General Martin E. Dempsey is the Commanding General of the U.S. Army
Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC). This is a
repost from TRADOC live.
Two months ago, TRADOC published a major revision to the Army's capstone
concept under the title,
Capstone Concept: Operational Adaptability: Operating under Conditions of
Uncertainty and Complexity in an Era of Persistent Conflict 2016-2028. This
landmark document describes the broad capabilities the Army will require in the
operational environment to defend America and help secure our interests in the
world.
The writing and publication of this concept was a significant undertaking,
and it will have major implications and ramifications across our Army for years
to come. I intend to use the capstone concept to provide the common language and
conceptual foundation for an ongoing campaign of learning and analysis that will
allow the Army to evaluate, refine, and improve all of its core competencies.
This is not a document that just gets put on a shelf to collect dust. Rather,
the prioritized capabilities that emerge from it and other, more detailed
subordinate concepts, will guide changes in doctrine, organization, training,
materiel, leadership and education, personnel, facilities, and policy. The Army
of the future will learn differently, build leaders differently, train
differently and redesign itself more quickly. And, the capstone concept serves
as our "line of departure" for building that Army.
We held our Army Capstone Concept Summit at Fort Leavenworth, Kan. on Jan 21
to explore the document's implications - on our warfighting challenges, our Army
Concept Framework and the foundation it sets for ensuring sound modernization
strategies and warfighting effectiveness. Our way forward is to continue to work
within TRADOC and outside stakeholders to implement the real and positive change
the Army Capstone Concept demands for the future - this will be a team effort.