Since the birth of our nation, America’s Army has served the United States with distinction, both at home and abroad, in peace and in war. At the threshold of the 21st century, the Army is a Total Force, an institution with people at its core—Active, National Guard, Army Reserve, civilian employees, families, and retired members. The strength and character of the Army’s soldiers and civilians are the linchpin in maintaining our Army as the finest in the world.

A new global security environment exists as a result of social, political, and military changes during the past decade. No longer a world in which two hostile superpowers face each other, today’s environment includes threats—and opportunities—in a wide number of areas. The Army has evolved to be a strategically relevant joint force to meet the challenges of today’s world. It is our nation’s force of decision—a full spectrum force—trained and ready to respond to a wide range of crises, from fighting and winning major theater wars, to peacekeeping, to humanitarian relief missions, to disaster relief in communities at home. America’s Army is a central element of our National Military Strategy, in shaping the international security environment, responding to a wide range of crises, and preparing now for an uncertain future.

As described in the May 1996 Army White Paper "Force of Decision…Capabilities for the 21st Century," the primary mission of America’s Army remains constant: to fight and win the nation’s wars. In an uncertain world, the Total Army also performs a wide variety of other missions around the world and at home, including deterring potential adversaries, reassuring and lending stability to allies, and supporting our communities in times of emergency.

The Army provides the nation with unique capabilities for implementing the National Security Strategy. Throughout history, wars have been won by forces on the ground. Only soldiers on the ground can take and hold territory. America’s Total Army, with a full spectrum of capabilities, is able to project its forces and establish direct, continuous, and comprehensive control over land, resources, and people to achieve victory and ensure an enduring peace. Whatever the mission, committing the Army commits the nation. There is no greater expression of national resolve and will than to put our soldiers—America’s sons and daughters—on the ground.

In smaller-scale contingency operations, the Army plays an indispensable role by asserting American resolve and commitment with the presence of land forces. The inherent versatility of the Army makes it the force of choice for the majority of missions in support of the National Security Strategy. In 28 joint military operations since the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Army has done our nation’s heavy lifting, accounting for over 60 percent of the forces committed to these operations.

In support of our National Security Strategy, America’s Army shapes the international environment in ways favorable for our nation. By promoting democracy and stability around the world, the Army reduces threats the nation could face in the next century.

By its involvement in peacetime military engagement activities, the Army helps shape the global security environment. During the last year, U.S. Army soldiers have contributed to this effort by reinforcing peace as part of multinational stabilizing and peacekeeping teams in Bosnia and the Sinai Peninsula; separating forces at the border between Ecuador and Peru; and demonstrating resolve in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia by placing soldier observers at the borders.

The Army also helps shape the security environment by participating in military-to-military exchanges, in the Partnership for Peace program, as executive agent for the Marshall Center, and in military exchange schooling with foreign countries. The Army also participates in a number of combined exercises. For instance, the longest airborne military expedition in history was among the many training exercises and operations in which the Army participated during 1997. Soldiers from the 82d Airborne Division deployed 7,700 miles from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and parachuted in to join troops from the three Central Asian republics of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan in a Partnership for Peace peacekeeping exercise in Kazakhstan. Deployed or stationed in over 100 countries in 1997, American soldiers and civilians helped shape the international environment by their presence and by carrying the values of our nation with them.

America’s Total Army is organized, trained, and equipped to respond to a full spectrum of crises. During the Cold War, the Army trained primarily to fight and win large-scale wars. Today, America’s Army, while a more streamlined force, is capable of projecting effective combat power from installations either in the continental United States or from forward bases and of operating effectively with a broad range of allies or coalition partners.

As a full spectrum force with the capability to project its forces rapidly, America’s Army can compel an enemy; conduct decisive operations with precise fires, information, and detection capabilities; and shape the battlespace by integrating all combat multipliers to overcome the enemy. Through these capabilities and the ability to sustain and protect its forces, our Army is ready to perform its key role in support of joint, combined, or unilateral missions across a broad range of operations.

The Army deters potential foes from actions which are counter to the nation’s interests. Forward-deployed soldiers and civilians represent America’s strongest commitment to its allies. Since World War II, Army forces in Europe and the Pacific have deterred aggression and promoted stability by their very presence. Forward-deployed soldiers are able to respond to an overseas crisis within hours, as they did in 1997 by safeguarding the evacuation of American citizens from Albania. In the post-Cold War era, the Army has transformed itself into a power projection force, stationed mainly in the United States. Today’s Army is capable of rapidly deploying combat ready forces and sustaining them for extended lengths of time. This capability has strengthened America’s ability to deter potential adversaries. Nowhere was this more evident than in the September 1996 deployment of a combat-ready heavy brigade from Fort Hood, Texas, to Kuwait in 96 hours. That decisive deployment proved to be a compelling deterrent to Iraqi aggression.

The Army also responds by conducting peacekeeping and humanitarian efforts worldwide. By placing over 11,000 active and reserve component soldier and civilian boots on the ground in Bosnia, America has demonstrated its support to our NATO allies and enhanced the implementation of the Dayton Peace Accords. Similarly, through its participation in humanitarian relief efforts in the Kurdish region of Iraq, the Army helped alleviate human suffering in that region.

The nation can also count on its Army to respond to natural disasters, civil disturbances, and other national emergencies. In FY 1997, National Guard, Army Reserve, and Active Component soldiers assisted in cleanup efforts after flooding in the Northwest, the Northeast, the Ohio and Mississippi Valleys, in the aftermath of Hurricane Danny, and elsewhere. Soldiers also helped stem the flow of illegal drugs across the nation’s borders.

America’s Army has undergone a vast transformation since the end of the Cold War. The Army is a smaller force—since 1989 nearly 700 installations have closed and over 600,000 dedicated and professional soldiers and civilians have departed the ranks. Reduced in size from 28 to 18 divisions, the Total Army is smaller than at any time in the last 58 years.

In the future, the nation can expect to continue to face threats and challenges similar to those experienced since the end of the Cold War. As the Army continues to help shape the international environment and respond to threats, it must, at the same time, remain prepared to fight and win major theater wars. To remain ready, the Army must take advantage of information age technology, and increase mobility, agility, and lethality. We must utilize space, which is an increasingly important enabler of military operations.

Our Army is at the forefront of the American military’s transformation from the industrial age to the information age. Army efforts involve both a process and a product. The process to reconceptualize and redesign the force at all levels, from the foxhole to the factory, is called Force XXI. Designed to integrate and test information technologies in today and tomorrow’s systems under a variety of conditions, Force XXI will give soldiers and leaders the situational awareness and information dominance necessary to win decisively on the battlefields of the next century. In 1997, the Army conducted brigade and division level advanced warfighting experiments to test information age technologies for their applicability and efficacy on the battlefield. Among many lessons learned from these experiments, we found that as soldiers and leaders leveraged information technologies and passed greater amounts of relevant information across the force, their lethality, survivability, and versatility increased significantly. The realization of these changes will enable us to evolve Army XXI, the nation’s near-term, full spectrum force for the early years of the new millennium. In capitalizing on emerging information age technologies, Army XXI will be a central force in support of future joint operations.

Looking beyond Army XXI to the years following 2015, the Army is undertaking an effort called the Army After Next (AAN), to develop a vision of future battlefields and future land forces. By conducting a series of free-play tactical, operational, and strategic wargames and examining political, social, demographic, and technical changes which are likely to affect the future of war, AAN seeks to frame issues vital to the Army and integrate them into combat development programs. Ultimately, AAN will build upon the mental agility gained by Army XXI and provide the Army beyond 2015 with the physical speed and agility necessary to meet any future challenge along the full spectrum of military operations.

As America’s Army shapes and responds to the world today and prepares for an uncertain future, it will confront many challenges. In the new century, the Army must remain actively engaged, while continuing to change to meet the challenges of an ambiguous world. Balancing readiness, modernization, and quality of life while continuing to execute its many missions poses the greatest challenge to Army leaders today.

The increase in the number of military operations since 1989 is one of the most striking features of the post-Cold War world. America’s Total Army is a busy Army. On any given day in 1997, the Army had, on average, over 31,000 active and reserve soldiers and civilians deployed in over 70 countries, not counting the 100,000 forward-deployed soldiers. In May 1997, worldwide deployments reached the 100-country mark for the first time in the Army’s history. Such involvement does not come without costs. We are doing more with fewer people, performing three times more deployments than during the Cold War.

Increased deployments increase stress on Army families. Whether soldiers are assigned here in the United States or deployed abroad, their peace of mind is a key component of readiness and a critical element in sustaining the post-Cold War levels of participation in military operations. Soldiers’ peace of mind comes from the knowledge that society values their service and that their families are being taken care of. Therefore, support for families and sustainment of a good quality of life are critical to America’s Army. Quality of life programs, including pay, housing, health care, and child development, are among the important investments in soldier and family well-being, and remain top priorities for Army leaders.

Supporting the increased tempo of the post-Cold War world requires a Total Army effort. In Bosnia, soldiers and civilians from all three components—active, guard, and reserve—contribute collectively to the success of the peacekeeping effort. On any given day in 1997, approximately 25 percent of Army forces in the Bosnia area of operations were from the Army Reserve and National Guard. Reserve Component soldiers also augmented active duty soldiers in Macedonia, participated in a wide range of training deployments and exercises, and provided essential backfill to critical support functions in Germany to replace active units that were deployed elsewhere. In day-to-day operations abroad and at home, the collective efforts of Active, Guard, Reserve, and civilian members contribute to the success of the Total Army.

To further strengthen the Total Army in shaping and responding today and preparing for the future, the Army is moving ahead with three force structure initiatives. First, to improve the importance of the National Guard combat structure to the warfight, the Army will establish two Active Component/Army National Guard (ARNG) Integrated Divisions by October 1999. Each division includes three ARNG enhanced separate brigades under the command of an Active Component division headquarters. The division headquarters will be commanded by an Active Component major general. Second, an ARNG Division Redesign plan calls for converting up to 12 ARNG maneuver brigades to combat support and combat service support forces which are required to support Army’s warfighting requirements. Under the current plan, execution of this effort should be complete by the end of FY 2009. Third, the Army will establish multi-component units, combining Active and Reserve Component personnel, equipment, and funding to reap the benefits of the expertise and resources of the Total Army. Eleven initial multi-component units will be established in June 1998 and be fully operational by October 1999. In addition, during FY 1999, we will begin to improve the capabilities of the Guard and Reserve to respond to the consequences of the use of weapons of mass destruction.

As a smaller, yet more engaged fighting force in a changing world, America’s Army must be the best equipped to ensure success now and in the next century. Today’s soldiers are indeed the best equipped—the challenge is to ensure that status while maintaining current readiness. Army modernization must take advantage of information age technology now so that we will be able to guarantee future security. To assure land dominance in future military operations, the Army has refined its modernization program to make the best use of available resources to adequately equip our soldiers. We will integrate new technology, especially technology that enhances information dominance, and upgrade existing systems in order to maintain America’s technological edge. We will continue to field premier equipment to our soldiers, including the AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopter, the Army Tactical Missile System, the Patriot air defense system, the Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles, modifications to the M1 Abrams tank, and others. Crucial new weapon systems for the next century continue with the development of the RAH-66 Comanche helicopter, the Crusader howitzer, and Theater High Altitude Air Defense System, among others. Army modernization efforts follow a path that establishes a system-of-systems in support of the joint military strategy, and seeks to enhance combat power projection by increasing the effectiveness of light forces and reducing heavy lift requirements.

Of course, constrained resources pose a serious challenge to our modernization efforts. Since the end of the Cold War, the Army’s buying power has steadily declined approximately 40 percent. This caused our procurement funding to decrease from $14.5 billion in FY 1989 to $6.9 billion in FY 1998. In the FY 1999 budget request, we are reversing that decline in procurement and have requested $8.2 billion. To achieve modernization objectives in today’s fiscal environment, the Army has secured funds for investment by closing and realigning bases, reducing infrastructure through careful privatization and outsourcing initiatives, and pursuing an aggressive recapitalization effort. As our Chief of Staff, General Reimer, has said, the only way to ensure a Revolution in Military Affairs is to engage in a Revolution in Business Affairs today. The Army is committed to becoming more efficient, adopting better business practices, reengineering its processes, and reducing excess infrastructure. We make that commitment not only because it assures stewardship of reduced resources, but also because it is the only way to maintain force structure and stay trained and ready to fulfill the National Military Strategy while preparing for the 21st century.

Today’s Army leads the way in acquisition reform. For example, it has launched a major effort, called Modernization through Spares, to insert commercial technologies and reduce the cost of spare parts. Additionally, in attaining savings through credit card purchases, the Army was the first federal agency to exceed one million transactions for micropurchases in FY 1996, and broke that record with 2.4 million transactions in FY 1997. By aggressively implementing better business practices at all levels, the Army is taking advantage of the Revolution in Business Affairs to help fund modernization, readiness, and quality of life programs.

The Army, however, has accepted risk in its modernization program. Some systems have been canceled to reallocate resources for higher priorities. Other systems have been slowed or delayed. New starts have been limited, and capability upgrades to existing programs have been used where practicable.

The defining characteristic of the Army is its people. Our soldiers, civilians, and families are why this nation has the best Army in the world. For America’s Army to remain the world’s best, it must continue to recruit, develop, and retain quality soldiers and civilians. Given the multitude of missions across the full spectrum of military operations and the rapid integration of information age technology into weaponry and equipment, quality soldiers led by quality leaders are most important in achieving full spectrum dominance on today’s and tomorrow’s battlefields.

Overall, the Army continues to reach its recruiting and retention goals. But success does not come easily. Between 1995 and 1997 recruiting requirements increased by 30 percent. No longer can the Army rely on force structure reductions from the post-Cold War drawdown to offset recruiting shortfalls. To meet increased recruiting requirements, the Army increased its recruiting force to 5,961 noncommissioned officers, added $30.9 million to its advertising budget, bolstered educational and enlistment incentives, and added emphasis to programs such as the Army Hometown Recruiters Assistance Program. We know that we will have to work hard to continue to recruit the quality soldiers we will need in the 21st century.

Recruiting is only part of the equation. The Army must continue to train and develop quality soldiers and superb leaders. That training and development continues throughout a soldier’s career. Combat Training Centers and joint and combined training exercises provide challenging, realistic, sustained, multi-echeloned training across the full spectrum of operations. Simulators, simulations, and distance learning capitalize on information age technology to maximize savings on training funds and to reach large numbers of geographically dispersed soldiers. The Army’s leader development program has proven to be second to none and the envy of the world.

Teamwork is an essential element of a capable force. Throughout our history, the Army has stressed to our soldiers and our leaders that to have and demonstrate respect for one another is an integral component of the ethos of soldiering—it is the foundation of what is required to function effectively as a team. The strength of the United States Army is derived from our Core Values—duty, honor, courage, loyalty, integrity, respect, and selfless service. Our soldiers must learn them first in Basic Training, embrace them every day in the performance of their duties, and take them home to their communities when they leave the Service. The Army will continue to work towards ensuring an environment of mutual respect and dignity where every soldier is given the opportunity to reach his or her own highest potential in serving our nation.

In the past year, an intensive review of human relations was conducted by the Army. The effort was the most comprehensive and scientific self-examination ever undertaken by our Army. Based on the recommendations of that review, an aggressive Army action plan entitled The Human Dimensions of Combat Readiness has been developed. The plan includes 128 recommendations which are being implemented throughout the Army.

We are now just a few years from the dawning of a new century, where American leadership will continue to be vital to peace in the world. It will be a century where America’s Army continues to be the strong right arm of the nation, and where a strong defense is necessary to maintain America as the world’s indispensable nation.

America’s best and brightest sons and daughters are America’s Army. They believe in something greater than themselves, trust in something greater, and realize the importance of service to our country. Soldiers know that the end of the Cold War did not bring an end to conflict but, rather, ushered in a strategic environment that is more uncertain and, at times, more hazardous than any time in recent memory. Soldiers know that the battlefield will always be a dangerous and lonely place. America has soldiers of character and courage, who are well trained, ably led, superbly equipped, supported by a quality civilian work force, and in sufficient numbers to survive and emerge victorious from whatever mission America asks of them. Ours is an Army of Americans who are also soldiers, helping to shape the world’s strategic security environment, responding to a wide range of crises both abroad and at home, and preparing for the challenges of the new millennium. America’s Army stands ready to respond when the nation calls.

/signed/ Robert M. Walker Acting Secretary of the Army