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Connectivity, commonality and survivability
February 26th, 2009 | AUSA Winter 2009 | Posted by Michelle Tan
In an increasingly dynamic operating environment, the Army must continue to improve connectivity for troops on the ground, Gen. Peter Chiarelli said Thursday.
“It’s no longer realistic to assume all or even the majority of game-changing decisions are made by [senior commanders],” the Army’s vice chief of staff said. “Today, significantly more information is gathered and analyzed by troops on the ground. … Information is power, and we need to make sure we’re pushing power down to the lowest levels of the battlefield, where it’s most needed.”
Another challenge the Army must address is the lack of commonality across its inventory of equipment, Chiarelli said.
“Over the years the Army has reaped benefits from increased commonality,” he said.
For example, the Army’s fleet of Strykers shares the same basic features, making the vehicles easier to repair and maintain, and reducing cost and wait time for units on the ground.
Chiarelli also emphasized the importance of survivability on the battlefield.
“Once the next war begins, survivability will arguably become an even bigger priority,” he said.
More survivable vehicles increase soldiers’ confidence and have proven to intimidate the enemy, he said.
“I am for a deployable and expeditionary force, but I can not in good conscience ignore the advances in (protection and armor),” he said.
Chiarelli also said the Army continues to deal with the impact of the 2007 surge in Iraq.
The last combat unit serving a 15-month deployment won’t return until June, and the last combat support and combat service support units on 15-month tours won’t be home until September, he said.
“This time away from home and the stresses of war have put immense stress on our force,” he said. “We can not maintain this tempo and stretch our force indefinitely.”
The Army has asked a lot of its soldiers and their families, he said.
“It’s really remarkable what we’ve been able to accomplish,” he said.
Tags: battlefield, connectivity, Vice Chief