Posted on 06/02/2007 1:17:57 PM PDT by SandRat
FORT HUACHUCA — The head of the Training and Doctrine Command says more soldiers will be coming to the Intelligence Center for training in light of the congressionally approved increase in the Army’s strength by an additional 65,000 people.
But, Gen. William Wallace said, it’s unknown exactly how many additional soldiers will come, or if fine-tuning of the military intelligence community will lead to more being trained on the fort.
“The simple answer is yes,” he said about an increase in training at the Intelligence Center.
Intelligence is critical to fighting the war against terrorism, and with an increase in the Army’s end strength, it is logical more soldiers in intelligence fields will be needed to support additional combat units, the general said during an interview with the Herald/Review during his visit to the fort last week.
He and his staff at Fort Monroe, Va., are preparing for the manpower structure and how it will translate in to all types of training, Wallace said.
The command trains all soldiers from basic through specialty schools, such as the Intelligence Center.
Wallace said combat commanders in Iraq and Afghanistan are telling him that intelligence needs remain critical in the fight against terrorism. While the senior leaders’ views are important, the four-star general said he likes to hear what the soldiers have to say and how they envision the needs.
To him, receiving information from the bottom up is better because it allows him and others to plan proper training.
Everyone knows improvised explosive devices are killing soldiers, but a system that is able to track where they are being placed using existing and developing technology is needed in order to remove them before they explode, for which the intelligence community is a major player, Wallace said.
Having the best intelligence capabilities “is not a new idea,” the general said.
Also important is for all soldiers to have a better understanding of an enemy’s culture, Wallace said. The Intelligence Center is the lead in developing cultural awareness for the entire Army.
Although there has been progress made, Wallace said more is needed.
Instead of just concentrating on what can be called the enemy du jour, which in the current case is needing a understanding of the multiple Arabic type societies, the nuances of other societies have to be taught, he said.
The United States must be ready for other hot spots in the world which could boil over, he said.
It is important to know “the bad neighborhoods.”
“It’s my judgment bad neighbors are mostly tribal,” he said.
Pinpointing subcultures within a society also must be taught, he said.
The training at the Intelligence Center will be broadened to include more from other services and civilian federal agencies, Wallace said. The Army must understand that other armed services have expertise which is lacking in the nation’s senior service that needs to be incorporated into intelligence training.
For example, the Navy is an expert in electronic warfare operations, especially in the use of air space, and because of that they have a seat in command posts, which the Army cannot fill.
The military needs to incorporate special expertise each has in the war against terrorism, Wallace said.
While “the Army and Marines are doing the brunt of the fighting,” filling special resources from the other services cannot be ignored, he said.
SENIOR REPORTER Bill Hess can be reached at 515-4615 or by e-mail at bill.hess@svherald.com.
The perps in "Rainbow - Six."
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