as the U.S. winds down its com- — iraq, a coalition of more than from cold War-era occupational
mitment in iraq and bulks up forces 30 countries, from July 2004 until specialty skills to skills more rel-
in afghanistan, the army still needs february 2007. Back in Washington, evant to insurgency operations.
forces ready to “give the country D.c., he immediately adopted a plan “We’re also about halfway done
the strategic flexibility it needs” for to get the army “back in balance” to [with] the largest rebasing of the
future challenges. that isn’t pos- handle all its missions by 2011. He army … since World War ii,” casey
sible with an army so stretched set four imperatives: sustain soldiers says. this huge shift of 280,000 sol-
that, for the past five years, combat and their families; continue to pre- diers is tied to three initiatives: base
soldiers have spent only about a pare soldiers for success in current realignments and closures, overall
year at home for every year they’ve conflicts; reset returning units effec- army growth, and a sharp draw-
been deployed. tively; and continue to transform the down of army units from europe
the pace is stunning and, over army for an uncertain future. and Korea.
time, unsustainable for an army of the plan is on track, casey says. “all of that together is a lot of
volunteers, casey says. through July, the army was 85-per- organizational change,” casey says.
“i’m frankly amazed what the cent finished converting its 300 “and we’ve done it while we’ve de-
men and women [of ] all our armed brigades to modular units, which ployed 150,000 soldiers over and
forces have accomplished over al- are more versatile and “tailor-able” back to a war zone. … i don’t think
most eight years of war,” he says, for current and future contingen- any other organization in the world
particularly with so many soldiers cies. Modularity, an army goal since could have done what the army has,
“operating at one-year out, one-year- 2004, organizes a brigade by task for both in our reorganization and the
plus-or-minus back” since 2004. a full spectrum of combat. “i believe successes we’re having in combat in
it’s an 85- to 90-percent solution to iraq and afghanistan.”
On a mission the challenges we expect to face,” casey says the army now intends
Before this infantry officer became casey says. to “cement” these reforms in place
the army’s 36th chief of staff, casey the army also is two-thirds fin- so there’s no slippage from the
commanded Multi-National force ished converting 225,000 soldiers transformation that was needed in
casey, front, stands with Multi-National Division — Center soldiers after a 2008 reenlistment ceremony in Iraq.
54 Military officer december 2009
photo: spc. emily wilsoncroft, usa
Dec_Casey.indd 54 10/28/09 2:30 PM
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