Blog post

Army Officers Warn of Atrophy - What About Acquisitions?
Posted by Perry Jefferies on June 11 2008

One faction of the "fight the last war vs. rejigger the whole Army" debate spoke out recently.

The report, obtained by National Public Radio, was prepared by three Army colonels who have commanded brigades in combat. They wrote that by letting "perishable skills atrophy, we are mortgaging not only flexibility in today's fight, but our ability to fight the next war as well." The loss of critical skills is most acute in the Army's artillery branch, which the authors said has been described as "dead branch walking."

Read the whole article (including astute comments here:Army officers warn of atrophy in critical skills (5/6/08) -- at www.GovernmentExecutive.com . I think this is a serious concern and, as Secretary Gates warns the Air Force to focus on the task at hand, hope these important discussions aren't squelched. One has to ask too, that if we are asking so much of our troops - not just in the fight; and with deployments, but the ability to gain and maintain many skill sets, are we recruiting the best set of individuals to take on those tasks. There are plenty of exceptions to prove each rule, but, as a whole - are the group of new Soldiers attracted with moral waivers, a history of struggles in life, or saddled with personal and financial entanglements - the best to make sense of the complicated task set, mission set, administrative minutiae, and all the leadership requirements needed to shepherd young Soldiers through the same? And, if we recruit the 42-year old private, we produce a 50-year old sergeant with the attendant higher risk of athletic injury, health, and family problems before he or she has completed a career. What will be the end cost of burning up that force?