Army Chemical Review

SUMMER 2012

Army Chemical Review presents professional information about Chemical Corps functions related to chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, smoke, flame, and civil support operations.

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Integrating Regular Army Soldiers Directly Into RC Formations to Improve Unit Readiness available readiness within a comparable Regular Army unit of assignment that was responsible for providing Soldiers to the RC. Regular Army units not sustained at a 90 percent person- nel readiness level would not serve as RC "donors" or "bill payers." This would ensure that Regular Army and RC units were maintained at acceptable levels of readiness, that their end strengths remained constant, and that there was no impact WR SHUVRQQHO EXGJHWDU\ FRVWV /LWWOH VXEVWDQWLDO PRGL¿FDWLRQ to existing personnel management systems would be required. 7KH 5& ZRXOG VWLOO UHFUXLW DJDLQVW DQ LGHQWL¿HG DYDLODEOH ELO- OHW EXW WKH ELOOHW ZRXOG QRW EH ¿OOHG XQWLO WKH LQGLYLGXDO 5& Soldier completed advanced individual training (normally a 24-month process from enlistment to duty military occupa- WLRQDO VSHFLDOW\ TXDOL¿FDWLRQ DQG WKH Regular Army Soldier was allowed a permanent change of station to the next unit of assignment.10 R The Active Guard Reserve Program could serve as a model for providing necessary personnel and family sup- port to widely dispersed individuals assigned to community- based units. The integration of Regular Army Soldiers into the RC would ensure that an acceptable level of readiness could be UHDFKHG DQG WKDW NH\ QRQFRPPLVVLRQHG RI¿FHU GHYHORSPHQ- WDO OHDGHUVKLS SRVLWLRQV FRXOG EH ¿OOHG DW WKH WHDP VTXDG DQG SODWRRQ OHYHOV $Q DGGLWLRQDO EHQH¿W LV WKDW 5HJXODU $UP\ Soldiers would be exposed to potential RC service opportuni- ties that could be pursued following the completion of their enlistments. Opening Command and Branch-Qualifying $VVLJQPHQWV WR 5HJXODU $UP\ DQG 5& 2I¿FHUV unique characteristics, capabilities, and limitations of Regu- lar Army and RC units are better prepared to lead Soldiers in combat and meet mission objectives. And given the pre- ponderance of CBRN assets within the RC, this observation is particularly relevant for Chemical Corps leaders. To meet WKH GHYHORSPHQWDO QHHG 5HJXODU $UP\ RI¿cers should be given the option to apply and be selected for command of RC companies and battalions. Combining chemical company and battalion commands in a common pool would result in four times the number of opportunities for company com- mand and two times the number of opportunities for battalion command.11 T 5HJXODU $UP\ RI¿FHUV ZKR FRPPDQG RQO\ 5HJXODU $UP\ XQLWV DUH QRW UHTXLUHG WR GHDO ZLWK D VLJQL¿FDQW QXPEHU RI unique challenges common in RC formations. Successful RC 10 he U.S. Army has not gone to war without Regular Army–RC integration since the days of Operation Desert Shield. Commanders who understand the C units that are at less than 80 percent available strength could be brought to that level of readiness by balancing the increase against a 90 percent level of RI¿FHUV PXVW PDQDJH UHFUXLWPHQW LQGLYLGXDO WUDLQLQJ IURP initial entry through full duty military occupational specialty TXDOL¿FDWLRQ PRQWKO\ SHUVRQQHO DFFRXQWDELOLW\ XQLW WUDLQLQJ events, and the balance between military and civilian career expectations of assigned Soldiers—all distinct unit readi- QHVV FKDOOHQJHV WKDW 5HJXODU $UP\ RI¿FHUV UDUHO\ IDFH 7KHVH unique expectations are supplementary to the commonly ac- cepted leader tasks of planning, programming, and executing collective personnel, training, and sustainment readiness; tak- ing care of Soldiers; and maintaining personal professional VWDQGDUGV 5HJUHWIXOO\ PDQ\ 5& FRPPDQG ELOOHWV JR XQ¿OOHG EHFDXVH TXDOL¿HG RI¿FHUV DUH QRW DYDLODEOH $OORZLQJ 5HJXODU $UP\ RI¿FHUV WR DSSO\ DQG EH VHOHFWHG IRU FRPPDQG ELOOHWV would help mitigate this problem and simultaneously provide VLJQL¿FDQW DQG PHDQLQJIXO SURIHVVLRQDO GHYHORSPHQW RSSRUWX- QLWLHV IRU WKH 5HJXODU $UP\ RI¿FHU ,Q WKH VDPH ZD\ 5& RI¿FHUV ZRXOG EH DIIRUGHG WKH RSSRU- tunity to compete and be selected for assignment to Regular Army commands and branch-qualifying assignments through DFWLYH GXW\ RSHUDWLRQDO VXSSRUW IXQGLQJ 5& RI¿FHUV ZRXOG EHQH¿W IURP WKLV DUUDQJHPHQW E\ VHUYLQJ DV XQLW H[HFXWLYH RI¿FHUV DQG EDWWDOLRQ DQG EULJDGH RSHUDWLRQV RI¿FHUV 7KH\ would then return to their RC units with 2 or more years of valuable, intensive immersion experience in the most current CBRN tactical environment. If successful, the program could EH H[SDQGHG WR LQFOXGH VHQLRU QRQFRPPLVVLRQHG RI¿FHUV ¿UVW VHUJHDQWV DQG FRPPDQG VHUJHDQWV PDMRU WR EURDGHQ WKH 5HJX- lar Army–RC experience pool. Requiring Annual Regular Army–RC Collective Training for All CBRN Operational Units Army–RC force, combined Regular Army–RC training should EH WKH UXOH UDWKHU WKDQ WKH H[FHSWLRQ 'XH WR VLJQL¿FDQW GLIIHU- ences in planning factors, much of the current Regular Army– RC training is limited or ad hoc. This should be changed so that combined training is deliberate, thorough and, most of all, routine. T Ensuring that integrated Regular Army–RC training is de- liberate, thorough, and routine will require a paradigm shift; the traditional, peacetime attitude that each component re- sides in its own, isolated world must be overcome. Knowledge management systems, Web-based processes, and applications allow high degrees of information sharing and coordination previously only possible through face-to-face liaison. These tools allow RC commanders to participate in quarterly train- LQJ EULH¿QJV JHW WKHLU UHVRXUFH UHTXLUHPHQWV YDOLGDWHG E\ KLJKHU 5HJXODU $UP\ RU 5& KHDGTXDUWHUV DQG V\QFKURQL]H FRRUGLQDWH \HDUO\ WUDLQLQJ FDOHQGDUV %ULH¿QJV FDQ EH GRQH via videoconferencing and Web-based knowledge man- agement applications, coupled with annual or semiannual events conducted in person. During Regular Army quarterly Army Chemical Review KH ROG RIWHQ TXRWHG D[LRP RI ³ZH WUDLQ DV ZH ¿JKW´ LV very applicable to Regular Army–RC collective train- LQJ 6LQFH WKH $UP\ ZLOO ¿JKW DV D FRPELQHG 5HJXODU

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