Considering a Cadre Augmented Army - RAND Corporation
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Considering a Cadre Augmented Army - RAND Corporation

Considering a Cadre Augmented Army - RAND Corporation Considering a Cadre Augmented Army - RAND Corporation

rand.org
07.06.2014 Views

-174- An Operational Analysis of Cadre first priority of preparing their own unit for mobilization. They would not spend as much time focusing on higher-level training exercises and would lack experience with their unit’s equipment, unless this equipment was also used for training. Third, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) currently provides the instructors to train new recruits. Creating domestic training cadre units would require reorganizing the TRADOC individual training system to allow cadre leaders to train new recruits. 3.1.3—Foreign Training Cadre Units Another potential duty to assign to cadre leaders in peacetime is training of foreign armies. Since the end of the Cold War, the United States has been expanding its role in training and equipping foreign militaries. 47 Before 9/11, these programs were focused on “improving human rights conditions in foreign military institutions, strengthening democracy, and increasing U.S. military interaction with foreign governments.” 48 Since 9/11, the United States has broadened its focus to aid countries facing threats from terrorist organizations. 49 This has increased the requirement for foreign military trainers. Historically, these duties have been assigned to special operating forces (SOF). However, with the increased requirement for trainers due to the Global War on Terror and the difficulty of increasing the size of the SOF, 50 the need for regular army and reserve personnel to perform these types of missions has increased. This is expressed in the Army’s counterinsurgency field manual: “The scope and scale of training programs today and the scale of programs ____________ 47 Lumpe (2002) 48 Garcia (2002) 49 These missions are generally referred to as “Foreign Internal Defense” (FID) [Nagl (2007), p. 3] 50 In 2006, the GAO questioned the ability of DoD to increase the size of the Special Operations Forces: “Given the military services’ inability to fill current and past positions in their special operations forces specialties, it may be increasingly difficult to meet DOD’s plan to increase the number of special operations forces through fiscal year 2011.” [GAO (2006b), p. 22]

-175- An Operational Analysis of Cadre likely to be required in the future has grown exponentially. While Foreign Internal Defense (FID) has been traditionally the primary responsibility of special operating forces (SOF), training foreign forces is now a core competency of regular and reserve units of all Services.” 51 To perform these duties, some analysts have proposed a permanent Advisor Corps in the AC. 52 This task is also well suited to cadre leaders during peacetime. 53 Like the domestic training cadre unit, the major advantage of the foreign training cadre unit is that the cadre unit has a peacetime task that is useful to the army. This can both lower the peacetime cost of each cadre unit and increase the proficiency of its leaders. The cost would be lower only if the U.S. Army was planning to invest resources into foreign army training, such as the permanent advisor corps. This type of unit would also increase the proficiency of cadre leaders only if they would be teaching skills that they would use in leading their own units and some of their time was spent directing junior personnel in unit level exercises. The disadvantages of foreign training cadre units are similar to those for the domestic training cadre units. First, foreign army training cadre units would require that the United States either reduce foreign army training or find new personnel to staff these units when cadre units are mobilized in wartime. Priorities shift during wartime and the DoD might be willing to forgo some foreign army training, but this needs to be carefully ____________ 51 Department of the Army (2006), p. 6-3. 52 Nagl (2007); Korb and Bergmann (2007), p. 23. Hoehn and Ochmanek (2008) argued that “the Army should be directed to designate a substantial number of its brigade combat teams (perhaps one-third or more of the active duty force) as advisory assistance units.” The Marine Corps and Air Force already have permanent adviser units. [Drohan and Nagl (2008)] As of early 2008, foreign army training has become a DoD priority. In April 2008, the Pentagon requested an increase in funding for foreign army training and equipment by 250 percent. [Shanker (2008)] 53 Some cadre-like units have already been used for this purpose: “In 2006, the Army centralized training for transition teams at Fort Riley, Kansas- initially giving the training mission to two cadre heavy brigade combat teams.” [Nagl (2007), p. 5]. It is unclear what is meant by “cadre” in referring to these two heavy BCTs.

-174- An Operational Analysis of <strong>Cadre</strong><br />

first priority of preparing their own unit for mobilization. They would not spend as much<br />

time focusing on higher-level training exercises and would lack experience with their unit’s<br />

equipment, unless this equipment was also used for training. Third, U.S. <strong>Army</strong> Training and<br />

Doctrine Command (TRADOC) currently provides the instructors to train new recruits.<br />

Creating domestic training cadre units would require reorganizing the TRADOC individual<br />

training system to allow cadre leaders to train new recruits.<br />

3.1.3—Foreign Training <strong>Cadre</strong> Units<br />

Another potential duty to assign to cadre leaders in peacetime is training of foreign<br />

armies. Since the end of the Cold War, the United States has been expanding its role in<br />

training and equipping foreign militaries. 47 Before 9/11, these programs were focused on<br />

“improving human rights conditions in foreign military institutions, strengthening<br />

democracy, and increasing U.S. military interaction with foreign governments.” 48 Since 9/11,<br />

the United States has broadened its focus to aid countries facing threats from terrorist<br />

organizations. 49 This has increased the requirement for foreign military trainers. Historically,<br />

these duties have been assigned to special operating forces (SOF). However, with the<br />

increased requirement for trainers due to the Global War on Terror and the difficulty of<br />

increasing the size of the SOF, 50 the need for regular army and reserve personnel to perform<br />

these types of missions has increased. This is expressed in the <strong>Army</strong>’s counterinsurgency<br />

field manual: “The scope and scale of training programs today and the scale of programs<br />

____________<br />

47 Lumpe (2002)<br />

48 Garcia (2002)<br />

49 These missions are generally referred to as “Foreign Internal Defense” (FID) [Nagl (2007), p. 3]<br />

50 In 2006, the GAO questioned the ability of DoD to increase the size of the Special Operations Forces:<br />

“Given the military services’ inability to fill current and past positions in their special operations forces<br />

specialties, it may be increasingly difficult to meet DOD’s plan to increase the number of special operations<br />

forces through fiscal year 2011.” [GAO (2006b), p. 22]

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