As our Army draws down from more than a

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1 TRADOC: Leading the Transition By GEN Robert W. Cone Commanding General, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command As our Army draws down from more than a decade of war, we at the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) are turning our attention towards the challenges and opportunities the United States faces in the next two decades. Although a decade of combat is ending, the Army s operational tempo will likely remain high. Our Army will remain engaged in combating terrorism, providing humanitarian assistance, maintaining homeland defense and building the capacity of our international partners. Simultaneously, the Army s role as part of the Department of Defense s strategy of sustaining U.S. global leadership means we must always stand ready to defeat any state, non-state, or hybrid threat to the United States or its vital interests. TRA- DOC s mission is ensuring that the Army confronts these challenges with the October 2012 ARMY 81

Training and Doctrine Command is making all new doctrinal publications web-based, accessible via mobile devices and easily updated. GEN Robert W. Cone is the commanding general, U.S.

GEN Cone also commanded the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif.

2 Training and Doctrine Command is making all new doctrinal publications web-based, accessible via mobile devices and easily updated. GEN Robert W. Cone is the commanding general, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va. Before that he served as commander, III Corps and Fort Hood, Texas, and deputy commanding general-operations for U.S. Forces-Iraq. GEN Cone also commanded the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif., and has served in command and joint staff positions in Iraq and Afghanistan as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, where he was commissioned as an Armor officer, he holds master s degrees in sociology from the University of Texas at Austin and in national security and strategic studies from the Naval War College. best-trained and most capable soldiers in the world while also making certain our Army goes forward with the right structure and appropriate doctrine. In short, when our nation calls we must be confident that our Army is ready. This transition will not be easy, as it is taking place during a period of rapid global change and with the full expectation that we face years of constrained resourcing ahead. I am confident, however, that the best Army this nation has ever fielded soldiers who have been victorious on hundreds of battlefields in the past decade will meet and overcome all future challenges with the same spirit and confidence demonstrated in the trying years behind us. As the only Army organization positioned to integrate every aspect of the Army s transition, TRADOC is looking to the future even as it maintains its top priority of supporting the current fight. By improving our institutional focus on the tenets of the Army profession and by continuing to redesign training, education and leader development initiatives, TRADOC has already begun moving forward with programs that are shaping the soldiers of 2020 the human transition. Moreover, as the architect of the future, TRADOC is developing and integrating the concepts, organizations and materiel the future force requires the structural transition. Even as we look to the future, though, a large portion of TRADOC s focus remains fixed on the present. We understand that executing the transition to the Army of 2020 cannot add to the risks confronted by the current force, especially those still engaged in overseas contingency operations. TRADOC is, therefore, developing the capabilities required for the future force, while remaining adaptive and responsive to the nation s and Army s immediate needs. Adaptable and Efficient During the last decade, TRADOC repeatedly demonstrated its adaptability and efficiency by reducing military manpower, expanding capacity and reorganizing for greater performance while continuing to innovate. For instance, to help meet the Army s rapid expansion requirements post- 9/11, TRADOC transferred more than 6,000 soldiers to the operating force, replacing them with civilians. Despite large reductions in military manpower, TRADOC increased its annual training and education load by more than 200,000, while simultaneously meeting significantly increased collective training requirements in support of deploying brigades. Since then, there has been no letup in the operational tempo. In fiscal year (FY) 2012, TRADOC trained more than 700,000 soldiers and deployed 1,312 mobile training teams. Since 2003, TRADOC has remained at the forefront of the Army s adaptation to the threats soldiers face in combat, making major changes to soldier initial military training as well as noncommissioned officer (NCO) and officer professional military education. Such continuing adaptation of the Army s training and education systems, while simultaneously supporting current contingencies, remains crucial to combat success and remains TRADOC s priority. Maintaining this support, however, as well as our capability to expand the Army rapidly for future contingencies, suggests the need to reassign military personnel back to the institutional Army. While the Army rebalances its resources, TRADOC is moving out to confront and master the changing environment, thereby ensuring our Army s ability to seize opportunities and overcome any potential threat on the horizon. For instance, TRADOC has already led the conceptual change from battle command to the more appropriate Mission Command a concept whereby commanders accomplish missions across the full range of military operations through the disciplined initiative of subordinates operating within the structure of the commander s intent. To assist in the defining and promulgating of Mission Command concepts, we have established the Mission Command Center of Excellence at Fort Leavenworth, Kan. This center is tasked to fully realize the potential power of Mission Command 82 ARMY October 2012

across the combined arms maneuver force by 2020. Other centers of excellence (COE), such as the Maneuver COE at Fort Benning, Ga.

3 across the combined arms maneuver force by Other centers of excellence (COE), such as the Maneuver COE at Fort Benning, Ga., which combines the infantry and armor centers, are cost-effectively integrating and enhancing the capabilities of branches with interdependent and reinforcing roles and functions. The Human Transition The principles underpinning the Army profession are the foundation of the human transition of the Army of In our first Army Profession Report, issued in April, we examined these precepts in detail. This report is the most comprehensive study ever conducted on the Army profession, with more than 40,000 respondents from all cohorts across the Army. We asked our young warfighters what needed attention, and they told us: Enforce our standards and values, and integrate more Army culture into our unit activities. This report provides the basic framework for ensuring that the best Army this nation has ever fielded remains the preeminent military force of the 21st century. The report also makes clear that achieving this goal requires that the Army get the human side of our transition right, something TRADOC is doing by capitalizing on the strengths and dedication of America s soldiers. Training and educating our junior ranks, however, are not sufficient to ensure future success. We must also prepare our current crop of officers and NCOs for the responsibilities and complex challenges of senior leadership. This means increasing broadening opportunities such as civilian graduate school, fellowships and scholarships to create strategic leaders with experiences outside of tactical units. We must take our leaders out of their comfort zones. We should challenge them with new and different ideas and immerse them in other cultures so that they are prepared to operate in the joint, interagency, intergovernmental and multinational environments of the future. TRADOC is preparing the institutional changes for managing the Army s current talent better. We are expanding beyond just managing the very best to include more precise management of the vast pool of other talented officers and NCOs. For mid-grade officers, the Army is preparing to institute a selection process for the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC). The Army has also largely returned to two-year battalion and brigade command tours. This change provides many officers with an opportunity for senior command experience, while ensuring the continuity required for creating effective units. As we do this, TRADOC is also adapting distance-learning programs so that those who are not resident CGSC students receive the education required for future service and advancement. Another critical component of the human transition is developing the broad concepts from which Army doctrine flows. We reinvigorated this process in TRADOC by republishing The Army Capstone Concept and The United States Army Operating Concept this year. Their publication initiates a development cycle that renews all Army concepts every two years. To ensure that doctrine remains relevant and effective in the future, TRADOC initiated the Doctrine 2015 campaign. This initiative, which completed delivery of the 29 foundational manuals in August, is developing and delivering concise, relevant and adaptable doctrine to the field. Doctrine 2015 is not, however, a top-to-bottom directive. Instead, we enlisted our superb warfighters to supply their creative contributions and combat lessons learned to ensure our doctrine remains effective and relevant. Our goal is to provide relevant doctrine to the field in a timely manner so that soldiers never again think it necessary to search outside the Army s resident body of professional knowledge on uncertified websites. To accomplish this, TRADOC is partnering with the operating force and assembling the foremost experts across the Army, who bring with them years of warfighting experience. By using these experienced soldiers to update old doctrine and create new doctrine, TRADOC is demonstrating commitment to using uniformed members to maintain our unique body of professional knowledge. Doctrine 2015 starts with the foundational Army Doctrinal Publications (ADP), led by ADP 3-0 Unified Land Operations, which provides the Army s immutable principles for the conduct of decisive action across the range of military operations. A limited number of more detailed Army doctrinal reference publications enable these foundational pub- Soldiers can enhance their individual and collective skills with virtual training, which exposes them to a variety of scenarios in a short amount of time. 84 ARMY October 2012

4 lications. Each of these documents is easily comprehensible so that every soldier is operating on the same understanding of current doctrine. They are all of manageable size, present information as concisely as possible, and are easily updatable. Finally, TRADOC is making all new doctrinal publications web-based and accessible via mobile devices, and will support them with wiki-like collaborative products that allow rapid updates based on lessons from the field. We realize that the classroom and training experiences of the past cannot further enhance our Army of combat-experienced professionals; with that in mind, TRADOC is making changes designed to capture the imagination of this generation s combat leaders. Rather than the continued use of fictitious scenarios and threats in our training, we are exciting leaders through the regional alignment of units so that they can concentrate their training on preparing for operations in a real environment. As part of this process, creative leaders are again designing and developing their own training based on years of personal combat experience. The Training Brain Operations Center supports their efforts by assimilating real-world data into scenarios for training and designed more than 71 training scenarios this year. Much of the Army s success over the last decade is the result of the tremendous leadership demonstrated by our officers and NCOs. In upcoming years, however, as we conclude combat operations in Afghanistan, we will rapidly lose that combat experience in the junior grades. By 2020, only the senior officers and NCOs in a battalion will likely have combat experience. Leaders must therefore design and execute training and educational events so that experienced soldiers are able to coach, teach and mentor those who have not seen combat. Adapting Army Learning Courses with a focus on collaborative, problemcentered experiences rather than instructor-centered lectures. Learning tailored to the individual s experience and competence level. Career-long learning at the point of need. Soldier-created content (wikis, applications). Advanced civil schooling opportunities for instructors before teaching. Civilian university partnerships. Professional certification. Expanded 22-day Warrior Leaders Course. In the institutional domain, the Army learning model is changing our approach to Army education. It provides context-based, collaborative, problem-centered education well suited to today s experienced leaders and soldiers. As we shape institutional training, TRADOC is also deliberately transferring hard-won battlefield knowledge to those new soldiers and officers who join the force over the next few years. Mission-Focused Training Return ownership to unit commanders. Real-world scenarios driven by the regional alignment of units. Integrated training environment blending live, virtual and constructive training. Integrating the human aspects of complex environments (culture, language, capacity building, information and influence). Mission focused Mission Command across the range of military operations. Master transitions. Combat training center-like experience at home station. In addition, TRADOC is fostering groundbreaking initiatives in training by developing combat training center-like training environments at units home stations and through the networked blending of live, virtual and constructive training events. These innovations, coupled with regional alignment of units, will provide soldiers and leaders with relevant, challenging and effective home-station training. By focusing on learning at the point of need and the implementation of digital training applications, TRADOC is leading the way to a significantly improved training experience for the Army of The Structural Transition TRADOC remains uniquely positioned to lead the Army s transition from strategy formulation to concept and requirements development to capabilities integration, structural design, and assessment. Such end-to-end integration remains crucial in creating an Army ready to meet the dangerous challenges of an uncertain future. In this regard, we have already revised the Army Capstone Concept and the Army Operating Concept to integrate them with new defense strategic guidance and the capstone concept for joint operations. In doing so, TRADOC has supplied the fundamental ideas necessary for the completion of the Joint Operational Access Concept (JOAC). Presently, the JOAC is designed to get American forces into a zone of conflict but still seeks to answer the big so what question: What do we do once we get there? The Gain and Maintain Access Concept, developed with the Marines, answers the first part of that question by describing how we will establish contact. The Army s unified land operations doctrine, which details how the Army as part of a joint force will meet national objectives once access is gained, covers Army actions after making contact. Throughout history, getting ashore was only the first step in meeting national policy goals. Final success has always rested on the U.S. military s capability to defeat the enemy once we have arrived. It is also worth noting that no war was ever won by air or sea operations alone. Such decisive actions have always been, and will always remain, the province of landpower. 86 ARMY October 2012

5 Even in an increasingly resource-constrained environment, the Army must remain capable of providing the essential element of success. We must act intelligently as we reduce the force and build the future Army we need, without reducing that force s effectiveness. Such structuring activities remain TRADOC s foremost concern, and our solutions incorporate much of what we have learned during this last decade of combat. For instance, although it is clear that the modular approach and the resulting increase in brigade combat teams (BCTs) provided strategic flexibility, the loss of a combat battalion in each modular BCT was not an optimal trade-off. As a result, we are examining adding a maneuver battalion to each Infantry and Armored BCT (along with critical enablers) even at the cost of reducing the number of BCTs. In short, we are not going to cut in a way that breaks the force. Rather, we are building using an investment approach so that we can rapidly expand if called upon to do so. TRA- DOC will execute the Army s structural transition so that we end up with more capable and more tailorable forces than we have today. Another important initiative is the Agile Capabilities Lifecycle Process, which transforms how the Army acquires and fields equipment. This process uses a series of soldier-led, semi-annual operational evaluations of systems to find effective solutions for operational gaps in the interest of rapidly getting crucial equipment to the warfighter. Through this agile process, the Army is capitalizing on technological advances and accelerating network modernization to speeds far exceeding traditional acquisition strategies. Crucially, during this period of constrained resources, agile acquisition processes have already saved the Army nearly $6 billion. This effort is led by the Brigade Modernization Command (BMC), reinforced through a partnership with the U.S. Army Forces Command, which is providing the 2nd BCT from 1st Armored Division, and ensures that combat-experienced operators and units have input into the process. The BMC is also working with the Army Test and Evaluation Command and Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology to integrate and assess further emerging Agile Capabilities Lifecycle Process Allowed the Army to restructure programs, terminate others and reallocate resources, already providing a cost savings of more than $6 billion. Brings together industry, testers, developers and soldiers in a field environment early and often in the process. Adaptive and integrated Network Integration Evaluation (NIE) of capabilities semi-annually. Conducted NIE 12.2 in spring of NIE 12.2 validated the baseline for Capability Set 13, which will be fielded to eight BCTs starting in October NIE 12.2 evaluated three Systems Under Test and 36 government and industry Systems Under Evaluation, including Warfighter Information Network-Tactical Increment 2, Joint Enterprise Network Management and Joint Tactical Radio System. capabilities. Through such partnerships and the input of soldiers in the field, the BMC is providing the integral link for the Army s adaptation and modernization efforts. It has become the crucial capability necessary to guarantee that future BCTs can decisively accomplish any assigned mission. TRADOC Support to the Joint Force Even as we become the Army of 2020, we continue supporting the other services and the joint force. Through TRADOC, the Army provides critical training and education to all of the services. Last year, for instance, TRADOC trained more than 46,000 servicemembers from other services. As the joint force adapts to execute the emerging DoD strategy, TRADOC provides the joint force far more than just training support. We are also taking the lead in coordinating with joint agencies and other services for the identification and integration of jointly required capabilities. TRADOC s integration with joint wargaming, concept development and experimentation ensures that emerging Army capabilities support the joint force and the other services capabilities meet the Army s requirements. TRADOC s support to the joint force remains essential to achieving the necessary capabilities for future success. The Way Ahead to Shape the Army of 2020 Making the transition to the Army of 2020, while simultaneously confronting an array of global challenges, requires the military to carefully manage and solve complex problems. In the past, TRADOC has repeatedly demonstrated its ability to develop innovative and effective solutions for meeting such challenges. It must and will continue to do so in the future. The way ahead for TRADOC and the Army includes the integration of crucial capabilities created for the counterinsurgency campaigns during the last decade. The 2011 integration of the Asymmetric Warfare Group (AWG) into TRADOC is an example of this process. As the crown jewel for operational adaptability, AWG assists TRADOC and the Army in studying emerging battlefield threats and helps deliver solutions that prepare us for the next war zone even before conflict erupts. Through its interaction with each of the combatant commands and its immersion in regions around the globe, the AWG serves as TRADOC s global scouts, enabling us to drive change throughout the Army. Transitioning from more than a decade of large-scale combat in Iraq and Afghanistan to the Army of 2020, postured to operate in complex environments anywhere around the globe, promises to be a challenge second only to combat. TRADOC will remain the dynamic force pushing this transition as well as the central organization shaping the Army of the future. October 2012 ARMY 87

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