U.S. Army's Modular Redesign: Issues for Congress

Publication Date: January 2007

Publisher: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

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Research Area: Military and defense

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Abstract:

In what the Army describes as the "most significant Army restructuring in the past 50 years," it is redesigning its current 10 active duty division force to a 42 or 43 brigade combat team (BCT) force by FY2007. The Army National Guard and Army Reserves will also redesign their forces in a similar fashion. The planned addition of active duty brigades and the conversion of Army National Guard brigades could provide a larger force pool of deployable combat units to ease the burden on units presently deployed, and possibly to shorten the length of time that units are deployed on operations. The Army has three other concurrent initiatives underway that it considers inextricably linked to its brigade-centric redesign: rebalancing to create new "high demand" units; stabilizing the force to foster unit cohesion and enhance predictability for soldiers and their families; and cyclical readiness to better manage resources and to ensure a ready force for operations. These initiatives involve substantial cultural, policy, organizational, and personnel changes.

Some experts believe that modular redesign, selective rebalancing, stabilizing, and cyclical readiness are prudent actions that should provide the Army with additional deployable units and also eventually bring stability to soldiers and their families. As long as no additional significant long term troop commitments arise, many feel that these initiatives could help ease the stress on both the active and reserve forces. As the Army continues its modular conversion, it may have to contend with budget, personnel, and equipment shortages which could impede plans to build this new force as intended. Some also question if the Army can afford both its Future Combat System (FCS) program and its modularity program.

Rebalancing and stabilization efforts are currently underway but it is difficult to gauge their impact on the modularization process. Based on DOD's Global Basing Strategy and 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) decisions, the Army has established a stationing plan for its modular forces. The Army also plans to begin its cyclical readiness program in FY2006. With significant budgetary issues, and personnel and equipment shortages impacting on the Army's plans to convert the entire Army into the Army Modular Force (AMF), the second session of the 109th Congress might decide to examine these and other concerns in greater detail. This report will be updated.