Army Chemical Review presents professional information about Chemical Corps functions related to chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, smoke, flame, and civil support operations.
Issue link: https://chemical.epubxp.com/i/759309
8 Army Chemical Review Consequences of Change There are many historical examples of armies that have lost battles due to their failure to grasp the best or most effective strategies and operational tech- niques. One example involves the French forces in early World War II. The French automotive industry was the second-most-prolific producer of armor dur- ing the prewar period, exceeded only by the So- viet Union. The premier French tank, the 37-millimeter-equipped SOMUA S35, was of a superior design. In comparison to French armored tanks, German tanks of that time were under-gunned, equipped primarily with twin machine guns and weak, 20-millimeter cannons. In addition, about 80 percent of the French tanks lacked ra- dios due to the French battle doctrine of the day. Yet, the Germans defeated the French. The French failed to grasp the potential of armored vehicles in a combined arms team. Their tac- tics were in deliberate and slow support of the infantry. The German advantage was not su- perior equipment, but superior doctrine, orga- nization, training, and integration of material support and aggressive leadership. In early 1940, the bal- ance was tipped in favor of the French and their allies but a well-trained, well-led, and adequately supplied, yet under- gunned, German armored force swept the field and astound- ed observers from around the world. This could happen to the U.S. Army. Our equipment is equal or superior to any force in the world, but we could lose if we fail to modernize our training, doctrine, and equipment. Challenge of the Human Dimension U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) Pamphlet 525-3-7, The U.S. Con- cept, is a must-read document for all leaders. It paints a picture of the complex challenges that the Army will face in the future. As mentioned in Chapter 2, "The future op- erational environment will present Army leaders with complexity. Threats will manifest themselves in combina- tions of regular, irregular, terrorist, and criminal elements. These threats will have access to sophisticated technologies such as robots, unmanned vehicles (aerial and ground), and possibly weapons of mass destruction. They will merge cy- ber and electronic warfare capabilities to enable them to op- erate from disparate locations. Additionally, they may hide among the people in complex terrain to thwart the Army's conventional combat overmatch. Adding to this complexity is continued urbanization and affordable access to social me- dia. The resulting 'rising velocity of human interaction' will make it more difficult to completely understand events or to predict the aftermath of any incident. Army leaders may become overwhelmed with information and face multiple di- lemmas in shorter periods. This complex environment will therefore require future Army professionals to perform at a higher level." 1 According to a re- cent Columbia Broad- casting System (CBS) article, the U.S. educa- tion system is failing to prepare young Ameri- cans for the future. An estimated 75 percent of the U.S. youth popu- lation (age 17–24) is ineligible for military service based on today's standards. Many potential recruits lack basic skills in math, reading, and writing, despite hav- ing a high school diploma. In some school districts, as many as 80 percent of high school graduates require remedial work to perform successfully in college. 2 This means that the competition for capable high school graduates will be intense in an environment where Soldiers must work with increasingly complex, technology-rich weapons and informa- tion management systems to compete on the future battle- field. As the Army makes adjustments to its doctrine, organi- zation, training, materiel, leadership and education, per- sonnel, and facilities (DOTMLPF) to meet the needs of the 2025 battlefield, it must develop a balance between cogni- tive, physical, and moral development on one hand and the "As the Army makes adjustments to its doc- trine, organization, training, materiel, leader- ship and education, personnel, and facilities (DOTMLPF) to meet the needs of the 2025 battle- field, it must develop a balance between cogni- tive, physical, and moral development on one hand and the procurement of new weapons and associated capabilities on the other."