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New Army reforms will attempt to change the emphasis from efficiency to effectiveness. The objective of all army efforts is to create combat ready units. If this means some "efficiency" is sacrificed, so be it. Readiness for combat is what the army is all about, not saving a few bucks or making the paperwork look better. This won't be easy. Congress and the media understand bureaucratic efficiency better than they can comprehend combat readiness. However, on the battlefield, bureaucratic efficiency can get you killed, and defeated.
One reform the army doesn't want is an increase in personnel. Congress wants to increase the size of the army. Each additional trooper will cost the army $120,000 a year (pay, benefits, training, and housing). It will take two years to get new troops trained and organized into new units. And by then the army expects the Iraq operation to be demanding far fewer troops. However, the army will be stuck with the extra personnel and, knowing the way Congress works, no extra money to pay for them.
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Posted by Ted at January 25, 2004 4:43 PM