Posted on 07/13/2004 4:57:48 PM PDT by SandRat
SIERRA VISTA - As the Army continues its transformation, soldiers and their families can look to more stability on the home front, Sgt. Maj. of the Army Kenneth O. Preston said.
The stability means soldiers will have a better idea of how often and when they will deploy, and for families, it means they will not have to be uprooted, leaving schools and jobs, Preston said Monday night.
The Army's senior most noncommissioned officer is visiting Fort Huachuca today, where he will speak at the Network Enterprise Technology Command's Command Sergeant Major Conference.
The message he will be giving the senior Signal Corps sergeants major is that the Army's mission is important, reminding them that 330,000 soldiers are deployed in 120 countries, with the majority in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Army's end strength has increased from 482,400 to 512,000 and currently the service has 503,000 soldiers.
The nation's ground force is becoming more lethally tailored through the transformation process of converting brigade combat teams into brigade units of action.
The 3rd Infantry Division is the first unit changing over to the new brigade concept.
"They are the tip of the (new) spear," Preston said.
The problem with the brigade combat team concept is when a unit deploys it needs to assimilate other special functions, like signal and intelligence, as well as other support systems, he said.
The new philosophy is for the brigade units of action to be self supporting with all their requirements "plugged in," Preston said.
Currently there are 33 brigade combat teams and by the end of federal fiscal year 2006 - Sept. 30, 2006 - there will be 43 brigade units of action and there is a potential that eventually there will be 48 of the new brigades.
The Army's leadership recognizes that today's soldiers want a sense of stability and the brigade units of actions will help ensure that steadiness, Preston said.
When all is said and done soldiers assigned to the new brigade formations will have a 36-month commitment and will know that they will face one or two six-month deployments during those three years.
When they leave for a deployment, their families will remain and children will continue in the same schools and spouses can continue to work, the Army's sergeant major exclaimed.
"Spouses that have a career can continue their careers," Preston said.
Once the three-year commitment is up, a soldier can opt to remain for another 36-month tour with the same unit, that gives even more stability, he remarked.
Of course there are some who for career progression will have to spend time as recruiters, drill sergeants or instructors, but those are short term obligations, Preston added.
The Army is also looking at assignments in a regional sense, where soldiers may be assigned to Fort Hood, Texas, come to Fort Huachuca as an instructor and then return to Fort Hood.
The senior leadership in the Army, and that includes Preston, know that incorporating all the soldiers - active duty, National Guard and reserves - is critical to the country's defense.
Likening all soldiers to being resources in a water barrel, he said right now the spigot for the barrel is in the middle and "when it is opened mostly active duty water is withdrawn."
All the Army's components - active, guard and reserves - have to be well trained so that the spigot can be placed at the bottom of the barrel and when water is needed every drop will be able to do the job, Preston said.
As the personal adviser to the Army's chief of staff, he said he has concerns that the mid-careerists, the junior noncommissioned officers, are leaving.
Although there is a 96 percent re-enlistment of mid-careerists that is a change from prior to Sept. 11, 2001, he said.
Before the terrorists attacks on the United States it was the initial entry soldier that was not reenlisting but now the first-tour GI is staying in more than the mid-careerist, Preston said.
Although it is "a little dip ... a little below the glide path" in the reenlistments for the mid-careerists, he said the new concept of having soldiers remain with a unit for longer periods should take care of the problem.
As for the initial entry soldiers, they left after their first enlistment because they did not think they were being used for what they joined the Army to do, Preston said.
Now they see they are doing the job they joined up to do, he added.
Although there is turmoil, the National Guard has re-enlisted 118 percent of its goal, the active duty is a 99.8 percent and the reserves at 97.8 percent of soldiers needed.
Speaking of today's recruits, Preston said he recently visited Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., where he saw highly motivated new soldiers.
"They come to serve something bigger than themselves," he said.
CSM visits Ft. Huachuca
Cool. My daughter met him when he stopped by her office at Ft. Myer. She's hoping to eventually make it to Huachuca for Intelligence MOS.
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Sgt/Major of the Army (Ret.)
BASIL L. PLUMLEY
Hero of the Battle of IA DRANG-1965 (Photo)
http://www.lzxray.com/guyer_set3.htm
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Thanks for the ping!
Bump!
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