Emerging issues in the current times have often presented numerous challenges and threats but also opportunities for the military as an organization. This has largely been driven by circumstances that transcend beyond the normal military thresholds; making it even more likely that the defense forces may be called on to function or operate under varying conditions. Additionally, technology and innovation are calling the shots every day, thereby reshaping the landscape of the military as an organization. Such innovations and technology are meant to multiply as well as intensify the military overall objectives that every actor will achieve. A recent strategic planning guide has highlighted the importance in making the defense forces transition from the traditional counter-insurgency operations to the current focus; being operationally-adaptable and able to fulfill combatant requirements.
The numerous tasks that the military must fulfill require that it must undergo a major transformation in the way it runs, trains, organizes, equips, and sustains its workforce. This further ensures that the military – as an independent unit or organization – remains agile and tailorable in responding to its numerous missions at any time and/or anywhere. Just like an organization, the military has its strategic direction which provides a tangible map to show where the organization expects to go or be in a certain period. The strategic direction also shows any organizational capabilities that might have been left unattended leading to a gradual decline of the organization. For instance, the US military strategic direction serves to revitalize capabilities that have gradually declined as well as developing new capabilities as the environment changes. The strategy further denotes the adjustment of existing processes in order for them to show the required broad range of operations. Additionally, the direction of strategy in the military advocates for the leverage of capacities and capabilities of all joint forces – whether Active, Reserve, Guard or Civilian – ensuring the optimization of and alignment of military operations. With a refinement in thought and vision – rather than a mere statement of ends – a proper and strategic direction creates a long-term balance between military planning and short-term decision-making processes; a process designed to build a robust future military force. As the military acclimatizes to its future, the strategic guideline will enable it to dominate across its vast range of operations and shape the security atmosphere in return.
Support of Managers and Peers for Training Activities
The training of the entire military workforce and leader development is seen as a very critical process in order to prepare the forces for operations in complex situations. In this regard, the two (workforce training and leader development) are the most appreciated things that any department in the military will do. The military – with regards to training – must shift its focus to three main strategic means in training the Joint Force: the training units have to be versatile or flexible so that they provide a variety of services worldwide; endeavor to develop military as well as civilian leaders capable of meeting the 21st century challenges; and transferring responsibility for the development and initiation of challenging but realistic training guided by the military command to the commanders. As a result, the military will achieve comprehensively adaptive capabilities in aligning it as an organization locally, regionally, and internationally and in tailoring its missions as need arises. The support of the senior military commanders in training activities has indeed provided a paradigm shift in the entire military leadership. Lately, military leaders have now recognized that most of the arising problems do not necessarily have predetermined solutions; therefore, the training accorded to the workforce and in leader development contains significant elements of creativity and innovation at every level.
In peer-to-peer support, the military has continually created private and modernized units tailored for specific purposes within the military command jurisdictions. These units function as the basic tenets where talent and expertise is continually developed through the engagement of peers in training. This means that experts in certain drills, operations, as well as technical capacities, take the responsibility to train their colleagues, thereby helping them to master the required levels of operational and technical capabilities. Mostly, the functions of the peer-to-peer training programs are to create viable modern networks which focus on three primary goals: capacity building, delivering of enterprise services to entire military force, and improving or re-shaping the security environment locally, regionally and internationally. Additionally, peer support programs aim at providing basic competence with an ultimate goal of enhancing the military mission command, thereby empowering formations with superior unrivaled tactical dominance.
Other functions served by the peer support of training activities include the following:
- Improved integration of conservative forces and specialized operations forces: The complex changes taking place in the immediate environment highlight the need of developing and retaining tasking abilities at lower levels so as to implement “micro footprint” operations. In so doing, the military strategic committee aims at carrying out specialized training between the Specialized Forces and Conservative Forces (CF) in order to improve mission inter-operability of the Conservative Force micro-units. Moreover, the regionally-aligned CF unit participation in certain Specialized Forces training will greatly improve as well as support the objectives and vision of the entire military.
- Integration of learned lessons into military operations: This function seeks to provide peer-to-peer training activities in order to build partner capacity as well as progress those capabilities that the military has gained over years of experience. As such, peers support one another in training units to develop leaders and adapt to the military doctrine as a means to sustain and improve from past operations.
- Adapting the military force generation model: A newer strategic model has emerged where focus has now shifted to meeting full range requirements of a complex environment. This is because future military forces will be required to sustain the current placed strategies of providing an efficiently-run, equipped and trained Joint Force. In this regard, the military has found it worthy to tailor its flexible mix of Active and Reserve workforce elements in order to achieve a more unified operation-ability. The force generation model is effectively managed so that it integrates with individual life cycle management to sustain and maintain the most intended development capacity-wise.
Training Resources
In the current economy, the military is well aware that equipping, training, and subsequent running of the entire workforce is in itself an expensive investment. Additionally, the current environment seems to be more complex and advanced because it demands military presence and involvement beyond what the military has in store. Though there is expertise in the military, more of it is needed in order to realize the strategic goals and direction established lately. The current expertise will not be sufficient to cater for the expected increment in the military workforce. On the other hand, though the investment in training is seen as an expensive agenda, ceding this golden to re-shape the security environment will appear as an expensive process in the near future; it is therefore prudent to harmonize the military finances to ensure that training is catered for. This is, indeed, the basis of America’s military strategic direction, mission, and vision. A well-trained and equipped military is far more superior to a well-equipped but untrained military force.
References
Smith, W.J., Howard, J.T., Harrington K.V. (2005). Essential Formal Mentoring Characteristics and Functions in Governmental and Non-governmental Organizations from the Program Administrator’s and Mentor’s Perspective. Public Personnel Management. 34.1, 1-28.
Sosik, J.J., & Lee, D.L. (2002). Mentoring in Organizations: A Social Judgment Perspective for Developing Tomorrow’s Leaders. The Journal of Leadership Studies, 8, 17-32.
