WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.120 Welcome back to the Deep Dive, where we take 00:00:02.120 --> 00:00:05.139 the vast, complex world of information and distill 00:00:05.139 --> 00:00:08.119 it down to the knowledge you actually need. Today 00:00:08.119 --> 00:00:11.539 we're embarking on what you might call a mission 00:00:11.539 --> 00:00:13.679 -critical deep dive. We're looking at the land 00:00:13.679 --> 00:00:16.160 service branch of the United States Armed Forces, 00:00:16.460 --> 00:00:19.079 the U .S. Army. And it's really fitting that 00:00:19.079 --> 00:00:21.179 we start with the Army because they hold this... 00:00:22.960 --> 00:00:25.379 This unique distinction that speaks to their 00:00:25.379 --> 00:00:27.539 fundamental role in American history. What's 00:00:27.539 --> 00:00:29.940 that? They are officially the most senior branch 00:00:29.940 --> 00:00:32.799 in the order of precedence among the armed services. 00:00:33.060 --> 00:00:35.939 They predate the Constitution itself. So this 00:00:35.939 --> 00:00:39.079 is the foundational force. It is. And its complexity 00:00:39.079 --> 00:00:42.920 really reflects nearly 250 years of continuous. 00:00:43.710 --> 00:00:45.810 and sometimes, you know, strategically discontinuous 00:00:45.810 --> 00:00:48.210 history. That seniority, it immediately defines 00:00:48.210 --> 00:00:50.570 the scope of this deep dive, doesn't it? This 00:00:50.570 --> 00:00:53.549 is the primary ground -based offensive and defensive 00:00:53.549 --> 00:00:55.549 power of the United States. Absolutely. And for 00:00:55.549 --> 00:00:57.289 you, the learner understanding the structure 00:00:57.289 --> 00:01:00.090 here is, I think, really key. It's essential 00:01:00.090 --> 00:01:02.710 to remember that while the Army operates under 00:01:02.710 --> 00:01:05.230 the overall authority of the Secretary of Defense, 00:01:05.530 --> 00:01:08.290 administratively, it falls under the specific 00:01:08.290 --> 00:01:10.810 purview of the Department of the Army. Which 00:01:10.810 --> 00:01:13.340 is one of the three specialized military... departments 00:01:13.340 --> 00:01:15.680 inside the broader Department of Defense. And 00:01:15.680 --> 00:01:17.840 when we talk about the scale of this organization, 00:01:18.200 --> 00:01:22.069 I mean, it's just. It really is. What's fascinating 00:01:22.069 --> 00:01:24.909 here is just the sheer volume of personnel required 00:01:24.909 --> 00:01:28.810 to maintain global land dominance. Based on the 00:01:28.810 --> 00:01:33.530 latest data from June 2025, the total uniform 00:01:33.530 --> 00:01:38.609 personnel size stands at approximately 946 ,961 00:01:38.609 --> 00:01:41.209 soldiers. Almost a million uniformed personnel. 00:01:41.349 --> 00:01:44.430 And that figure, it demands a closer look because 00:01:44.430 --> 00:01:46.269 it really represents the total force policy, 00:01:46.390 --> 00:01:48.209 which I know we'll get into later. We will. It's 00:01:48.209 --> 00:01:50.079 not just one giant. an active duty machine, is 00:01:50.079 --> 00:01:52.299 it? Oh, far from it. That number is very carefully 00:01:52.299 --> 00:01:54.359 segmented and it reflects that integrated total 00:01:54.359 --> 00:01:56.019 force structure. You have the regular army, which 00:01:56.019 --> 00:01:57.739 is the active component. The full -time soldiers. 00:01:57.939 --> 00:02:00.939 Right. They account for about 452 ,823 of that 00:02:00.939 --> 00:02:03.909 total. Then you have the absolute critical reserve 00:02:03.909 --> 00:02:06.170 components. They provide specialized functions 00:02:06.170 --> 00:02:08.830 that the active Army just, well, it relies on 00:02:08.830 --> 00:02:10.449 them. And those are the National Guard and the 00:02:10.449 --> 00:02:14.150 Army Reserve? Exactly. You've got 328 ,084 personnel 00:02:14.150 --> 00:02:19.110 in the Army National Guard and another 170 ,601 00:02:19.110 --> 00:02:21.930 in the Army Reserve. And we often, I think, overlook 00:02:21.930 --> 00:02:25.030 the civilian backbone that supports this whole 00:02:25.030 --> 00:02:28.180 massive operation. We do. And the stability and 00:02:28.180 --> 00:02:30.840 the expertise are so often supplied by that supporting 00:02:30.840 --> 00:02:33.939 structure. The Army also includes an additional 00:02:33.939 --> 00:02:38.819 223 ,382 civilian personnel. Wow. And this massive 00:02:38.819 --> 00:02:40.800 civilian workforce, they manage everything from 00:02:40.800 --> 00:02:42.439 research and development to base operations, 00:02:42.699 --> 00:02:44.960 financial systems. They provide that essential 00:02:44.960 --> 00:02:47.060 long -term stability and institutional knowledge 00:02:47.060 --> 00:02:49.560 that soldiers who are rotating through active 00:02:49.560 --> 00:02:52.280 service just can't. So if the structure is that 00:02:52.280 --> 00:02:55.060 massive and the components are so diverse, what 00:02:55.060 --> 00:02:57.139 is the core mission? What's the one goal that 00:02:57.139 --> 00:02:59.319 ties all of those active reserve and civilian 00:02:59.319 --> 00:03:01.759 personnel together? The primary enduring mission 00:03:01.759 --> 00:03:04.400 statement is it's really an operational mandate. 00:03:04.580 --> 00:03:08.419 It's to fight and win our nation's wars by providing 00:03:08.419 --> 00:03:12.080 prompt, sustained land dominance across the full 00:03:12.080 --> 00:03:14.960 range of military operations. Sustained land 00:03:14.960 --> 00:03:16.979 dominance. That phrase seems really important. 00:03:17.300 --> 00:03:19.599 It's the key. It's not just about winning a single 00:03:19.599 --> 00:03:22.650 battle. It's about being able to occupy secure 00:03:22.650 --> 00:03:26.250 and then stabilize territory over time and distance. 00:03:26.509 --> 00:03:28.770 And that's the journey we're taking today. We're 00:03:28.770 --> 00:03:31.050 going to connect the threads between those 18th 00:03:31.050 --> 00:03:33.169 century origins when they were literally battling 00:03:33.169 --> 00:03:35.490 for land independence against a global power 00:03:35.490 --> 00:03:38.930 to today's highly specialized digitally integrated 00:03:38.930 --> 00:03:41.830 structure. And we'll touch on everything from 00:03:41.830 --> 00:03:43.889 their latest equipment to some really radical 00:03:43.889 --> 00:03:48.009 changes in how they manage human talent. Okay, 00:03:48.050 --> 00:03:50.789 let's unpack this foundational identity. If you 00:03:50.789 --> 00:03:52.229 ask someone their birthday, they usually give 00:03:52.229 --> 00:03:55.090 you one date. But the U .S. Army, it actually 00:03:55.090 --> 00:03:58.449 has two foundational dates that define its existence. 00:03:58.650 --> 00:04:01.129 And that reflects a very early national tension. 00:04:01.509 --> 00:04:03.189 A tension that's rooted in the American political 00:04:03.189 --> 00:04:06.659 psyche. Exactly. So the Army's traditional sort 00:04:06.659 --> 00:04:10.539 of celebratory birthday is June 14th, 1775. This 00:04:10.539 --> 00:04:12.919 is when the Second Continental Congress created 00:04:12.919 --> 00:04:15.620 the Continental Army for one specific reason. 00:04:15.740 --> 00:04:17.579 To fight Great Britain. To fight Great Britain. 00:04:17.639 --> 00:04:19.879 And of course, they appointed George Washington 00:04:19.879 --> 00:04:23.199 as the commander. That date marks the beginning 00:04:23.199 --> 00:04:26.160 of the land force organized under a central authority. 00:04:26.800 --> 00:04:28.720 And when you look at that early Continental Force, 00:04:28.879 --> 00:04:32.120 you see this kind of blending of influences that 00:04:32.120 --> 00:04:35.259 created a unique fighting style. Well, they naturally 00:04:35.259 --> 00:04:37.560 drew heavily from British military heritage. 00:04:37.779 --> 00:04:39.720 I mean, their discipline, their linear tactics. 00:04:40.000 --> 00:04:42.259 Because so many officers had served in colonial 00:04:42.259 --> 00:04:45.160 militias or even the British Army itself. Absolutely. 00:04:45.540 --> 00:04:48.459 But, and this is the key thing, they were amateurs 00:04:48.459 --> 00:04:51.439 fighting a professional army. The maturation 00:04:51.439 --> 00:04:54.040 of that force was heavily reliant on external 00:04:54.040 --> 00:04:56.600 aid. Primarily the French. Primarily the French, 00:04:56.680 --> 00:04:59.500 who provided military doctrine, engineers, resources. 00:04:59.800 --> 00:05:02.279 And we absolutely cannot overlook individuals 00:05:02.279 --> 00:05:04.759 like the Prussian Baron Friedrich Wilhelm von 00:05:04.759 --> 00:05:07.199 Steuben. He was critical at Valley Forge, wasn't 00:05:07.199 --> 00:05:10.550 he? Oh, instrumental. He arrived at Valley Forge 00:05:10.550 --> 00:05:12.670 and essentially taught them Prussian army tactics 00:05:12.670 --> 00:05:16.329 and organizational skills. He rafted the regulations 00:05:16.329 --> 00:05:18.629 for the order and discipline of the troops of 00:05:18.629 --> 00:05:21.110 the United States, which was, for all intents 00:05:21.110 --> 00:05:23.730 and purposes, the first standard manual of arms 00:05:23.730 --> 00:05:26.389 for the whole force. He instilled professionalism 00:05:26.389 --> 00:05:28.730 where there had been, well, chaos. Total chaos. 00:05:28.970 --> 00:05:31.769 So they win the war, they achieve independence, 00:05:32.189 --> 00:05:34.769 and then what happens? The Continental Army is 00:05:34.769 --> 00:05:37.189 quickly dissolved. That's the core tension, isn't 00:05:37.189 --> 00:05:39.970 it? A deep distrust of centralized power. That's 00:05:39.970 --> 00:05:42.730 the key. The Continental Army was quickly demobilized, 00:05:42.810 --> 00:05:45.790 reflecting that deep Republican distrust of standing 00:05:45.790 --> 00:05:48.509 armies. The founders were terrified that an army 00:05:48.509 --> 00:05:50.389 could be used by a tyrannical government against 00:05:50.389 --> 00:05:52.649 its own citizens. So the nation was left with, 00:05:52.810 --> 00:05:55.629 what, just state militias? Pretty much. State 00:05:55.629 --> 00:05:58.910 militias and a tiny federal force. Just one regiment 00:05:58.910 --> 00:06:01.670 to guard the western frontier and a single artillery 00:06:01.670 --> 00:06:04.110 battery to protect the West Point arsenal. That 00:06:04.110 --> 00:06:06.339 was it. But history shows that vacuum didn't 00:06:06.339 --> 00:06:08.740 last long because distrust of standing armies 00:06:08.740 --> 00:06:11.279 very quickly collides with we need immediate 00:06:11.279 --> 00:06:14.579 trained protection. Precisely. Conflicts continued, 00:06:14.779 --> 00:06:16.759 particularly on the frontier against Native American 00:06:16.759 --> 00:06:19.759 tribes. And after several really bad military 00:06:19.759 --> 00:06:23.120 setbacks, like St. Clair's defeat in 1791 where 00:06:23.120 --> 00:06:25.839 over 800 soldiers were killed. The disaster. 00:06:26.339 --> 00:06:28.720 Total disaster. The need for a professional, 00:06:28.819 --> 00:06:32.449 trained, standing army became undeniable. So 00:06:32.449 --> 00:06:34.370 the United States Army was officially created 00:06:34.370 --> 00:06:38.990 on June 3rd, 1784 to replace the disbanded Continental 00:06:38.990 --> 00:06:41.420 Army. Shifting to the present day, the Army's 00:06:41.420 --> 00:06:43.740 purpose isn't just historic tradition. It's actually 00:06:43.740 --> 00:06:45.920 codified in law. Right. Specifically in Title 00:06:45.920 --> 00:06:48.579 10 U .S. Code, which lays out their statutory 00:06:48.579 --> 00:06:51.360 purpose in four distinct parts. And that legal 00:06:51.360 --> 00:06:53.720 foundation, it's the bedrock of their modern 00:06:53.720 --> 00:06:56.000 operations. It really reveals the scope of their 00:06:56.000 --> 00:06:58.439 responsibility. It does. The four defined purposes 00:06:58.439 --> 00:07:00.639 are, first, preserving the peace and security 00:07:00.639 --> 00:07:02.639 and providing for the defense of the United States, 00:07:02.800 --> 00:07:05.120 its commonwealth, possessions, and any occupied 00:07:05.120 --> 00:07:07.199 areas. So that's the core defensive mandate. 00:07:07.500 --> 00:07:09.759 That's the core defensive mandate. Second, supporting 00:07:09.759 --> 00:07:12.579 national policies. And third, implementing national 00:07:12.579 --> 00:07:15.019 objectives. If we connect those two, they seem 00:07:15.019 --> 00:07:17.339 to encompass everything from disaster relief 00:07:17.339 --> 00:07:21.420 to really complex geopolitical maneuvers. They 00:07:21.420 --> 00:07:24.339 do. And they provide the framework for when the 00:07:24.339 --> 00:07:26.759 Army is deployed outside of direct self -defense, 00:07:26.980 --> 00:07:30.139 engaging in diplomatic or stabilizing roles. 00:07:30.379 --> 00:07:32.560 And the fourth purpose. The fourth is perhaps 00:07:32.560 --> 00:07:35.930 the broadest. Overcoming any nations responsible 00:07:35.930 --> 00:07:38.610 for aggressive acts that imperil the peace and 00:07:38.610 --> 00:07:40.829 security of the United States. That definition 00:07:40.829 --> 00:07:43.110 could cover everything from conventional wars 00:07:43.110 --> 00:07:45.930 to global counterterrorism operations. Exactly. 00:07:45.949 --> 00:07:47.850 So if that's the legal purpose, what are the 00:07:47.850 --> 00:07:50.310 five core competencies, the functional tasks 00:07:50.310 --> 00:07:52.870 they perform every day that define the complexity 00:07:52.870 --> 00:07:55.230 of their modern role? This is the what they do 00:07:55.230 --> 00:07:57.310 list, and it shows how they achieve that land 00:07:57.310 --> 00:08:00.389 dominance we talked about. First and most fundamentally 00:08:00.389 --> 00:08:03.069 is providing prompt and sustained land combat. 00:08:03.399 --> 00:08:05.420 That's their reason for being. Okay. Second, 00:08:05.540 --> 00:08:07.579 they specialize in combined arms operations. 00:08:07.980 --> 00:08:10.279 This means the skillful integration of different 00:08:10.279 --> 00:08:13.339 capabilities, mechanized, armored, airborne, 00:08:13.500 --> 00:08:16.180 air assault operations, all working together 00:08:16.180 --> 00:08:18.420 to defeat an enemy. And the third competency 00:08:18.420 --> 00:08:21.279 brings us into the realm of the highly specialized 00:08:21.279 --> 00:08:23.600 forces we will cover later on. Right, special 00:08:23.600 --> 00:08:26.120 operations forces. So the final two competencies, 00:08:26.139 --> 00:08:28.600 they seem to deal less with direct combat and 00:08:28.600 --> 00:08:31.100 more with enabling the entire joint military 00:08:31.100 --> 00:08:35.169 effort. They do. The fourth is this massive logistical 00:08:35.169 --> 00:08:38.009 and infrastructure task of setting and sustaining 00:08:38.009 --> 00:08:40.350 the theater for the joint force. What does that 00:08:40.350 --> 00:08:43.309 actually mean in practice? It means establishing 00:08:43.309 --> 00:08:45.909 ports, airfields, supply lines, communications 00:08:45.909 --> 00:08:48.509 for every other branch that follows them in. 00:08:48.549 --> 00:08:50.230 They get there first and build the foundation. 00:08:50.549 --> 00:08:52.769 And the fifth competency? Fifth is integrating 00:08:52.769 --> 00:08:55.649 national, multinational, and joint powers specifically 00:08:55.649 --> 00:08:58.840 on land. They are the essential anchor for any 00:08:58.840 --> 00:09:01.220 large -scale ground deployment, making sure that 00:09:01.220 --> 00:09:03.919 Allied forces and sister services can all operate 00:09:03.919 --> 00:09:06.179 effectively in the most complex terrain. Moving 00:09:06.179 --> 00:09:08.460 forward in time, the Army's evolution can, I 00:09:08.460 --> 00:09:10.879 think, only really be understood by looking at 00:09:10.879 --> 00:09:13.360 the defining conflicts that forged it. And here's 00:09:13.360 --> 00:09:16.019 a twist I didn't expect. The conflict that secured 00:09:16.019 --> 00:09:19.379 decades of diplomatic peace was actually considered, 00:09:19.600 --> 00:09:22.159 well, inconclusive in its immediate military 00:09:22.159 --> 00:09:24.620 gains. You're talking about the War of 1812. 00:09:24.759 --> 00:09:27.200 Exactly. It ended with the Treaty of Ghent. And 00:09:27.200 --> 00:09:29.299 in pure military terms, you're right, it was 00:09:29.299 --> 00:09:32.889 a draw. Inconclusive. But if we connect this 00:09:32.889 --> 00:09:35.610 to the bigger picture, the long -term consequence 00:09:35.610 --> 00:09:38.789 was just immense and it's often overlooked. Which 00:09:38.789 --> 00:09:41.330 was? It established a lasting period of peace 00:09:41.330 --> 00:09:44.110 between the U .S. and Great Britain that has 00:09:44.110 --> 00:09:47.669 persisted for over two centuries. A military 00:09:47.669 --> 00:09:50.440 conflict that secured... enduring diplomatic 00:09:50.440 --> 00:09:52.960 stability. And you have the Seminole Wars, which 00:09:52.960 --> 00:09:56.200 spanned over 50 years. That forced the army to 00:09:56.200 --> 00:09:58.940 confront a really early form of unconventional 00:09:58.940 --> 00:10:01.019 warfare, something very different from the European 00:10:01.019 --> 00:10:03.980 model. It did. The difficulty posed by the Seminole 00:10:03.980 --> 00:10:06.019 stemmed directly from the geography of Florida 00:10:06.019 --> 00:10:08.500 and, you know, the ingenuity of the tribe. How 00:10:08.500 --> 00:10:11.000 so? Historically, the U .S. military used clear 00:10:11.000 --> 00:10:14.039 strategies against tribes. You seize their winter 00:10:14.039 --> 00:10:16.759 food supplies to force surrender, or you form 00:10:16.759 --> 00:10:19.269 alliances with their neighbors. Standard playbook. 00:10:19.389 --> 00:10:22.289 Right. But neither strategy was viable against 00:10:22.289 --> 00:10:24.990 the Seminoles. Florida didn't have the climate 00:10:24.990 --> 00:10:27.710 variability to produce a reliable winter food 00:10:27.710 --> 00:10:30.509 cache to seize. And there was already this long 00:10:30.509 --> 00:10:33.330 history of tribal warfare in the region, which 00:10:33.330 --> 00:10:35.789 meant reliable alliances for the U .S. were just 00:10:35.789 --> 00:10:38.370 hard to form. So it forced them to adapt. It 00:10:38.370 --> 00:10:41.330 forced the army to adapt to a brutal. swampy 00:10:41.330 --> 00:10:43.870 counterinsurgency environment very early on, 00:10:43.970 --> 00:10:47.409 relying on small mobile forces rather than large 00:10:47.409 --> 00:10:49.950 conventional formations. OK, fast forward slightly 00:10:49.950 --> 00:10:52.070 to the Mexican -American War. That was a clear 00:10:52.070 --> 00:10:55.039 if. you know, controversial U .S. victory that 00:10:55.039 --> 00:10:57.659 physically redefined the nation's borders. Absolutely. 00:10:57.860 --> 00:11:00.200 The victory resulted in the Treaty of Guadalupe 00:11:00.200 --> 00:11:03.259 Hidalgo, which transferred just a massive amount 00:11:03.259 --> 00:11:05.279 of land to the United States. We're talking about 00:11:05.279 --> 00:11:06.919 the land that makes up modern -day California, 00:11:07.240 --> 00:11:10.299 Nevada, New Mexico. Arizona, Texas, and parts 00:11:10.299 --> 00:11:13.440 of Colorado and Wyoming. That army victory was 00:11:13.440 --> 00:11:16.279 pivotal. It instantly secured nearly a third 00:11:16.279 --> 00:11:18.740 of the continental U .S. and really defined its 00:11:18.740 --> 00:11:21.080 manifest destiny. But the deadliest test, the 00:11:21.080 --> 00:11:23.299 conflict that showed the potential scale of American 00:11:23.299 --> 00:11:26.399 manpower and industrial mobilization, was, of 00:11:26.399 --> 00:11:28.679 course, the American Civil War. It remains the 00:11:28.679 --> 00:11:32.279 costliest war in U .S. history by far. The sheer 00:11:32.279 --> 00:11:34.700 human toll is just hard to comprehend. We're 00:11:34.700 --> 00:11:38.340 talking 620 ,000 deaths on both sides. And to 00:11:38.340 --> 00:11:40.600 put that demographic impact into stark relief. 00:11:40.940 --> 00:11:44.340 8 % of all white males aged 13 to 43 died in 00:11:44.340 --> 00:11:47.740 that war. The South, with a smaller overall population, 00:11:47.980 --> 00:11:50.879 saw even higher devastation. And the Union strategy 00:11:50.879 --> 00:11:53.179 employed by leaders like Grant and Sherman was 00:11:53.179 --> 00:11:55.620 so crucial because it moved beyond just winning 00:11:55.620 --> 00:11:58.340 field battles to total economic warfare. The 00:11:58.340 --> 00:12:00.659 Anaconda Plan. The Union strategy was fundamentally 00:12:00.659 --> 00:12:03.340 about strangulation. It focused on seizing the 00:12:03.340 --> 00:12:05.580 coastline, blockading ports to cut off Confederate 00:12:05.580 --> 00:12:08.220 trade, and crucially, it controlled the major 00:12:08.220 --> 00:12:10.720 river systems. Like the Vicksburg Campaign. The 00:12:10.720 --> 00:12:13.279 Vicksburg Campaign, under General Grant, seized 00:12:13.279 --> 00:12:15.820 the Mississippi River. And that effectively split 00:12:15.820 --> 00:12:18.480 the Confederacy in two and completely strangled 00:12:18.480 --> 00:12:21.559 their economic and logistical capacity. It showed 00:12:21.559 --> 00:12:24.220 that sustained land dominance required control 00:12:24.220 --> 00:12:27.000 of strategic lines of communication, whether 00:12:27.000 --> 00:12:30.000 they were roads, rail, or rivers. The industrial 00:12:30.000 --> 00:12:32.460 mobilization of the Civil War showed the potential 00:12:32.460 --> 00:12:35.320 scale of American manpower, a lesson that seems 00:12:35.320 --> 00:12:37.580 to have been tragically forgotten until the eve 00:12:37.580 --> 00:12:40.179 of World War II. Which brings us to a shocking 00:12:40.179 --> 00:12:43.620 fact about the Army's size in 1939. It's genuinely 00:12:43.620 --> 00:12:46.200 hard to believe, isn't it? It really is, given 00:12:46.200 --> 00:12:48.080 what the army became just a few years later. 00:12:48.220 --> 00:12:51.379 In 1939, right as the world was about to explode 00:12:51.379 --> 00:12:54.100 into global conflict, estimates placed the U 00:12:54.100 --> 00:12:57.039 .S. Army's strength between 174 ,000 and 200 00:12:57.039 --> 00:12:59.240 ,000 soldiers. Which ranked it where globally? 00:12:59.460 --> 00:13:02.000 Only 17th or 19th. It was smaller than the Army 00:13:02.000 --> 00:13:04.179 of Portugal. Smaller than the size of the New 00:13:04.179 --> 00:13:06.480 York City Police Department today. That shocking 00:13:06.480 --> 00:13:09.059 deficit just underscores the monumental task 00:13:09.059 --> 00:13:11.440 faced by leaders like General George C. Marshall. 00:13:11.700 --> 00:13:14.059 Marshall became Army Chief of Staff in September 00:13:14.059 --> 00:13:17.620 1939, and he immediately led the effort to expand 00:13:17.620 --> 00:13:20.720 and modernize the Army. He instituted the largest 00:13:20.720 --> 00:13:23.039 mobilization of forces and equipment in human 00:13:23.039 --> 00:13:25.240 history. And that preparation paid off massively. 00:13:25.480 --> 00:13:28.379 It did. Some 11 million Americans served in various 00:13:28.379 --> 00:13:31.080 army operations during World War II, transitioning 00:13:31.080 --> 00:13:34.840 the U .S. from an isolationist power to a global 00:13:34.840 --> 00:13:37.200 superpower almost overnight. And then once the 00:13:37.200 --> 00:13:40.100 war was over, we saw that familiar American impulse 00:13:40.100 --> 00:13:43.620 to rapidly demobilize. Yes. The demobilization 00:13:43.620 --> 00:13:46.149 was extremely sharp. They dropped from 8 million 00:13:46.149 --> 00:13:51.049 soldiers in 1945 down to 684 ,000 by 1947. And 00:13:51.049 --> 00:13:53.269 that was seen as a success. By most accounts, 00:13:53.450 --> 00:13:55.789 yes, a successful, if traumatic, transition. 00:13:56.509 --> 00:13:59.269 And this post -war period also saw two critical 00:13:59.269 --> 00:14:01.429 structural changes that define the modern military. 00:14:01.730 --> 00:14:03.570 First, the separation of the Army Air Forces 00:14:03.570 --> 00:14:06.070 in 1947. Which became the independent U .S. Air 00:14:06.070 --> 00:14:08.250 Force. And second, the desegregation of the armed 00:14:08.250 --> 00:14:10.309 forces via President Truman's Executive Order 00:14:10.309 --> 00:14:14.809 99981 in 1948. So the end of World War II immediately 00:14:14.809 --> 00:14:18.629 plunges the Army into the Cold War context. What 00:14:18.629 --> 00:14:20.649 was the central strategic challenge for them 00:14:20.649 --> 00:14:23.889 during those first few decades? After Korea. 00:14:24.519 --> 00:14:26.720 The Army's strategic focus during the Cold War 00:14:26.720 --> 00:14:28.960 was really defined by the doctrine of containment, 00:14:29.259 --> 00:14:31.899 and it was anchored largely in Europe. Right. 00:14:32.000 --> 00:14:35.100 We were essential to NATO's forward defense strategy. 00:14:35.360 --> 00:14:38.080 We maintained massive forces -armored divisions, 00:14:38.360 --> 00:14:41.340 mechanized infantry deployed in West Germany 00:14:41.340 --> 00:14:44.639 to deter a potential Soviet tank invasion. Which 00:14:44.639 --> 00:14:47.220 required a huge standing force. A huge force. 00:14:47.659 --> 00:14:49.899 constantly trained and equipped for conventional, 00:14:50.059 --> 00:14:52.679 high -intensity tank warfare on the plains of 00:14:52.679 --> 00:14:54.659 Central Europe. But that conventional readiness, 00:14:54.840 --> 00:14:57.080 which paid dividends decades later in the Gulf 00:14:57.080 --> 00:14:59.440 War, seemed to be entirely the wrong tool for 00:14:59.440 --> 00:15:01.200 the conflict that immediately followed Vietnam. 00:15:01.419 --> 00:15:04.259 It was. What specifically made Vietnam such a 00:15:04.259 --> 00:15:06.379 structural and doctrinal low point for the army? 00:15:06.620 --> 00:15:08.779 Well, the system was designed to fight the Soviets, 00:15:08.919 --> 00:15:11.779 not revolutionaries in a jungle. The reliance 00:15:11.779 --> 00:15:14.820 on conscription, on draftees, meant high turnover 00:15:14.820 --> 00:15:17.580 and very low institutional experience. And the 00:15:17.580 --> 00:15:20.460 strategy itself was flawed. The attrition strategy 00:15:20.460 --> 00:15:23.179 they employed was strategically unsustainable 00:15:23.179 --> 00:15:26.500 and politically unpopular. It led to a force 00:15:26.500 --> 00:15:29.460 that struggled immensely against the highly committed, 00:15:29.620 --> 00:15:32.419 unconventional tactics of the Viet Cong and the 00:15:32.419 --> 00:15:35.159 North Vietnamese Army. It exposed a fundamental 00:15:35.159 --> 00:15:37.860 weakness in our ability to conduct counterinsurgency 00:15:37.860 --> 00:15:40.940 operations. And that failure led directly to 00:15:40.940 --> 00:15:43.120 one of the most critical policy shifts still 00:15:43.120 --> 00:15:45.580 impacting the army today. The total force policy. 00:15:45.799 --> 00:15:48.320 This is a vital connection point for the modern 00:15:48.320 --> 00:15:50.899 army, and it's a direct response to the political 00:15:50.899 --> 00:15:53.840 fallout of Vietnam. It is. General Creighton 00:15:53.840 --> 00:15:56.240 Abrams adopted the total force policy post -Vietnam, 00:15:56.480 --> 00:16:00.159 which officially treated the regular army. the 00:16:00.159 --> 00:16:03.059 active component, the Army National Guard and 00:16:03.059 --> 00:16:05.539 the Army Reserve as a single integrated force. 00:16:05.700 --> 00:16:07.620 OK, let's unpack that. It sounds like a logistical 00:16:07.620 --> 00:16:09.799 decision treating them all as one force. But 00:16:09.799 --> 00:16:11.799 what was the critical political implication of 00:16:11.799 --> 00:16:15.110 that move? That's the key. The strategic genius 00:16:15.110 --> 00:16:17.830 of the policy by intentionally assigning nearly 00:16:17.830 --> 00:16:20.669 all essential combat support roles like logistics, 00:16:20.950 --> 00:16:24.070 medical units, heavy transportation, signal core 00:16:24.070 --> 00:16:26.509 to the Guard and Reserve components. Abrams made 00:16:26.509 --> 00:16:28.990 it politically impossible, impossible for any 00:16:28.990 --> 00:16:31.610 future administration to launch a prolonged, 00:16:31.769 --> 00:16:34.950 large scale and potentially unpopular war without 00:16:34.950 --> 00:16:37.330 first doing what? Without first calling up the 00:16:37.330 --> 00:16:39.990 citizen soldier, it tethered public support and 00:16:39.990 --> 00:16:42.429 congressional buy in directly to the willingness 00:16:42.429 --> 00:16:44.960 to. deploy the National Guard. You just cannot 00:16:44.960 --> 00:16:48.220 deploy heavy active divisions overseas for long 00:16:48.220 --> 00:16:50.740 without those reserve units following them. That 00:16:50.740 --> 00:16:53.620 integrated force was then showcased in the 1990s 00:16:53.620 --> 00:16:56.399 and the 21st century. The Gulf War was a massive, 00:16:56.419 --> 00:16:59.039 decisive military reversal of the previous few 00:16:59.039 --> 00:17:02.000 decades. Operation Desert Storm in 1991 was a 00:17:02.000 --> 00:17:05.440 resounding victory. It utilized a U .S.-led coalition 00:17:05.440 --> 00:17:08.559 that deployed over 500 ,000 troops, the bulk 00:17:08.559 --> 00:17:10.680 of which were U .S. Army formations. And it was 00:17:10.680 --> 00:17:12.900 historically significant for the scale of the 00:17:12.900 --> 00:17:15.380 fighting. It featured the largest, most effective 00:17:15.380 --> 00:17:17.960 tank battles in history, battles like Medina 00:17:17.960 --> 00:17:21.880 Ridge, Norfolk, and 73 Easting. It proved the 00:17:21.880 --> 00:17:25.319 Army's doctrine of deep attack and swift, mechanized 00:17:25.319 --> 00:17:27.420 maneuver warfare that they had developed during 00:17:27.420 --> 00:17:29.980 the Cold War. But the Army's next major commitment... 00:17:30.170 --> 00:17:33.710 Post 9 -11 demanded a rapid and difficult pivot 00:17:33.710 --> 00:17:36.329 away from that conventional doctrine. It did. 00:17:36.509 --> 00:17:39.609 The attacks of September 11th hit the army hard. 00:17:39.829 --> 00:17:42.789 53 army civilians and 22 soldiers were killed 00:17:42.789 --> 00:17:45.029 in the Pentagon attack alone. And the subsequent 00:17:45.029 --> 00:17:47.970 decades saw the army lead ground forces in Afghanistan 00:17:47.970 --> 00:17:50.470 and Iraq. Right. And what's fascinating here 00:17:50.470 --> 00:17:53.470 is the rapid operational shift. Within months, 00:17:53.589 --> 00:17:55.630 they pivoted from the conventional set -piece 00:17:55.630 --> 00:17:57.690 battles they had just perfected in Desert Storm 00:17:57.690 --> 00:18:01.789 to prolonged, complex counterinsurgency or Koyaan 00:18:01.789 --> 00:18:04.190 operations. Which required a fundamental change 00:18:04.190 --> 00:18:07.009 in mindset. A total change. It focused on population 00:18:07.009 --> 00:18:09.809 security, stability, and defeating decentralized 00:18:09.809 --> 00:18:12.250 guerrilla tactics rather than state -on -state 00:18:12.250 --> 00:18:14.549 warfare. That rapid operational shift brings 00:18:14.549 --> 00:18:16.410 us right into the structure of the modern army. 00:18:16.529 --> 00:18:19.289 It is a highly effective, complex organization 00:18:19.289 --> 00:18:21.890 governed by this dual system of civilian and 00:18:21.890 --> 00:18:24.420 military. military control. Yes. And let's start 00:18:24.420 --> 00:18:26.380 with the dual leadership at the very top. The 00:18:26.380 --> 00:18:29.200 structure is intentional design to embed civilian 00:18:29.200 --> 00:18:31.819 control, a principle that dates all the way back 00:18:31.819 --> 00:18:34.599 to that early American distrust of standing armies. 00:18:34.799 --> 00:18:37.140 It is. So you have the secretary of the army 00:18:37.140 --> 00:18:40.460 or sick army. This is the civilian senior appointed 00:18:40.460 --> 00:18:43.519 civil servant holding statutory authority over 00:18:43.519 --> 00:18:47.220 all army affairs, personnel, budget, infrastructure, 00:18:47.500 --> 00:18:50.259 but ultimately operating under the authority 00:18:50.259 --> 00:18:52.269 of the secretary of defense. And then on the 00:18:52.269 --> 00:18:54.210 military side, you have the four -star general 00:18:54.210 --> 00:18:56.410 who serves as the chief of staff of the Army, 00:18:56.509 --> 00:18:59.069 the CSA. The CSA is the highest -ranked military 00:18:59.069 --> 00:19:01.549 officer in the Army. He serves as the principal 00:19:01.549 --> 00:19:03.950 military advisor and executive agent for the 00:19:03.950 --> 00:19:07.569 SEC Army, supervising the Army staff. And critically, 00:19:07.809 --> 00:19:10.410 the CSA also serves on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. 00:19:10.829 --> 00:19:12.670 Which is the body that advises the president 00:19:12.670 --> 00:19:14.849 and secretary of defense on operational matters. 00:19:15.049 --> 00:19:17.269 Right. Now, this raises a really crucial point 00:19:17.269 --> 00:19:20.049 of confusion for many. If the CSA is the top 00:19:20.049 --> 00:19:22.230 general, does he command the troops in, say, 00:19:22.329 --> 00:19:25.230 Iraq or Germany? No, absolutely not. And this 00:19:25.230 --> 00:19:27.690 is where the Goldwater -Nichols Act of 1986 comes 00:19:27.690 --> 00:19:30.569 into play. A truly critical piece of legislation. 00:19:31.009 --> 00:19:34.650 It was passed in response to poor operational 00:19:34.650 --> 00:19:37.190 coordination during events like the Grenada invasion. 00:19:37.609 --> 00:19:40.450 It mandated a very clear separation of authority 00:19:40.450 --> 00:19:42.549 and mission. What does that mean? It means the 00:19:42.549 --> 00:19:44.829 service secretaries and service chiefs, like 00:19:44.829 --> 00:19:47.710 the Sikh Army and the CSA, only have the responsibility 00:19:47.710 --> 00:19:51.170 to organize, train, and equip their forces. That's 00:19:51.170 --> 00:19:54.190 it. So the army prepares the forces, but they 00:19:54.190 --> 00:19:57.150 don't deploy or command them in wartime. Precisely. 00:19:57.470 --> 00:19:59.369 The operational chain of command flows directly 00:19:59.369 --> 00:20:01.690 from the president through the secretary of defense 00:20:01.690 --> 00:20:04.369 to the unified combatant commanders who run the 00:20:04.369 --> 00:20:08.170 regional theaters like CNCOM or INDOPACOM. The 00:20:08.170 --> 00:20:10.109 army provides the trained and equipped forces 00:20:10.109 --> 00:20:13.329 to those commanders. So operational control is 00:20:13.329 --> 00:20:15.130 clearly separated from service administration. 00:20:15.880 --> 00:20:17.740 Very clearly. Let's look again at the three primary 00:20:17.740 --> 00:20:19.859 components that constitute that total force, 00:20:20.099 --> 00:20:21.839 legally speaking, which we touched on earlier. 00:20:22.039 --> 00:20:23.900 OK, so first you have the regular army. That's 00:20:23.900 --> 00:20:27.000 the full time active component ready to deploy 00:20:27.000 --> 00:20:29.779 at a moment's notice anywhere in the world. They're 00:20:29.779 --> 00:20:32.740 governed exclusively by Title 10 of the U .S. 00:20:32.740 --> 00:20:35.640 Code. Which defines federal military roles. Correct. 00:20:36.170 --> 00:20:38.589 Then there is the Army Reserve, also primarily 00:20:38.589 --> 00:20:41.230 under Title 10. These are part -time soldiers 00:20:41.230 --> 00:20:43.569 who train monthly and conduct annual training. 00:20:43.849 --> 00:20:46.109 They often specialize in high -demand support 00:20:46.109 --> 00:20:48.650 capabilities. And the component that tends to 00:20:48.650 --> 00:20:50.730 get the most complex legally and politically 00:20:50.730 --> 00:20:53.519 is, of course, the National Guard. The Army National 00:20:53.519 --> 00:20:56.740 Guard has a unique dual status. When they are 00:20:56.740 --> 00:20:59.519 not federalized, they operate under the authority 00:20:59.519 --> 00:21:02.440 of their state or territorial governor, and they're 00:21:02.440 --> 00:21:05.440 governed by Title 32. So they're the troops called 00:21:05.440 --> 00:21:07.779 upon for domestic emergencies like hurricane 00:21:07.779 --> 00:21:10.980 relief or civil unrest. Exactly. But they're 00:21:10.980 --> 00:21:13.339 also simultaneously reserve members of the U 00:21:13.339 --> 00:21:15.779 .S. Army under the president's authority. And 00:21:15.779 --> 00:21:18.900 here is a key point in U .S. law. The National 00:21:18.900 --> 00:21:21.400 Guard can be federalized by presidential order. 00:21:21.849 --> 00:21:24.009 even against the express wishes of the state 00:21:24.009 --> 00:21:26.829 governor. Which moves them from Title 32 to Title 00:21:26.829 --> 00:21:29.329 10 status. Right. They become a federal asset. 00:21:29.630 --> 00:21:31.950 So if we move down to the operational unit level, 00:21:32.049 --> 00:21:34.150 the Army went through a massive overhaul in the 00:21:34.150 --> 00:21:37.450 2000s, shifting away from divisions as the static 00:21:37.450 --> 00:21:40.109 base fighting unit to what we now call modular 00:21:40.109 --> 00:21:43.349 brigades. This was a necessity, really. driven 00:21:43.349 --> 00:21:45.690 by the demands of operations in Afghanistan and 00:21:45.690 --> 00:21:48.769 Iraq, where you needed highly specialized, flexible 00:21:48.769 --> 00:21:51.930 deployments. So how did it work before? Historically, 00:21:52.049 --> 00:21:55.369 a division was a fixed structure. It only commanded 00:21:55.369 --> 00:21:58.250 brigades that carried its specific lineage. The 00:21:58.250 --> 00:22:01.210 transformation to modularity means division headquarters, 00:22:01.630 --> 00:22:03.950 well, they retain their lineage, but they're 00:22:03.950 --> 00:22:05.950 now designed to command any brigade package, 00:22:06.170 --> 00:22:08.349 regardless of its original divisional identity. 00:22:09.000 --> 00:22:11.299 And these operational packages are standardized 00:22:11.299 --> 00:22:14.700 into three major types of brigade combat teams 00:22:14.700 --> 00:22:17.660 or BCTs. Right. And they're structured by their 00:22:17.660 --> 00:22:19.980 mobility and firepower. What are the three types? 00:22:20.220 --> 00:22:22.059 You have the armor brigades, which are the heaviest. 00:22:22.119 --> 00:22:24.240 They're built around the M1 Abrams tank and the 00:22:24.240 --> 00:22:28.500 M2 Bradley with about 4 ,743 troops. They're 00:22:28.500 --> 00:22:30.720 optimized for high -intensity conflict. Next 00:22:30.720 --> 00:22:33.019 are the striker brigades built around the eight 00:22:33.019 --> 00:22:35.619 -wheeled striker vehicle. They have about 4 ,500 00:22:35.619 --> 00:22:37.599 troops, and they're meant to balance mobility 00:22:37.599 --> 00:22:39.930 and protection. And the third type? The infantry 00:22:39.930 --> 00:22:42.450 brigades. These are the lightest, mostly foot 00:22:42.450 --> 00:22:44.630 mobile, but still highly lethal, with around 00:22:44.630 --> 00:22:49.230 4 ,413 troops. And this modularity allows combatant 00:22:49.230 --> 00:22:51.609 commanders to tailor the force package precisely 00:22:51.609 --> 00:22:54.170 to the mission requirements. Exactly. They can 00:22:54.170 --> 00:22:55.990 deploy the right level of protection and mobility, 00:22:56.269 --> 00:22:58.910 whether it's desert warfare or mountain operations. 00:22:59.269 --> 00:23:01.750 This constant evolution and restructuring is 00:23:01.750 --> 00:23:04.750 managed by a specific body focused on the future, 00:23:04.890 --> 00:23:07.890 right? That is the Army Futures Command, or AFC. 00:23:08.299 --> 00:23:10.819 It's a four -star command established in 2018. 00:23:11.140 --> 00:23:14.140 And its mission is explicit. Modernization reform, 00:23:14.440 --> 00:23:17.099 designing future hardware, and working to speed 00:23:17.099 --> 00:23:19.700 up the notoriously slow acquisition process. 00:23:20.039 --> 00:23:22.559 They're the innovation engine, ensuring the Army 00:23:22.559 --> 00:23:24.740 doesn't spend decades acquiring equipment that 00:23:24.740 --> 00:23:26.819 is already obsolete before it even reaches the 00:23:26.819 --> 00:23:29.240 field. And that focus on the future, it requires 00:23:29.240 --> 00:23:31.720 serious financial backing, of course. It demands 00:23:31.720 --> 00:23:35.200 a total repriorization. The FY 2020 budget really 00:23:35.200 --> 00:23:37.859 underscored this. It allocated $30 billion specifically 00:23:37.859 --> 00:23:40.900 for the top six modernization goals over five 00:23:40.900 --> 00:23:43.779 years. And this wasn't just new money. No, that's 00:23:43.779 --> 00:23:46.579 the key. It was generated by $8 billion in cost 00:23:46.579 --> 00:23:49.759 avoidance and $22 billion realized through program 00:23:49.759 --> 00:23:52.319 terminations. They were serious about cutting 00:23:52.319 --> 00:23:55.519 existing, redundant, or failing programs to fund 00:23:55.519 --> 00:23:57.900 the future. Let's look now at the sharp edge 00:23:57.900 --> 00:24:01.529 of the spear. Special Operations Forces, or USSO. 00:24:01.809 --> 00:24:05.049 This organization is intensely specialized and 00:24:05.049 --> 00:24:07.710 represents the absolute peak of the total force. 00:24:07.930 --> 00:24:09.849 Starting with the 1st Special Forces Command, 00:24:10.089 --> 00:24:12.569 commonly known as the Green Berets, they execute 00:24:12.569 --> 00:24:14.890 nine doctrinal missions. And these missions, 00:24:14.910 --> 00:24:17.230 they span the complex spectrum of modern conflict. 00:24:17.430 --> 00:24:19.609 They do. They focus on long -term politically 00:24:19.609 --> 00:24:21.849 sensitive tasks like unconventional warfare, 00:24:22.230 --> 00:24:24.730 foreign internal defense, which is training allied 00:24:24.730 --> 00:24:27.470 militaries, direct action, counterinsurgency, 00:24:27.589 --> 00:24:29.769 and counterterrorism. Their ability to operate 00:24:29.769 --> 00:24:32.710 autonomously and blend in is crucial. And within 00:24:32.710 --> 00:24:35.789 USSA, we find the most elite ground units, like 00:24:35.789 --> 00:24:38.710 the 75th Ranger Regiment and Delta Force. What's 00:24:38.710 --> 00:24:40.450 the operational difference between the two? So 00:24:40.450 --> 00:24:42.690 the 75th Ranger Regiment is elite airborne infantry. 00:24:43.119 --> 00:24:45.160 They specialize in large -scale joint forcible 00:24:45.160 --> 00:24:47.539 entry operations and precision targeting raids. 00:24:47.779 --> 00:24:49.980 So think of them as the unit that can seize an 00:24:49.980 --> 00:24:53.579 airfield or execute a rapid, complex raid on 00:24:53.579 --> 00:24:56.440 a target location. Exactly. They bridge the gap 00:24:56.440 --> 00:24:58.900 between traditional combat units and deep special 00:24:58.900 --> 00:25:01.099 operations. And then there's the unit commonly 00:25:01.099 --> 00:25:03.880 known as Delta Force or The Unit. That is the 00:25:03.880 --> 00:25:06.740 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment Delta, 00:25:06.960 --> 00:25:10.680 SFODD. It's the Army's Tier 1 Special Mission 00:25:10.680 --> 00:25:13.450 Unit. And they are tasked with the most complex, 00:25:13.650 --> 00:25:16.589 classified and dangerous missions directed by 00:25:16.589 --> 00:25:18.970 the National Command Authority. Right. Specializing 00:25:18.970 --> 00:25:21.589 in things like hostage rescue and high stakes 00:25:21.589 --> 00:25:24.829 counterterrorism. The source material highlights 00:25:24.829 --> 00:25:27.210 the extreme breadth of their potential tasks. 00:25:27.430 --> 00:25:30.069 It notes their eight specialized squadrons include 00:25:30.069 --> 00:25:33.230 not only assault and aviation squadrons, but 00:25:33.230 --> 00:25:36.369 also a clandestine squadron and a highly unique 00:25:36.369 --> 00:25:39.029 nuclear disposal squadron. A nuclear disposal 00:25:39.029 --> 00:25:40.789 squadron, that tells you the level of threat 00:25:40.789 --> 00:25:42.910 mitigation they are expected to handle. It certainly 00:25:42.910 --> 00:25:45.410 does. If the army is moving to modular units 00:25:45.410 --> 00:25:47.769 and futuristic equipment, the biggest revolution 00:25:47.769 --> 00:25:50.319 is actually happening in... of all places, the 00:25:50.319 --> 00:25:52.180 Human Resources Department. That's absolutely 00:25:52.180 --> 00:25:54.200 right. It's changing how soldiers are tracked, 00:25:54.359 --> 00:25:57.140 managed, and promoted. And this is a huge bureaucratic 00:25:57.140 --> 00:26:00.299 lift. It is. The shift toward formal talent management 00:26:00.299 --> 00:26:02.799 is probably the most significant non -combat 00:26:02.799 --> 00:26:06.079 reform in decades. The old system was all about 00:26:06.079 --> 00:26:08.619 time and grade. The new system wants to match 00:26:08.619 --> 00:26:11.839 individual capabilities to specific job requirements 00:26:11.839 --> 00:26:14.859 across the entire force. And central to this 00:26:14.859 --> 00:26:16.819 is something called the Integrated Personnel 00:26:16.819 --> 00:26:20.279 and Pay System Army, or IPPSA. Right. Let's define 00:26:20.279 --> 00:26:23.119 that acronym immediately. What is IPPSA and why 00:26:23.119 --> 00:26:26.700 is it so revolutionary for the Army? IPPSA is 00:26:26.700 --> 00:26:30.339 a new centralized cloud -based human resources 00:26:30.339 --> 00:26:33.650 system. And it is revolutionary because, for 00:26:33.650 --> 00:26:36.089 the very first time, it unites personnel data 00:26:36.089 --> 00:26:38.930 for all three components, active, National Guard, 00:26:39.029 --> 00:26:41.869 and reserve, into one searchable database. And 00:26:41.869 --> 00:26:43.569 it's even available as a mobile app. As a mobile 00:26:43.569 --> 00:26:45.690 app. This breaks down the fragmentation that 00:26:45.690 --> 00:26:47.990 used to plague the total force. It allows the 00:26:47.990 --> 00:26:49.670 Army to find the right soldier with the right 00:26:49.670 --> 00:26:51.869 skills for the right job, regardless of what 00:26:51.869 --> 00:26:54.609 component they're in. And IPPSA supports crucial 00:26:54.609 --> 00:26:56.950 leadership initiatives like the Battalion Commander 00:26:56.950 --> 00:27:01.609 Assessment Program or BCAP. How did BCAP fundamentally 00:27:01.609 --> 00:27:05.009 change how commanders are selected? BCAP moved 00:27:05.009 --> 00:27:07.910 beyond just ranking candidates based on time 00:27:07.910 --> 00:27:11.049 and grade or past performance reviews. Instead, 00:27:11.230 --> 00:27:13.890 they use this grueling five -day holistic assessment 00:27:13.890 --> 00:27:16.950 program at Fort Knox. And they evaluate candidates 00:27:16.950 --> 00:27:20.859 using 25 distinct criteria. They do. This includes 00:27:20.859 --> 00:27:23.640 a psychological evaluation, peer reviews, and 00:27:23.640 --> 00:27:25.839 importantly, incorporating the officer's personal 00:27:25.839 --> 00:27:28.160 preference for assignments. This ensures the 00:27:28.160 --> 00:27:30.019 Army isn't just promoting the officer who stayed 00:27:30.019 --> 00:27:32.240 out of trouble, but the one who has the greatest 00:27:32.240 --> 00:27:34.859 potential for success in a command climate they 00:27:34.859 --> 00:27:36.839 actually want to be in. That sounds like a much 00:27:36.839 --> 00:27:38.839 more holistic approach to leadership selection. 00:27:39.140 --> 00:27:41.460 And I understand there are also changes to what 00:27:41.460 --> 00:27:43.839 review boards can see when considering promotions. 00:27:44.099 --> 00:27:46.960 Yes, a kind of transparency with a warning. How 00:27:46.960 --> 00:27:49.259 so? The focus is on a complete picture of performance. 00:27:49.759 --> 00:27:52.900 Promotion boards can now see almost all substantiated 00:27:52.900 --> 00:27:55.819 adverse information in an officer's human resource 00:27:55.819 --> 00:27:58.299 record that may have previously been hidden or 00:27:58.299 --> 00:28:01.509 buried. So it forces officers to stay constantly 00:28:01.509 --> 00:28:04.089 familiar with their records. It does. They have 00:28:04.089 --> 00:28:06.849 to file prompt rebuttals to any adverse information. 00:28:07.150 --> 00:28:10.190 And it ensures that the selection process is 00:28:10.190 --> 00:28:12.309 making decisions based on the most accurate, 00:28:12.450 --> 00:28:15.009 complete picture of a leader's track record. 00:28:15.230 --> 00:28:17.730 Let's move to the personnel system itself, how 00:28:17.730 --> 00:28:19.349 the different ranks are structured, which is 00:28:19.349 --> 00:28:21.450 often a point of interest for civilian learners. 00:28:21.829 --> 00:28:24.309 Okay, so we have three primary categories. First... 00:28:24.670 --> 00:28:28.029 Officers from 01 to 010. They are the strategic 00:28:28.029 --> 00:28:30.869 and operational decision makers. And the paths 00:28:30.869 --> 00:28:34.549 to commissioning include West Point, ROTC. Officer 00:28:34.549 --> 00:28:36.670 Candidate School. And direct commissioning for 00:28:36.670 --> 00:28:38.950 specialists like doctors or lawyers. And they 00:28:38.950 --> 00:28:40.809 operate under what's called the Defense Officer 00:28:40.809 --> 00:28:45.150 Personnel Management Act of 1980, or DOPMA. Right, 00:28:45.230 --> 00:28:47.750 which essentially creates the up or out system. 00:28:47.930 --> 00:28:50.890 Can you explain that? DOPMA establishes the rules 00:28:50.890 --> 00:28:53.750 for promotion timing, and it sets limits on the 00:28:53.750 --> 00:28:55.869 total number of officers allowed in each rank. 00:28:56.009 --> 00:28:58.369 It mandates that officers who fail to be promoted 00:28:58.369 --> 00:29:00.349 after a certain number of attempts or years of 00:29:00.349 --> 00:29:03.359 service must typically retire or separate. And 00:29:03.359 --> 00:29:05.519 as for how to address them? Generals are always 00:29:05.519 --> 00:29:08.180 addressed as General Name. Colonels and Lieutenant 00:29:08.180 --> 00:29:10.619 Colonels are both addressed simply as Colonel 00:29:10.619 --> 00:29:13.079 Name. It's an easy rule to remember. Then you 00:29:13.079 --> 00:29:15.319 have the warrant officers who are the specialty 00:29:15.319 --> 00:29:18.119 personnel, the single track experts who are critical 00:29:18.119 --> 00:29:20.720 to highly technical roles. Warrant officers, 00:29:21.000 --> 00:29:24.859 W1 to W5, are the deep subject matter experts. 00:29:25.099 --> 00:29:27.539 They're often pilots, intelligence analysts, 00:29:27.660 --> 00:29:30.140 or senior technical advisors. And how are they 00:29:30.140 --> 00:29:32.079 addressed? By regulation, they are addressed 00:29:32.079 --> 00:29:36.240 as Mr. Mintz's name by senior officers. But it's 00:29:36.240 --> 00:29:38.500 very common for enlisted personnel to address 00:29:38.500 --> 00:29:41.259 them as chief name as a sign of respect for their 00:29:41.259 --> 00:29:43.670 expertise. Finally, the bedrock of the force, 00:29:43.829 --> 00:29:47.049 the enlisted personnel from E1 to E9. And this 00:29:47.049 --> 00:29:49.269 is where we see that division between non -commissioned 00:29:49.269 --> 00:29:52.549 officers or NCOs and specialists. Right. The 00:29:52.549 --> 00:29:55.130 NCO sergeants and corporals are the vital link 00:29:55.130 --> 00:29:57.450 between officers and the rank and file. They 00:29:57.450 --> 00:29:59.410 exercise direct leadership responsibilities. 00:29:59.650 --> 00:30:01.769 Which distinguishes them from specialists. We 00:30:01.769 --> 00:30:04.289 share the same E4 pay grade, but are primarily 00:30:04.289 --> 00:30:06.890 focused on technical tasks without formal command 00:30:06.890 --> 00:30:09.750 duties. And there was a significant change in 00:30:09.750 --> 00:30:12.730 2021 regarding the rank of corporal, which is 00:30:12.730 --> 00:30:15.789 at that E4 level. It formalized the requirement 00:30:15.789 --> 00:30:18.650 for leadership education. This change was intended 00:30:18.650 --> 00:30:21.569 to reinforce the corporal's role as a non -commissioned 00:30:21.569 --> 00:30:24.630 officer, not just a senior specialist. Since 00:30:24.630 --> 00:30:28.240 2021, All corporals must complete the basic leader 00:30:28.240 --> 00:30:32.160 course or BLC. A key NCO development school. 00:30:32.299 --> 00:30:35.420 A key school. Or they must be laterally assigned 00:30:35.420 --> 00:30:37.539 as specialists. And what's interesting is that 00:30:37.539 --> 00:30:39.920 BLC qualified specialists can now be permitted 00:30:39.920 --> 00:30:42.559 to wear the corporal rank before their formal 00:30:42.559 --> 00:30:45.200 promotion. Which signals to their peers and leaders 00:30:45.200 --> 00:30:47.579 that they are prepared and qualified to assume 00:30:47.579 --> 00:30:50.460 NCO responsibilities. Precisely. That focus on 00:30:50.460 --> 00:30:52.640 readiness extends to the training pipeline itself, 00:30:52.880 --> 00:30:55.440 which has seen several major extensions in recent 00:30:55.440 --> 00:30:57.880 years. Initial training combines basic combat 00:30:57.880 --> 00:31:01.119 training, BCT, with advanced individualized training, 00:31:01.240 --> 00:31:04.619 or AIT. For some military occupational specialties, 00:31:04.680 --> 00:31:06.680 these are combined into one -station unit training, 00:31:06.839 --> 00:31:09.920 or OSU. And the Army is intentionally extending 00:31:09.920 --> 00:31:12.500 the duration of these pipeline courses. Why the 00:31:12.500 --> 00:31:15.200 expansion? It's a direct result of lessons learned 00:31:15.200 --> 00:31:18.019 from years of Kwayan operations, where soldiers 00:31:18.019 --> 00:31:21.140 needed a higher baseline of combat skills immediately 00:31:21.140 --> 00:31:24.599 upon arrival. So, for example, the infantry OSU 00:31:24.599 --> 00:31:27.640 pilot was extended to 22 wins. Right. And the 00:31:27.640 --> 00:31:30.880 Armor OSU is expanding to 22 weeks, with others 00:31:30.880 --> 00:31:33.380 for cavalry, engineer, and military police also 00:31:33.380 --> 00:31:36.240 expanding. This extended training just allows 00:31:36.240 --> 00:31:38.799 for more repetition and better honing of combat 00:31:38.799 --> 00:31:41.720 skills like marksmanship and fieldcraft. It's 00:31:41.720 --> 00:31:44.039 about bolstering lethality before they even reach 00:31:44.039 --> 00:31:46.440 their first unit. Looking at recruiting, the 00:31:46.440 --> 00:31:48.519 Army has faced significant challenges since the 00:31:48.519 --> 00:31:50.720 COVID -19 pandemic. Their solution addresses 00:31:50.720 --> 00:31:52.880 those who don't quite meet the initial entry 00:31:52.880 --> 00:31:55.900 requirements. It does. They introduced the Future 00:31:55.900 --> 00:31:59.819 Soldier Prep Course. or FSPC. This is designed 00:31:59.819 --> 00:32:02.200 to assist potential recruits who don't initially 00:32:02.200 --> 00:32:04.420 meet either the physical fitness or academic 00:32:04.420 --> 00:32:06.720 standards for immediate entry. And the academic 00:32:06.720 --> 00:32:09.000 component is the most heavily utilized part of 00:32:09.000 --> 00:32:11.640 the program. By far. It focuses on basic math, 00:32:11.859 --> 00:32:13.900 English, and other essential skills necessary 00:32:13.900 --> 00:32:16.220 for military training. So what does the success 00:32:16.220 --> 00:32:18.880 of this FSPC program tell us about the changing 00:32:18.880 --> 00:32:21.259 nature of the potential recruit? It suggests 00:32:21.259 --> 00:32:23.559 the Army is willing to invest in human capital 00:32:23.559 --> 00:32:26.609 that traditional systems might filter out. It 00:32:26.609 --> 00:32:28.829 tells us that the pool of eligible recruits is 00:32:28.829 --> 00:32:31.569 shrinking, forcing the Army to provide remedial 00:32:31.569 --> 00:32:33.730 training that wasn't previously necessary. And 00:32:33.730 --> 00:32:36.450 it's not a niche program. Far from it. In the 00:32:36.450 --> 00:32:39.289 fiscal year ending in September 2023, approximately 00:32:39.289 --> 00:32:43.710 13 ,000 recruits, a striking 24 % participated 00:32:43.710 --> 00:32:47.309 in the FSPC. That indicates a heavy reliance 00:32:47.309 --> 00:32:49.230 on this course to maintain recruitment quotas. 00:32:49.450 --> 00:32:51.630 Finally, the physical standard itself changed 00:32:51.630 --> 00:32:53.549 dramatically with the introduction of the Army 00:32:53.549 --> 00:32:57.700 Combat Fitness Test, the ACFT. The ACFT supersedes 00:32:57.700 --> 00:33:00.380 the old Army Physical Fitness Test, the APFT. 00:33:00.859 --> 00:33:04.119 And the motivation was clear. The APFT tested 00:33:04.119 --> 00:33:06.220 muscle endurance sit -ups, push -ups, and running 00:33:06.220 --> 00:33:08.740 speed, but wasn't scientifically correlated to 00:33:08.740 --> 00:33:11.579 combat survival tasks. So the new test, the ACFT, 00:33:11.799 --> 00:33:13.940 is designed to better predict combat survival 00:33:13.940 --> 00:33:16.640 by testing full -body functional fitness. Exactly. 00:33:16.960 --> 00:33:19.119 And what's groundbreaking here is that the test 00:33:19.119 --> 00:33:21.519 and the scoring system are the same for all soldiers, 00:33:21.619 --> 00:33:24.289 regardless of gender. What are the six key movements 00:33:24.289 --> 00:33:26.650 they determined were more relevant to battlefield 00:33:26.650 --> 00:33:30.009 actions? Okay, so the test lasts about an hour 00:33:30.009 --> 00:33:33.470 and includes six events. First is the three -repetition 00:33:33.470 --> 00:33:36.029 maximum deadlift. This simulates lifting heavy 00:33:36.029 --> 00:33:38.009 equipment or pulling a casualty. Makes sense. 00:33:38.190 --> 00:33:40.910 Second, a standing power throw of a 10 -pound 00:33:40.910 --> 00:33:43.289 medicine ball, which simulates throwing equipment 00:33:43.289 --> 00:33:46.450 over a barrier. Third, hand -release push -ups 00:33:46.450 --> 00:33:49.009 for a more comprehensive measure of chest and 00:33:49.009 --> 00:33:52.000 core strength. And the final three. Fourth is 00:33:52.000 --> 00:33:54.519 the sprint drag carry event, which mimics the 00:33:54.519 --> 00:33:56.559 explosive effort needed to sprint for cover, 00:33:56.700 --> 00:33:59.359 drag a fellow soldier, and carry ammunition cans. 00:34:00.039 --> 00:34:03.160 Fifth is three pull -ups with leg tucks, or a 00:34:03.160 --> 00:34:05.819 plank test as an alternative. And finally, the 00:34:05.819 --> 00:34:08.539 two -mile run for aerobic endurance. And this 00:34:08.539 --> 00:34:10.400 became the official test of record for the entire 00:34:10.400 --> 00:34:13.820 force on October 1, 2020. It did. A major shift. 00:34:14.230 --> 00:34:16.369 Shifting our focus now to the hardware and the 00:34:16.369 --> 00:34:18.650 gear, the modernization priorities are what will 00:34:18.650 --> 00:34:21.190 define the future Army. The Chief of Staff has 00:34:21.190 --> 00:34:23.429 laid out six clear priorities, and they are listed 00:34:23.429 --> 00:34:26.869 in a specific order for a reason. They are. That 00:34:26.869 --> 00:34:28.949 order of precedence reflects where the greatest 00:34:28.949 --> 00:34:31.909 capability gaps and needs are perceived, specifically 00:34:31.909 --> 00:34:34.230 in the context of preparing for a high -intensity 00:34:34.230 --> 00:34:37.340 conflict against a near -peer adversary. It's 00:34:37.340 --> 00:34:39.860 a move away from the coyote focus of the last 00:34:39.860 --> 00:34:42.400 two decades. A definite move. So let's walk through 00:34:42.400 --> 00:34:45.639 the six. Okay, number one, artillery or long 00:34:45.639 --> 00:34:48.500 -range precision fires. Second, ground vehicles 00:34:48.500 --> 00:34:51.480 like the next generation combat vehicle. Third, 00:34:51.679 --> 00:34:55.539 aircraft. Fourth, network. Fifth, air and missile 00:34:55.539 --> 00:34:59.630 defense. And sixth, soldier lethality. That list, 00:34:59.809 --> 00:35:02.010 especially with artillery at the top, signals 00:35:02.010 --> 00:35:04.389 a shift back toward preparing for large -scale, 00:35:04.510 --> 00:35:06.730 deep -strike conventional conflict. It does. 00:35:06.909 --> 00:35:08.989 It shows that the ability to operate effectively 00:35:08.989 --> 00:35:11.530 within a contested network environment has become 00:35:11.530 --> 00:35:13.750 paramount. If we look at the ground combat systems, 00:35:14.090 --> 00:35:16.449 the Army relies so heavily on mechanized warfare, 00:35:16.769 --> 00:35:19.309 fueling a massive ratio of vehicles to soldiers. 00:35:19.650 --> 00:35:22.070 That ratio is a defining characteristic of the 00:35:22.070 --> 00:35:24.690 modern U .S. Army. Based on previous data, they 00:35:24.690 --> 00:35:26.869 fuel the highest vehicle -to -soldier ratio in 00:35:26.869 --> 00:35:29.460 the world. It's all about prioritizing protection, 00:35:29.760 --> 00:35:32.519 mobility, and firepower for land dominance. And 00:35:32.519 --> 00:35:34.800 what are the workhorses of that mechanized warfare, 00:35:35.000 --> 00:35:37.500 the systems the Army knows best? The main battle 00:35:37.500 --> 00:35:41.440 tank is the iconic M1A2 Abrams, which is constantly 00:35:41.440 --> 00:35:43.840 being upgraded with new digital systems and armor 00:35:43.840 --> 00:35:45.920 packages. And the standard infantry fighting 00:35:45.920 --> 00:35:48.860 vehicle. That's the M2A3 Bradley, designed to 00:35:48.860 --> 00:35:51.139 transport infantry while providing fire support. 00:35:51.400 --> 00:35:54.059 Then you have highly mobile platforms like the 00:35:54.059 --> 00:35:56.579 8 -wheeled striker and the ubiquitous Humvee. 00:35:56.659 --> 00:35:59.820 The HMMWV, which is still serving in... Myriad 00:35:59.820 --> 00:36:02.400 roles. Right. It is from cargo carry to ambulance, 00:36:02.619 --> 00:36:05.219 though it is being phased out in frontline combat 00:36:05.219 --> 00:36:07.679 roles. What about the indirect fire support, 00:36:07.780 --> 00:36:10.400 the artillery that tops that modernization list? 00:36:10.539 --> 00:36:12.679 What assets do they rely on? Their principal 00:36:12.679 --> 00:36:15.320 artillery assets have to be highly mobile and 00:36:15.320 --> 00:36:18.340 capable of massive sustained firepower. So you 00:36:18.340 --> 00:36:21.420 have the M109A7 Paladin self -propelled howitzer. 00:36:21.559 --> 00:36:24.590 Which offers protection and speed. Right. But 00:36:24.590 --> 00:36:27.309 crucially, they rely on the M270 Multiple Launch 00:36:27.309 --> 00:36:30.289 Rocket System, the MLRS, for deep strikes. And 00:36:30.289 --> 00:36:32.230 for lighter units, they use towed howitzers, 00:36:32.230 --> 00:36:35.590 like the 155mm M777, for infantry and airborne 00:36:35.590 --> 00:36:37.809 support. Let's turn to the network, which is 00:36:37.809 --> 00:36:41.369 priority number four. Why is a system that sounds 00:36:41.369 --> 00:36:44.050 like IT infrastructure considered a top -tier 00:36:44.050 --> 00:36:47.250 modernization priority alongside tanks and aircraft? 00:36:47.550 --> 00:36:50.639 Because that is the future of warfare. The network 00:36:50.639 --> 00:36:53.639 priority is about connecting every sensor, every 00:36:53.639 --> 00:36:56.420 shooter, and every command node across the entire 00:36:56.420 --> 00:36:59.059 battlefield. So we're talking about massive projects 00:36:59.059 --> 00:37:01.360 like Project Convergence. And achieving Joint 00:37:01.360 --> 00:37:04.920 All -Domain Command and Control, JADC2. If you 00:37:04.920 --> 00:37:07.380 can't securely communicate across vast distances 00:37:07.380 --> 00:37:10.300 and integrate air, land, sea, and cyber assets, 00:37:10.619 --> 00:37:13.000 you lose the information war before it even starts. 00:37:13.199 --> 00:37:16.099 This priority ensures data flows seamlessly from 00:37:16.099 --> 00:37:18.570 a satellite to a soldier's helmet display. Let's 00:37:18.570 --> 00:37:21.329 discuss individual soldier weapons. The M4 carbine 00:37:21.329 --> 00:37:23.670 has been the standard for decades, but it's starting 00:37:23.670 --> 00:37:26.230 to be replaced in certain units. What's the operational 00:37:26.230 --> 00:37:28.829 necessity driving that? It's being driven by 00:37:28.829 --> 00:37:31.010 the need to defeat modern body armor at longer 00:37:31.010 --> 00:37:35.730 ranges. The M4 carbine, firing the 5 .56mm cartridge, 00:37:36.050 --> 00:37:38.670 is being gradually replaced by the M7 rifle in 00:37:38.670 --> 00:37:40.769 close combat units. As part of the next generation 00:37:40.769 --> 00:37:43.829 squad weapons initiative. Correct. The M7 fires 00:37:43.829 --> 00:37:47.780 a new, higher caliber 6 .8mm round. designed 00:37:47.780 --> 00:37:50.079 for increased penetration and lethality against 00:37:50.079 --> 00:37:53.280 peer threats. And the standard sidearm is the 00:37:53.280 --> 00:37:55.980 M17 pistol from the modular handgun system program. 00:37:56.159 --> 00:37:58.760 And for anti -armor capabilities, infantry units 00:37:58.760 --> 00:38:01.559 have a few key systems. They do. You have the 00:38:01.559 --> 00:38:04.380 AT -4, which is an unguided shoulder -launched 00:38:04.380 --> 00:38:06.519 projectile effective against armor up to 500 00:38:06.519 --> 00:38:09.300 meters. And for more sophisticated guided anti 00:38:09.300 --> 00:38:11.619 -tank missiles. They rely on the fire -and -forget 00:38:11.619 --> 00:38:15.570 FGM -148 Javelin and the heavier... vehicle -mounted 00:38:15.570 --> 00:38:19.070 BGM -71TOW, and the Fiem -92 Stinger is still 00:38:19.070 --> 00:38:21.489 in use. That's the shoulder -launched, heat -seeking 00:38:21.489 --> 00:38:23.769 anti -aircraft missile critical for short -range 00:38:23.769 --> 00:38:25.949 air defense. Moving to the air, Army aviation 00:38:25.949 --> 00:38:28.449 has a very specific focus, and it's largely limited 00:38:28.449 --> 00:38:30.969 by inter -service agreements. Yes, the focus 00:38:30.969 --> 00:38:34.050 is almost entirely on rotary -wing aircraft helicopters. 00:38:34.369 --> 00:38:37.150 This stems from the 1966 Johnson -McConnell Agreement. 00:38:37.530 --> 00:38:39.670 Which historically restricted the Army's fixed 00:38:39.670 --> 00:38:42.110 -wing aviation role primarily to administrative 00:38:42.110 --> 00:38:44.230 mission support. Right, using light, unarmed 00:38:44.230 --> 00:38:46.429 aircraft, and leaving combat jets and long -range 00:38:46.429 --> 00:38:48.230 transport to the Air Force. So we're talking 00:38:48.230 --> 00:38:50.349 about the famous trio of attack and transport 00:38:50.349 --> 00:38:53.289 helicopters. We are. The attack helicopter is 00:38:53.289 --> 00:38:56.510 the venerable AH -64 Apache, the core of their 00:38:56.510 --> 00:38:59.230 aerial firepower. For utility and transport, 00:38:59.489 --> 00:39:02.849 the UH -60 Blackhawk is the key system. And for 00:39:02.849 --> 00:39:05.570 heavy lift, especially moving artillery or massive 00:39:05.570 --> 00:39:09.090 loads, they use the tandem rotor CH -47 Chinook. 00:39:09.190 --> 00:39:11.949 And for the future, they're heavily integrating 00:39:11.949 --> 00:39:14.210 unmanned systems. They are, deploying at least 00:39:14.210 --> 00:39:17.889 one company of drone MQ -1C Grey Eagles to each 00:39:17.889 --> 00:39:20.469 active Army division to provide persistent surveillance 00:39:20.469 --> 00:39:23.550 and attack capability. Finally, let's talk aesthetics 00:39:23.550 --> 00:39:25.869 and tradition. The uniform is changing with the 00:39:25.869 --> 00:39:28.329 highly anticipated introduction of the Army Greens. 00:39:28.590 --> 00:39:31.130 The Army announced this new uniform in 2018. 00:39:31.530 --> 00:39:34.190 It's a purposeful nod to tradition based on the 00:39:34.190 --> 00:39:36.329 iconic pinks and greens uniforms worn during 00:39:36.329 --> 00:39:38.550 World War II. Which carry significant historical 00:39:38.550 --> 00:39:41.449 prestige. They do. It's projected to become the 00:39:41.449 --> 00:39:43.730 standard garrison service uniform, eventually 00:39:43.730 --> 00:39:45.909 replacing the blue Army service uniform for daily 00:39:45.909 --> 00:39:48.429 office wear. The current field uniform remains 00:39:48.429 --> 00:39:51.429 the ACU with the Operational Camouflage Pattern, 00:39:51.429 --> 00:39:54.260 or OCP. And what about the black beret, which 00:39:54.260 --> 00:39:57.059 was famously controversial a decade ago? It was 00:39:57.059 --> 00:39:59.280 eliminated for standard use with the ACU for 00:39:59.280 --> 00:40:02.320 garrison duty back in 2011. It was replaced by 00:40:02.320 --> 00:40:04.860 the standard patrol cap, mainly due to complaints 00:40:04.860 --> 00:40:07.340 that it was hot, uncomfortable, and unsuited 00:40:07.340 --> 00:40:09.960 for most work conditions. So now the beret is 00:40:09.960 --> 00:40:12.760 reserved exclusively for specialized units, linking 00:40:12.760 --> 00:40:15.760 back to their heritage. Exactly. Marooned for 00:40:15.760 --> 00:40:18.389 jump status units. Tana for the Ranger Regiment, 00:40:18.510 --> 00:40:21.590 Rifle Green for Special Forces, and Brown for 00:40:21.590 --> 00:40:24.190 the Security Force Assistance Brigades, or SFEs. 00:40:24.369 --> 00:40:26.849 So what does this all mean for you, the learner? 00:40:27.070 --> 00:40:30.110 This deep dive has covered centuries of military 00:40:30.110 --> 00:40:32.809 evolution and organizational restructuring in 00:40:32.809 --> 00:40:35.269 a really short time. I think the key takeaway 00:40:35.269 --> 00:40:38.349 is the dynamic blend of history and hypermodernity. 00:40:38.639 --> 00:40:41.179 The Army maintains its 18th century continuous 00:40:41.179 --> 00:40:43.500 service tradition, yet it has undergone these 00:40:43.500 --> 00:40:46.159 radical 21st century changes. Like the move to 00:40:46.159 --> 00:40:49.059 the flexible modular brigade structure. Implementing 00:40:49.059 --> 00:40:51.099 sophisticated talent management systems like 00:40:51.099 --> 00:40:54.420 IPPSA and the BCAP assessment process, they are 00:40:54.420 --> 00:40:57.139 transforming from a mass mobilization force to 00:40:57.139 --> 00:40:59.940 an agile, talent -focused organization. And for 00:40:59.940 --> 00:41:02.519 anyone trying to understand U .S. military power 00:41:02.519 --> 00:41:05.400 today, the most valuable structural insight is 00:41:05.400 --> 00:41:08.099 the reality of the total force policy and what 00:41:08.099 --> 00:41:11.230 it truly enables. That cannot be overstated. 00:41:11.530 --> 00:41:14.429 General Abrams' post -Vietnam policy means that 00:41:14.429 --> 00:41:17.690 all components active, guard, and reserve are 00:41:17.690 --> 00:41:20.090 just tightly interwoven. And the political genius 00:41:20.090 --> 00:41:22.130 of that is that the reserve components provide 00:41:22.130 --> 00:41:24.489 the majority of combat support and service support. 00:41:24.750 --> 00:41:27.769 Meaning sustained operations simply are not possible 00:41:27.769 --> 00:41:30.230 without activating the guard and reserve. Understanding 00:41:30.230 --> 00:41:32.269 the Army means understanding that deployment 00:41:32.269 --> 00:41:35.269 reliance spans all three components, tying military 00:41:35.269 --> 00:41:37.590 action directly to the will of the state and 00:41:37.590 --> 00:41:40.090 the nation. It's a structure that learns, adapts, 00:41:40.130 --> 00:41:42.070 and reacts to the shifting nature of warfare. 00:41:42.449 --> 00:41:44.849 We saw how they moved from the Cold War focus 00:41:44.849 --> 00:41:47.050 on conventional mechanized battles, like in the 00:41:47.050 --> 00:41:50.670 Gulf War, to two decades of focused counterinsurgency, 00:41:50.849 --> 00:41:54.389 or COAIN, operations after 9 -11. And this brings 00:41:54.389 --> 00:41:57.349 us to the final provocative thought. Army leadership 00:41:57.349 --> 00:42:01.230 noted a major pivot post -2017. Unit -level training 00:42:01.230 --> 00:42:03.670 has shifted back from COAIN, which focused on 00:42:03.670 --> 00:42:06.170 stability and winning hearts and minds, back 00:42:06.170 --> 00:42:08.690 to a decisive action training. Which focuses 00:42:08.690 --> 00:42:11.130 on large -scale conventional conflicts against 00:42:11.130 --> 00:42:14.250 peer adversaries. However, there is an acknowledged 00:42:14.250 --> 00:42:16.829 gap. What exactly is the challenge raised by 00:42:16.829 --> 00:42:19.010 Army leadership regarding the current state of 00:42:19.010 --> 00:42:21.550 training? Well, General Milley noted that the 00:42:21.550 --> 00:42:24.269 force, having optimized its training and doctrine 00:42:24.269 --> 00:42:27.530 for the desert, rolling terrain, and counterinsurgency 00:42:27.530 --> 00:42:29.889 of the Middle East and Central Asia for 20 years, 00:42:30.010 --> 00:42:33.190 is currently suboptimized. Suboptimized for what? 00:42:33.789 --> 00:42:36.650 For training in extreme environments, like cold 00:42:36.650 --> 00:42:39.590 weather regions, jungles, mountains, or densely 00:42:39.590 --> 00:42:42.510 packed urban areas. Urban warfare, for example, 00:42:42.510 --> 00:42:45.090 severely restricts the use of heavy mechanized 00:42:45.090 --> 00:42:47.469 assets and traditional long -range communications. 00:42:48.030 --> 00:42:50.510 So while the Army is modernizing its equipment 00:42:50.510 --> 00:42:52.590 like artillery in the network and focusing on 00:42:52.590 --> 00:42:55.250 conventional deterrence, the true challenge remains 00:42:55.250 --> 00:42:57.909 ensuring soldiers are adaptable and ready for 00:42:57.909 --> 00:43:00.650 any geographical contingency. Right. It raises 00:43:00.650 --> 00:43:03.329 a crucial question for the future. How quickly 00:43:03.329 --> 00:43:05.829 can a force optimized for the deserts and open 00:43:05.829 --> 00:43:08.110 plains, where command and control is relatively 00:43:08.110 --> 00:43:12.050 easy, adapt its training, its logistics, and 00:43:12.050 --> 00:43:14.929 its doctrine to operate and win an extreme three 00:43:14.929 --> 00:43:17.829 -dimensional... densely contested urban environments 00:43:17.829 --> 00:43:20.670 or the resource -scarce high Arctic should global 00:43:20.670 --> 00:43:23.110 conflicts necessitate it. That adaptability to 00:43:23.110 --> 00:43:25.329 unknown and extreme environments is the core 00:43:25.329 --> 00:43:27.329 challenge required for the coming decades. It 00:43:27.329 --> 00:43:29.489 is. A challenge only the world's most senior 00:43:29.489 --> 00:43:32.710 yet constantly evolving land force is equipped 00:43:32.710 --> 00:43:35.429 to face. Thank you for joining us for The Deep 00:43:35.429 --> 00:43:35.829 Dive.