The given report features the readiness status of the ‘Daager’ Brigade Combat Team of Infantry division stationed in Kansas. The report aims to measure the Brigade’s efforts to meet new standards as the Brigade is to go to Germany where it will serve on a regular basis instead of a wartime readiness model the Brigade currently adheres to. The largest problem the Brigade’s efforts meet is the issue of personnel as the demands of the service often run counter to those of a unit. Moreover, given the fact that the US military is shrinking, the margin between readiness and unreadiness is minimal and it is essential not to let it become non-existent.
The purpose is to determine the Brigade’s tasks once it is in Europe and elaborate on the ways the Brigade will meet training challenges. The Brigade is to prepare to wage warfare against Russia to help NATO’s efforts to deter Russia. The main challenge is a high personnel turnover and a number of vacancies with no people of experience to fill them. Thus, the officers say that “The limited number of soldiers to fill slots across the service is a core cause of Dagger’s personnel instability and skill level mismatches” (Donelli & Cunningham, p. 7). Within the Brigade, there are no personnel to carry out specific tasks and the shortage of equipment becomes pronounced.
The scope of this case study features the challenges that the Brigade training faces in an attempt to meet its aims. The challenge with training lies in the fact that there is a constant rotation of personnel which makes it nearly impossible to provide soldiers with fully-fledged training. The training schedule is inadequate because the Brigade has to balance HRC’s schedule and US Forces Command. Moreover, the soldiers are rotated across units that have specific demands for personnel training. As commanders have no clear understanding of what replacements in terms of personnel and equipment they will receive, it becomes difficult to plan training sessions.
Interviews with officers of the brigade reveal that the heavy turnover rates and the absence of personnel in many key positions lead to the loss of competence. While earlier soldiers had 15 years of experience, currently 12 years is becoming a new norm (Donelli & Cunningham). Without support from the division, the Brigade has to rely on its personnel to support Danger Focus and the NTC rotation.
The brigade practices with heavy military equipment, that is why the training process is complex and the rotation problem is especially acute. In an armoured formation, this problem becomes especially relevant as cohesion suffers due to the rotation processes. Moreover, underfinancing in recent years has caused the depletion of the brigade’s warehouses with spare parts for heavy equipment it uses. This, in its turn, has led to cannibalism across units for spare parts. The cases when a tank is sacrificed for spare parts are not rare. Thus, the officers claim that “the company keeps a tank on ice as the source of the parts for its other 13 Abrams” (Donelli & Cunningham, p. 6). The current situation in the Brigade causes frustration in officer ranks. The suggestion is that the commandment provides a stable supply of spare parts, more training time, and consistency in the training of soldiers to lend the Brigade more competence in deterring Russia.
Reference
Donelli & Cunningham (2017) Dagger Brigade Case Study. American Enterprise Institute.