Training and Doctrine Command: All About the Soldier

Extensive transformation and modernization efforts astride a heightened operational tempo have stressed the Army and tested the mettle and resolve of our soldiers and their families. Despite these challenges, the resilience and character of our fighting men and women and the respect of our organization could not be stronger. Through it all, the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command's (TRADOC) central focus has remained unchanged: to develop and provide quality training, doctrine, equipment and support to empower leaders and soldiers to prevail in any situation today and in the future. It's all about the soldier.

The ever changing operational environment requires greater judgment at lower and lower levels of authority, as well as soldiers intuitive and adaptive enough to excel in this most uncertain of environments. TRADOC has modified its training, education, leader development and modernization programs to provide a more comprehensive approach to full spectrum operations.

Doctrine. In February, the Army published its revised operations manual, FM 3-0 Operations. Providing the foundation for full spectrum operations, FM 3-0 is a catalyst for change and transformation across the entire force. The Army is now in the process of updating its entire complement of field manuals, concepts and programs of instruction to incorporate and infuse such operations into training and leader development.

In addition to releasing updated doctrinal manuals including FM 1-0 The Army, FM 3-07 Stability Operations and Support Operations, FM 4-0 Combat Service Support, FM 7-0 Training the Force and FM 3-28 Civil Support Operations, TRADOC is working closely with its Joint, interagency, intergovernmental and multinational partners, as well as with business, academia and other nongovernmental organizations, to fully develop full spectrum operations into decisive, unified action reflecting a "whole of government" approach.

TRADOC is dedicated to advancing the intellectual progress and practical application of full spectrum operations into soldier training. From implementing the commander's appreciation and campaign design and developing the Army's human dimension concept to increased emphasis on cultural and foreign language training and professional military ethic, every program and initiative in TRADOC is intended to further develop leaders and soldiers.

Organization. To meet the challenges of today's operational environment and develop a campaign-quality force with Joint and expeditionary capabilities, TRADOC is continuing to restructure the generating force to better meet the needs of the operating force. We are well on the way to realigning TRADOC from 13 schools and centers to nine centers of excellence (COE), in addition to establishing the Army's COE for the Professional Military Ethic. As the Department of the Army works to rebalance the force, TRADOC continues to evaluate the design and force structure of Army service component commands and modular corps and division headquarters and reassess the size, organization, composition and manning of all modular brigade combat teams.

In addition, TRADOC is committed to delivering increased capability and support to the operational Army. One of TRADOC's premier initiatives is the human terrain system, an alliance of forward-deployed social scientists and military advisers with expert reach-back capability to assist commanders and soldiers in better understanding societies and culture so they operate more effectively. By October 2008 there will be 25 human terrain teams deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. TRADOC intends to further develop these skills and capabilities in the force through a pervasive culture and foreign language training strategy.

We recognize that the generating force has an obligation to provide soldiers with a quality education, whether in the schoolhouse or at home station. To that end, we've extended noncommissioned officer education system (NCOES) and functional skills training to the soldier through increased use of mobile training teams (MTT), reducing soldier and family stress. Through fiscal year (FY) 2008, TRADOC conducted 247 separate NCOES mobile training team courses and 498 functional MTT courses supporting Army Force Generation (ARFORGEN) training cycle and NCOES requirements. This represents a 45 percent increase in MTT utilization since FY 2007. TRACXDC remains fully committed to MTTs as a training support strategy to enable both the ARFORGEN process and soldier leadership development.

Training. TRADOC places a premium on the training and development of soldiers. In addition to increasing the rigor and relevance of initial entry training (IET), beginning in FY 2009 basic training will be expanded from nine weeks to 10 weeks without adding more training tasks. Drill sergeants and soldiers resoundingly appreciate and support the additional training time. One IET instructor precisely captured the merit of this initiative, stating, "The real [benefit] of the additional time is not all apparent in metrics. It shows in improved [soldier] confidence and commitment across the board, as well as better proficiency and skill retention caused by increased repetition."

In January, TRADOC replaced drill sergeants in advanced individual training with platoon sergeants. The transition of soldiers from a highly controlled environment at IET to a position of increased responsibility and independence in their first unit is now absorbed by the training base to better prepare them for conditions they will encounter in the operational Army.

With the transformation of the Army nearly 70 percent complete, TRADOC continues to redesign its combat training centers {CTQ to more effectively train for full spectrum operations. TRADOC wants to increase home-station training capacity to approach the quality and standards of CTC training by increasing exportable training capabilities. TRADOC is leveraging embedded trainers, exportable training systems, collaborative tools and virtual-world technologies to train, educate and further develop soldiers beyond the walls of the institutional Army. This is a vital component of the Army's overall training strategy for modular brigades, especially for modular support brigades, which may or may not have the opportunity to attend a CTC prior to deployment.

Materiel. Army modernization is about optimizing warrior performance and empowering soldiers. Our modernization strategy is designed to provide greater precision as well as project, protect and connect soldiers and formations through a robust and extensive network that enables full spectrum operations. The Army is in the process of accelerating Future Combat Systems (FCS) equipment fielding to push tomorrow's capabilities to units in combat today.

The FCS program was recently restructured to enhance infantry brigade combat teams (IBCT) first and bring the soldier into the network. With initiatives like the soldieras-a-system program and LandWarNet, the Army's enterprise, system-of-systems approach to modernization is rapidly developing force capability from concept through employment to significantly increase the Joint warfighter's lethality, survivability and responsiveness.

Other emerging capabilities within the FCS program continue to make great progress, including several successful tests of the non-line-of-sight launch system's precision attack missile at White Sands Missile Range, N.M. As part of the Army's effort to provide FCS technologies to its IBCTs, "fires-in-a-box" will provide Infantry soldiers with a rapidly deployable and network-linked long-range precision fires delivery system.

Leadership and Education. In January, the secretary of the Army and Army Chief of Staff designated TRAEXDC as the executive agency for Army leader development. TRADOC established the Army Leadership Development Office to manage and facilitate the Army's leadership development program (ALDP), instituted to merge existing Army leader development initiatives and management processes into a single program to develop adaptive, discerning and innovative leaders over the course of a career.

Given the complexities of today's operational environment and the moral and ethical challenges that confront soldiers operating "among the people," TRADOC is integrating professional military ethics into every facet of training and education. FM 3-0 asserts that to "counter the uncertainty of war," commanders should "delegate the greatest possible authority to subordinates [to help them] adapt operations to the situation quickly and retain the initiative." TRADOC is migrating leadership responsibility downward, broadening the scope of courses and accelerating NCO development using a "train ahead" approach. It truly is all about the soldier.

In addition, TRADOC is in the process of implementing a wide range of headquarters Department of the Army-approved leadership development initiatives that will help shape and lead the Army into the 21st century. Initiatives like the Army's strategy for lifelong learning, structured/ guided self-development program, Army Civilian University and the College of the American Soldier will contribute to accelerating leader development across the Army. These are but a small sampling of a prioritized list of resourced initiatives being implemented through the ALDP.

Personnel. For the generating force to remain relevant and ready to assist the operational Army, it is imperative that TRADOC sustain manpower and resourcing. To ensure that we have high-quality leaders both in uniform and in support, now and in the future, TRADOC is pursuing multiple initiatives-including the Army career tracker program, the multisource assessment and feedback program, the civilian leadership development program and the wellness assessment education program-to meet the needs of the Army and the professional development of our soldiers and leaders.

Another significant TRADOC personnel initiative focuses on the future soldier and an effort to address the declining numbers of youth qualified to serve. In July, secretary of the Army Pete Geren authorized the establishment of the Army Preparatory School pilot program at Fort Jackson, S.C., to give high-quality youth who are "smart but not educated" the opportunity to earn a high school diploma and serve their country. This critical first step will have a profound impact on the future of our nation's youth.

Facilities. In conjunction with Base Realignment and Closure requirements and establishing TRADOC codes of ethics, billions of dollars in major renovations and new construction are being spent to ready installations for increased community and training capacity.

TRADOC is heavily investing in its communities of practice, simulations, distributed learning and knowledge management/information management capabilities. Beyond bricks and mortar, TRADOC is encouraging a culture of conveyed experiences, shared information and cooperative interaction utilizing "virtual" facilities.

In tandem with the operational Army, TRADOC is in the process of creating multiple avenues for exchange such as warfighter forums, Virtual Warrior University and Army/ TRADOC Island in second Life. Digital training facilities, deployed digital training campuses, and systems integration modeling and simulations efforts further expand TRADOC's ability to empower soldiers. TRADOC is committed to giving soldiers the opportunity to learn and grow professionally both in and outside institutional Army architecture.

As I travel around the Army, I constantly remind soldiers and civilians that their contributions to the war effort are not measured by their proximity to the enemy but by their commitment and dedication to the mission, our soldiers and their families. Since its inception in 1973, TRADOC has primarily focused on developing young soldiers and leaders. That will remain the top priority of TRADOC today and in the future. Our soldiers and leaders must think, act and thrive in the world of Joint, interagency, intergovernmental and multinational partnerships to remain dominant in the land domain into the 21st century. Through continued institutional adaptation across doctrine, organization, training, materiel, leadership and education, personnel and facilities domains and leveraging of full spectrum operations, TRADOC will continue to ensure that victory truly does start here.

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A soldier learns the enhanced position location recording system network in a basic computer class.

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Recruits go on patrol during basic training at Fort Jackson, S.C. The U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) develops the doctrine used to train new soldiers.

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Gen. William S. Wallace, TRADOC commanding general, congratulates the students of Sergeants Major Course Class 58 before presenting them with their diplomas. TRADOC has tailored education, leader development and training to the demands of full spectrum operations.

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SFC Brian Eisch signals that he's ready to engage targets during an M4 rifle qualification exercise, part of the 2008 TRADOC Soldier and NCO of the Year competition. SFC Eisch won NCO of the Year.

Army Preparatory School instructor Tom Gandy goes over coursework with Pvt. Kyle Rucker, a participant in a new program that provides soldiers their GED before they ship out to basic training.

[Author Affiliation]

By Gen .William S. Wallace

Commanding General

U.S. Army Training

and Doctrine Command

[Author Affiliation]

GEN. WILLIAM. S. WALLACE is commanding general, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command. His previous assignment was commanding general, U.S. Army Combined Arms Center and Fort Leavenworth, Kan. Gen. Wallace was commissioned through the U.S. Military Academy in 1969. He has commanded at every level from platoon to corps and, on two separate occasions, has led soldiers in combat. He served as an assistant district adviser and later as an operations adviser in the Bac Lieu Province, Vietnam. As the V Corps commander, Gen. Wallace led the Army's attack to Baghdad in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Gen. Wallace's first assignment was as a platoon leader and troop executive officer in the 2nd Squadron, 6th Armored Cavalry Regiment, at Fort Meade, Md. After returning from his first combat tour, he commanded a company at Fort Bragg, N.C., in the 4th Battalion (Light) (Airborne), 68th Armored Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division. During the first of three tours to Germany, he took command of 3rd Squadron, 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment. Following an assignment as the senior Armored Task Force trainer and chief of staff at the Army's National Training Center (NTC) at Fort Irwin, Calif., Gen. Wallace returned to Germany and became the 55th colonel of the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment in Fulda. After regimental command, he returned to Fort Irwin, where he commanded the NTC's operation group and later became commander of the NTC. He also commanded the 4th Infantry Division (Mechanized) at Fort Hood, Texas. Following division command, he served as commander, Joint Warfighting Center, and as the director, Joint Training J-7, in the U.S. Joint Forces Command, Suffolk, Va. Returning to Germany for his third tour, Gen. Wallace assumed command of V Corps. Gen. Wallace attended both the Armor Officer Basic and Advanced Courses; the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif.; the Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth; and the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, R.I. He has master's degrees in operations research, international relations and national security and strategic studies.