressure of constant deployments on soldiers and families. The increase was approved and became the "Grow the Army" initiative. General George Casey, Army Chief of Staff, announced to Congress in February 2008 during "The Army Posture Statement (TAPS)" that the Army will increase its end strength more quickly than originally planned so that it can meet Regional Combatant Commander requirements. The primary research question seeks to determine if the 2007 increase in Army forces will provide Regional Combatant Commanders with the force size and capabilities required to affect their respective operational environments. The primary research question is as follows: "Is Army force structure adequate to meet operational environment challenges faced by Regional Combatant Commanders?" To answer this question, this thesis endeavors to understand how Army force structure is developed, how Regional Combatant Commanders meet national requirements, and how force structure adequacy is measured. The original document contains color images.