By Ann Roosevelt
The Army is getting back in balance, and closing in on completion of its various efforts that began in 2007, its top general said.
“We’re actually getting to a position where we can start to breathe again,” Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey told reporters Monday at the Association of the United States Army annual convention in Washington, D.C.
Casey provided a preview of his thoughts ahead of his annual address to the convention today, his last AUSA as chief of staff.
Ticking off some of the major efforts, Casey said, because of the increase in soldiers, units are now spending more time at home–the most important part of getting back in balance.
By the end of the year, the Army will have converted 290 of 300 brigades to the modular design more relevant to today’s environment, he said.
Skills are being rebalanced, too, he said. By the end of the year, 124,000 soldiers will have 21st century skills, filling gaps in needed job specialties such as military police and civil affairs.
Additionally, by the end of next year, the Base Closure and Realignment wraps up, with 180,000 moving around the country, engendering a lot of turbulence, Casey said, but also “a lot of opportunities for efficiencies and to improve the quality of life.”
The Army as well is reforming how it generates forces, known as he Army Force Generation (ARFORGEN). Putting the service on a rotational model meant adapting the institutional part of the Army to be able to meet a sustained demand, hedge against the unexpected and at a sustainable tempo, he said.
“It [rebalancing] will only get better as we move forward,” Casey said. There is money in the fiscal year 2011 budget to complete the rebalancing efforts begun in 2004.
Moving into the second decade of the 21st century, and the second decade of war, Casey sees the following challenges.
The first is to maintain the combat edge as the service continues to deploy soldiers to combat. Another is to reconstitute the force, where 150,000 move over and back each year from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Essentially, the service must build the resilience to deal with the long- term impact and likelihood of persistent conflict.
The Army already is a “hugely resilient organization,” Casey said, even though it is stretched and stressed.