The Army of Excellence: The Development of the 1980s Army

254 Pages·2014·27.95 MB·English

by  John L. Romjue

Pl(JZL'DOC 1iistorica{ %onograpli Series
THE ARMY OF EXCELLENCE
THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE
1980sARMY
By John L. Romjue
Office oft lie Command Jiistorian
11nitedS tates Jtrmy CJTaining and 1Joctrine Command

TRADOC Historical Monograph Series
THE ARMY OF EXCELLENCE:
THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE 1980s ARMY
by
John L. Romjue
Office of the Command Historian
United States Army Training and Doctrine Command
Fort Monroe, Virginia
and
Center of Military History
United States Army
Washington, D.C., 1997
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Romjue, John L., 1936-
The army of excellence : the development of the 1980s army I by
John L. Romjue
p. em. - (TRADOC historical monograph series)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
I. United States. Army- History-20th century. 2. United States.
Army-Reorganization- History-20th Century. I. Title.
II. Series.
UA25.R686 1993
355'.00973'09048- dc20 93-5081
CIP
First Printed 1993- CMH Pub 69-4
U.S. ARMY TRAINING AND DOCTRINE COMMAND
General Frederick M. Franks, Jr. Commander
Major General John P. Herrliog Chief of Staff
Dr. Henry 0. Malone, Jr. Chief Historian
Mr. John L. Romjue Chief, Historical Studies
and Publication
TRADOC IDSTORICAL MONOGRAPH SERIES
Henry 0. Malone and John L. Romjue, General Editors
TRADOC Historical Monographs are published by the Office of the Command Historian, U.S.
Anny Training and Doctrine Command. These studies of training and leader development, and
doctrinal and combat developments subjects provide historical perspective to support the
Command's mission of preparing the Anny for war and charting its future.
iii

Table of Contents
Foreword ..................................... ............................... xi
Author's Preface ............................................................. xiii
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I
The Decade of Modernization and Reform . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
U.S. Army Tactical Organizations Through ROAD .............................. 4
Chapter l - Army 86 -Heavy and Light. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Redesign of the Army's Heavy Units ........... ....... ....................... 8
The Search for Lightness ................................................... 15
The Strength Impasse ............. ... .. ............................ ...... . 20
Chapter II -The Development of the Army of Excellence .......................... . 23
The Origins of the AOE ................................................... 24
Early Planning ........................................................ ... 28
The Summer 1983 Army Commanders' Conference ............................. 31
General Wickham's August Decisions ..................... ................... 35
The Combined Arms Center Develops the AOE ... ............................. 37
Chapter III -The Army of Excellence Design ..................................... 43
The MACOM Commanders Assess the Emerging Design ........................ 43
TRADOC Proposes the Army of Excellence ................................... 45
The Light Infantry Division ............................................ 45
The Airborne and Air Assault Divisions .................................. 48
The Heavy Divisions ....................... .......................... 48
Corps and Echelons Above Corps ....................................... 50
Special Operations Forces .......... ................................... 51
Revised Division Force Equivalent Methodology ................. ......... 51
Recommendations ................................................... 52
General Wickham Approves the AOE Design .................................. 52
Chapter IV-The Light Infantry Division and its Certification ...................... 57
Light Division Planning ...................... ............................. 58
Certification of the 7th Infantry Division (Light) ...... ............... ........... 62
v
Chapter V -The Light Divisions Transition to the AOE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Conversion of the Standard Infantry Divisions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Activation of the New Light Divisions ................................ ....... 69
The 9th Infantry Division: Failure of the High Tech Solution. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Restructuring the Airborne Divisions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
The National Guard Infantry Divisions Keep the Old Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
The Light Corps. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Low Intensity Conflict and Special Operations Forces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Chapter VI -The Heavy Divisions Transition to the AOE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Doctrinal Currents and the Heavy Corps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Corps Doctrine and the Operational Level of War . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
The AirLand Battle Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Deep Attack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Doctrine, the Corps, and NATO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
The Heavy Divisions Convert.......... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
The Rear Battle and Separate Infantry Brigades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
The Aviation Arm and Combat Aviation Brigades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Cavalry Organizations................ ................................ . . . . 94
Heavy Separate Brigades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
The Heavy Corps Structure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Chapter VII -Programming and Documenting the AOE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
The Challenge of Transition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
AOE Planning .......................................................... 100
The Modernization Dilemma ....................... ....................... I 00
Force Programming ...................................................... 10 I
Organization Assessments and Functional Area Assessments ..................... 103
Documentation Modernization and the Completion of the AOE Tables ............. I 05
Problems and Lessons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I 07
Chapter VIII-The Light Infantry Division Debate and the Heavy/Light Army ....... Ill
The Heavy/Light Connection .............................................. I 12
The Debate of the Light Infantry Division .................................... 113
Heavy/Light Directions ..................................... .......... .... 121
The AOE and Beyond .................. ........... ....................... I 23
An Assessment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
List of Acronytns ........................................ ................ .... 129
vi
Appendix A: Organizational Charts .............................................. 133
Appendix B: Tables .......................................................... 203
Appendix C: Bibliographical Note on Army Tactical Reorganization Sources ............ 207
Selected Bibliography ................................ ......................... 209
Index ....................................................... ............ ... 219
CHARTS
No.
l. Conceptual Heavy Division, Division Restructuring Study, July 1976 ............... 134
2. Division 86, the Heavy Division, August 1980. .................... ............. 135
3. Corps 86, D-Day Required Force, August 1980 .................................. 136
4. Echelons Above Corps 86, Theater Army at D-Day, August I 980. .................. 137
5. Echelons Above Corps 86. Theater Anny at D-Day, Constrained Force, April 1982 .... 138
6. Echelons Above Corps, Theater Army at D-Day plus 180 Days, Constrained Force,
April 1982 ......... ...................................................... 139
7. Division 86, the Heavy Division, March 1982 .................................. 140
8. Infantry Division 86, the Light Division, September 1980 ........................ 141
9. High Technology Light Division, September 1982 .............................. 142
10 . Contingency Corps 86, Minimum Force, October 1981 ............................ 143
ll. Echelons Above Contingency Corps 86, Minimum Force, October L9 81. ............ 144
12. Contingency Force Command Relationships. ................................... 145
13. Airborne Division 86, August 1982 ........................................... 146
I 4. Air Assault Division 86, August I 982 .............................. ....... ... 147
I 5. Light Infantry Division Notional Design A, August 1983 ......................... 148
16. Light Infantry Division Notional Design B. August 1983 .. ........................ 149
17. Light Infantry Division Notional Design C, August 1983 .......................... I SO
18. Light Infantry Division -Corps Support Links (Corps Plugs) ...................... 15 I
19. A Tactical Setting-Low Intensity ........................................... 152
20. AOE Light Infantry Division, October 1983 ................................... 153
21. AOE Light Infantry Division Rifle Company ......................... .......... 154
22. AOE Light Infantry Division Rifle Platoon .................................... 155
23. AOELigbtlnfantry Division Infantry Battalion HHC ............................ 156
24. AOE Light Infantry Division Brigade HHC .................................... 157
25. AOE Light Infantry Division Artillery ........................................ 158
26. AOE Light Infantry Division Combat Aviation Brigade .......................... I 59
27. AOE Light Infantry Division Air Defense Artillery Battalion .................. .... 160
vii
28. AOE Light Infantry Division Signal Battalion .................................. 161
29. AOE Light Infantry Division Engineer Battalion ................................ 162
30. AOE Light Infantry Division Military Police Company .......................... 163
31. AOE Light Infantry Division Support Command ................................ 164
32. AOE Light Infantry Division D1SCOM HHC .................................. 165
33. AOE Light Infantry Division Supply and Transport Battalion ...................... 166
34. AOE Light Infantry Division Maintenance Battalion ............................. 167
35. AOE Light Infantry Division Medical Battalion ................................ 168
36. AOE Light Infantry Division (Airborne), October 1983 .......................... 169
37. AOE Air Assault Division, October 1983 ...................................... 170
38. Armored Division 86, 1982 ........................ .. ....................... 171
39. Mechanized Division 86, 1982 .............................................. 172
40. AOE Annored Division 86, October 1983 ..................................... 173
41. AOE Mechanized Division 86, October 1983 ................................... 174
42. AOE Light Infantry Division, October 1986 ................................... 175
43. 2d Infantry Division, November 1984 Design .................................. 176
44. AOE 2d Infantry Division, 1985 .............................................. 177
45. High Technology Light Division, December 1983 ............................... 178
46. AOE 9th Infantry Division (Motorized) Objective Design, December I 984. .......... 179
47. Objective Heavy Combined Arms Battalion, 9th Infantry Division ................. I 80
48. Objective Light Combined Arms Battalion, 9th Infantry Division ...... ...... ..... .. 18 I
49. Objective Light Attack Battalion, 9th Infantry Division ........................... 182
50. AOE 9th Infantry Division (Motorized), 1988 .......... ....... .................. 183
51. Interim Combined Arms Battalion Heavy, 9th Infantry Division ................... 184
52. Interim Combined Arms Battalion Light, 9th Infantry Division .................... I 85
53. Interim Light Attack Battalion, 9th Infantry Division ............................ 186
54. AOE Infantry Division (Airborne), 1985 ....................................... I 87
55. AOE Infantry Division (Air Assault), 1987 ................................... .. 188
56. AOE Infantry Division, Anny National Guard Design, 1988. ...................... 189
57. AOE Infantry Division, Army National Guard Design, 4/3/3 Preferred Version, 1988 ... 190
58. AOE Light Corps Design, 1985 ............................................. I 91
59. AOE Special Forces Group (Airborne), I 986 ................................... I 92
60. AOE Ranger Regiment 1986 ..... .............................. ............. 193
61. AOE Psychological Operations Group, 1988 ................................... 194
62. AOE Armored Division, 1986 .............................................. . 195
63. AOE Infantry Division (Mechanized), 1986 ................... ................. 196
64. AOE Combat Aviation Brigade, Heavy Division, 1986. : ......................... 197
65. AOE Combat Aviation Brigade, Light Infantry Division, 1984 ............. ....... . 198
66. AOE Armored Cavalry Regiment, 1985 ....................................... 199
67. AOE Heavy Separate Brigade, 1986 ........... .......... ......... ............ 200
viii