The U. S. Army Future Concept for the Human Dimension

Required Capabilities

TRADOC Pamphlet 525-3-3, chapter 5, contains required capabilities across all the domains of DOTMLPF for the battle command function. Reproduced here include those pertaining to leader development and education. Future Modular Force leadership development programs will require the capability to provide-

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  Data, information, and knowledge management solutions to understand the risks, including information overload, and benefits of any particular architecture they engage in the course of an operation.
  
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  The ability to co-evolve with all the other joint C2 enablers, so that leadership development keeps pace with the impact of the other enablers.
  
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  The means to allow leaders to grow and develop trust experience. Attaining trust experience through extensive use of simulation, scenario-driven war games and experiments, and training exercises that challenge leaders will reduce the tendency to learn “on the job” in actual combat operations.
  
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  Senior leaders who allow space, so subordinates can experiment within the bounds of intent based orders and plans, and who are willing to take calculated risks and accept the possibility that less experienced subordinates will make mistakes.
  
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  Self learning through professional reading and professional military education.
  
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  Emerging computer based war games and simulations molded to teach the art and science of war.
  
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  Education and leadership development programs for Army officers for operational level command and staff.
  
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  The junior leaders of the future Modular Force, such as young captains and junior NCOs, are approximately 10 years old today. As these pre-adolescents mature, they will adopt general characteristics that distinguish them from previous generations. Future Modular Force commanders must be aware of such generational differences when applying the Army’s time honored leadership principles.
  

Questions for Further Examination

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  Should the Army institute a command tracking system to focus on those who are best suited to command?
  
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  How can the Army capitalize on leadership studies and efforts underway in other services, academia (social sciences), government, and other countries?
  
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  What tools and policies can assist the Army in early identification of individuals with leadership and command potential?
  
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  How can the Army strike a balance in officer and NCO career development progress to provide opportunities to study language, culture, or other personal enrichment subjects?
  
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  How can the Army best prepare today’s young leaders to cope with tomorrow’s challenges?
  
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  What criteria beyond technical tactical competence should a selection board consider for command candidates?
  
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  Can selection boards get an indicator of adaptability, empathy, or other human dimension qualities required of future leaders?
  
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  What developmental experiences and education should the Army provide to leaders to help them meet their full potential?
  
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  What developmental experiences and education should leaders provide to subordinate leaders that would help them meet their full potential?
  

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The greatest leader in the world could never win a campaign unless he understood the men he had to lead.

GEN Omar Bradley

Chapter 10

Boots on the Ground: The Human Dimension in Future Modular Force Operations

10-1. Summary

The human dimension has always been the most critical dimension of military operations. Soldiers as individuals and in groups are the ultimate locus of ground operations. The complexity of current and future full spectrum operations makes this statement even more relevant today than in the past. As history repeatedly demonstrates, it is extremely difficult to anticipate with certainty what future conflicts U.S. joint forces will face. What is likely is that persistent conflict will be the norm for many years to come. For the Army this means human engagement with a broad and varied collection of populations and organizations.

Make no mistake about it; technology cannot transform war into a genteel electronic exchange as some hope. Video games are not the paradigm for warfare in the next century.

James Dunnigan

Digital Soldiers
In approaching the challenges of future full spectrum operations, the temptation will remain strong to focus on the more tangible elements and mechanics of conflict; weapons, C2 systems, logistics, doctrine, training and organizations. These factors attract attention in large part because they have always enabled the Army to be more effective in conventional wars. Some prefer the science of war over the art—the psychology of leaders and followers, the sociology of group behavior, the cognitive basis of leadership, battle command, and decisionmaking. This preference exists despite the fact that human behavior and conflict have existed for much longer than the current technology.¹⁹⁵ In fact, warfare will always be a mixture of the human with the tactile tools of warfare. This concept consistently argues for balance—a holistic approach—that recognizes that the human—trained, motivated, well-led, and indomitable—has always been the foundation for achieving this balance.
In addressing the preeminent component of the human dimension triad—the moral component—equipment and weapons are useless without personnel who have confidence in and are dedicated to each other and their units, are motivated to achieve the mission, and are physically and psychologically resilient in the face of hardship, loss, and death. No other organization exposes its people to a more extensive range of human adversity resulting in profound individual stress and conflict. In such circumstances, it is natural to question organizational values. Therefore, in executing future operations, the Army must also continue its emphasis on principled conduct. Adversaries who view such conduct as vulnerability will be the first to exploit any American ethical wrongdoing.
Future full spectrum operations require developing cultural intelligence and understanding because “we must be able to offer populations of countries affected by war the hope that life will be better for them and their children because of our presence.”¹⁹⁶ The nature of future conflict and the reality of current U.S. capabilities make the military the primary agent for operations across a wide spectrum. While there is clear need for other agencies to play key roles, no other organization is prepared to assume many of the responsibilities these operations require, such as nation building.¹⁹⁷
Finally, within the moral domain, the Army culture that previously focused on major combat operations must begin to shift to a culture that recognizes changes in the Army’s role and responsibilities including a broader range of military operations. Instilling Soldiers with the warrior identity includes the development of other professional identities related to humanitarian assistance, peacekeeping, and policing functions that must also become a necessary part of the TLE strategies. Future conflict will not always be resolved through purely military solutions. Future TLE strategies and solutions must support a robust culture of rapid and continuous learning that accelerates the development of Soldiers to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century.
For units to operate effectively, Soldiers will require an extremely broad and complex range of competencies, skills, and knowledge attributes and abilities—the cognitive component of the human dimension. The ongoing challenge will be striking the right balance between training and professional education. Within this balance, the Army also must tailor training and education to the Soldiers’ needs. Not everyone needs training in every possible skill. Even if the Army makes the right choices in balancing training and education, it still must determine who will develop and deliver the training. Training resources often conflict with demand for new technology. Training is expensive and frequently pays the bill for equipment and operating costs. The Army must, of course, take advantage of the latest technology and incorporate it into units and other organizations to complement and augment Soldiers.
The Army’s training and leader development vision correctly identifies the requirement for multi-skilled leaders that can learn and adapt in ambiguous situations in a constantly evolving environment. They must be self-aware, adaptable, comfortable employing new information age technologies; technically, tactically and culturally competent; possess interpersonal, and critical and creative thinking skills; and possess the ability to effectively leads units and JIM organizations.
The physical demands on Soldiers will remain. Given future trends, deployments to harsh environments are likely to be more demanding then ever before. Physical preparation will involve a holistic development and assessment of the health, physical fitness, and physical performance of Soldiers. Future assessment programs at both the individual and unit level must become more effective. The verifiable contribution physical fitness adds to cognitive processes and psychological resilience as well as mission success makes it an essential component of Soldier development. Guided by well established principles, physical development of Soldiers for future full spectrum operations will require programs broad enough to tailor as necessary to meet the mission, the Soldiers MOS, and the rapidly changing requirements of the OE. Such programs will resemble developmental programs for athletes. Future technological and biomedical advances promise to enhance physical and cognitive performance; however, there are ethical thresholds the Army must address before adopting them safely and effectively.
The Army must determine how to best access and manage the human capital for the future Modular Force. While the all volunteer force and current recruiting programs and personnel systems have served the Army and its Soldiers well, it is unclear whether these systems will hold up under the strain of an environment of transformation while engaged in persistent conflict. In recruiting and developing the Soldiers for service in future full spectrum operations, the Army envisions increased demands for responsibility and innovation all levels. As discussed, attracting young Americans possessing the desired foundations of moral, cognitive, and physical skills and abilities willing to serve will continue to be a challenge in the future.
Since the creation of the all-volunteer force, systems to promote, assign, educate, and retain Soldiers have succeeded in attracting and retaining the required quantity and quality of personnel. Despite this success, the Army will likely require new personnel policies to support the current and future vision of a BCT based force in future full spectrum operations. The dual challenges of new force structure and continued deployments to multidimensional conflicts point to a need to adjust the Army’s personnel systems in order to support creativity, risk-taking, and flexibility while sustaining the family and encouraging service in the Army as a profession. Systems and procedures that empower individuals are essential to encouraging continued service and professional development. This requires developmental experiences in repeated assignments in the operating force enriched by professional education and meaningful assignments in the generating force. In short, supporting the adaptive and agile force required for the OE of 2015-2024 will require reassessment of existing recruiting programs and personnel management systems.
Combat and operational stress reactions and burnout are facts of war. They will continue to affect Soldiers in the future, but the Army can and must find better ways to prevent stress casualties. When prevention fails, future treatment of these victims must continue to be humane with considerable care to avoid stigmatization and return Soldiers to duty.
Many aspects described in this concept of the components of the human dimension will potentially benefit from S&T. Means to maintain and monitor Soldier health, improve strength and endurance, and enhance performance of military tasks show great promise. Research into human behavior, sociology, and stress management will also continue to provide improvements in Soldiers’ morale and well-being. Networked systems of weapons, communications, intelligence, reconnaissance, and related functions will extend the Soldier’s reach and further enable the Army to employ the future Modular Force.