Operation Red Net: a dynamic plan for a Fires Branch.

  Change has a considerable psychological impact on the human mind. To
the fearful, it is threatening because it means that things may get
worse. To the hopeful, it is encouraging because things may get better.
To the confident, it is inspiring because the challenge exists to make
things better.
King Whitney Jr.
Wall Street Journal, 7 June 1967

In his article, "Is It Time for Air Defense Artillery and Field Artillery to Merge?" which appeared in both Air Defense Artillery (January-March) and Field Artillery (January-February), Colonel Mark McDonald, the Assistant Commandant of the Field Artillery School, challenged both Air Defenders and Field Artillery men to open the debate regarding a branch merger. (1) This article is in response to that challenge. It is time to take an active role to ensure that we "worshipers of Saint Barbara" serve the Army as well in the future as we have in the past.

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End of a Great Organization or a New Beginning? Great organizations recognize a changing environment and make adjustments to survive. February 2006 marked the end of the Western Union telegram, an American institution for 154 years. Why is this relevant to a branch merger? Because Western Union changed to survive; it is now a financial services company instead of a communications company. (2)

The company spokesman commented, "[T]he decision was a hard decision because we are fully aware of our heritage." (3) Western Union traded its historical identity for progress. That is a little sad but also inspiring because the company keeps its heritage as it moves toward future successes.

Field Artillery and Air Defense Artillery can learn from Western Union. We can keep our rich heritage while we create a new, dynamic future.

Like Western Union, the first step is to eliminate our visceral response to the concept of a branch merger. We must be honest about the arguments we make against a merger--how many are analytical arguments and how many are based on feelings?

There are so many changes in the Army right now that it is difficult to digest them. We are involved in a long war and must be prepared to do what is best for the Army and the nation.

In the case of Western Union, given email and cell phones, can you think of any reason why anyone might send a telegram? We must avoid the temptation to insist the Army keep "telegrams" and, instead, base our capabilities on the transformed Army's requirements.

The Army is in the middle of transformation and already has made significant changes outside of the ADA and FA worlds. We are moving rapidly out of the "Black-Boot Army" to an Army that wears tan boots and whose combat uniform includes no branch insignia. (4)

And just how much do you know about that transformation? Test your knowledge of the organization of the new heavy brigade combat team (HBCT) by taking the Transformation Quiz in Figure 1. Bear in mind that the HBCT is the centerpiece of the transformed force--along with the infantry BCT (IBCT) and Stryker BCT (SBCT).

The answer to all questions in Figure 1 is "zero." HBCTs have two combined arms battalions (CABs) that include two armor companies; two infantry companies; one engineer company; one headquarters and headquarters company (HHC) with sniper, scout and mortar platoons and a fire support element (FSE); and one forward support company (FSC). The HBCT's armored reconnaissance squadron (ARS) is equipped with M3 Bradleys and M1114 up-armored high-mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicles (HMMWVs) but no M1 Abrams tanks. Finally, the HBCT has 11 Bradley fire support team vehicles (BFISTs)--but these BFISTs are assigned to the CABs and ARS. The HBCT's fires battalion has two Paladin self-propelled howitzer batteries and radars but no BFISTs.

New Organization, New Paradigms. Why are the nuances of the HBCT modified table of organization and equipment (MTOE) relevant to an article about the future of ADA and FA? It helps put transformation into context. Radical changes are happening all around us.

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In accordance with the Base Realignment and Closures (BRAC) Commission recommendations, which have passed into law, the Armor School is moving from Fort Knox, Kentucky, to Fort Benning, Georgia, where it will be collocated with the Infantry School to form the Maneuver Center of Excellence (CoE). This consolidation, which parallels the BRAC collocation of the Air Defense Artillery School and Field Artillery School to form the Fires CoE at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, is just getting underway and will take years to complete.

However, our infantry and armor brothers already are assigned together in the same battalions. The CAB commander's vehicle is an M1A2 system enhancement package (SEP) Abrams tank. Why is that significant? A battalion commander wearing infantry brass is now a member of a tank crew.

If we can put an infantry man in a tank, it is time to consider putting an Air Defender in a BFIST.

Do the Branches Have Enough in Common? In their article, "ADA and FA: Finding Common Ground" that also appeared in both branch magazines, Colonel Gregory C. Kraak, Director of the Future Force Integration and Concepts Division at the Field Artillery School, and Colonel Harry L. Cohen, Director of Combat Developments in the Air Defense Artillery School, discuss common synergies between the branches. (5) I could make arguments that Air Defense should fall under the Fires CoE or the Maneuver Support CoE--but all arguments are academic.

The bottom line is that both artilleries operate in airspace, use radars and complex cuing systems and must develop their courses of action to support maneuver operations. (6)

As a newly transformed HBCT, the brigade I am assigned to, 2nd BCT, 1st Cavalry Division (1st Cav), at Fort Hood, Texas, is working through roles and responsibilities within the staff. The current relationship between the fires and effects cell (FEC) [now called the fire support cell, or FSC] and the air defense airspace management (ADAM) cell is a source of friction.

Field Manual (Interim) 3-90.6 Heavy Brigade Combat Team states that the fire support coordinator (FSCOORD) is responsible for all planning, coordination and execution of lethal and nonlethal effects. (7) However, the ADAM and brigade aviation element (BAE) cells are part of the maneuver and maneuver support section in the HBCT main command post (see Figure 2). The ADAM and BAE cells together comprise the HBCT's Army airspace command and control ([A.sup.2][C.sup.2]) capability. With this configuration, we have doctrinally established a system that functionally separates the air liaison officer (ALO) in the FEC (called the "Fires and Effects Section" in Figure 2) from the aviators and Air Defenders in the maneuver support section on the staff. (8)

There might be a reason to separate the main players physically but it is not clear why we've organized this way as we struggle functionally to make the main command post work. I suggest we fuse the ADAM and BAE cells with the FEC, based on the dysfunctional arrangement of the current HBCT organization.

Can we make it work without fusing the ADAM and BAE cells with the FEC? Absolutely. But we have designed a less than optimal construct. Why did we do that? From the point of view of someone trying to execute this doctrine, the dysfunctional organization appears to be more a result of parochial concerns than of a commitment to optimize functions.

ADA and FA Have Adaptive Soldiers -- A Characteristic Facilitating Change. If you look at the current operating environment, both branches are filled with adaptive Soldiers. This common trait was evident in Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). During OIF II, the ADA battalion attached to MultiNational Division-Baghdad (MND-B) under the 1st Cav operated as a heavy/motorized infantry battalion. The 4th Battalion, 5th Air Defense Artillery (4-5 ADA) was responsible for Route Irish, the (in)famous Airport Road that links Camp Victory to the International Zone. The battalion's M6 Bradley Linebackers operated as M2 Bradleys. D/4-5 ADA, the Avenger battery, served with the 1st Cav Division Support Command (DISCOM) and performed convoy security missions.

Field Artillery has bragging rights as well. The 1st Cav's Division Artillery (Div Arty), also known as Red Team, became the division's fifth organic maneuver brigade. Red Team not only commanded and controlled an armor battalion and the ground companies from the division's cavalry squadron, but also exercised command and control ([C.sup.2]) over a Marine battalion as well as Iraqi National Guard and Intervention Force battalions.

These examples demonstrate how Air Defense Artillery and Field Artillery Soldiers have a tradition of adaptive behavior. Both branches rose to the occasion when the 1st Cav asked them to operate in combat outside of their normal skill sets. This trait will help merge both forces in future endeavors.

Operation Red Net -- A Plan for Change. So, how do we integrate the branches? How the Army Runs: A Senior Leader Reference Book published by the Army War College asserts that "[C]hanging large organizations with well developed cultures embedded in established hierarchical bureaucracies is incredibly difficult. The mere existence of functioning complex organizational systems and processes tends to thwart change." (9) We must devise a systematic plan that will facilitate change.

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Figure 3 is a model for a campaign plan to establish a transformed "Fires Branch"--you will recognize it, basically, as a variation of the Army's transformation model. There are five simultaneous but staggered lines of operations (LOOs) to accomplish this transformation in the model.

Personnel, Leadership and Education. These must be the main effort. The attitude of Soldiers and leaders in each branch is decisive and will determine the success of this plan.

Why lay the groundwork for this line before beginning the doctrine and organization line? Legacy branch leaders must establish security and a positive sense of the future before real discussions can begin on the doctrine or organization of a Fires Branch. We must make 13- and 14-Series personnel confident in their futures so they look for options to make the Army better instead of options to protect their "turfs."

Both branches must focus on what the Army needs, not what constituencies of Soldiers want a branch to look like.

Addressing personnel issues first will help quell some of the emotion surrounding a new identity. The Firefinder and Sentinel radars will make it through organizational change just fine; it is the radars' Soldiers who will need to perceive the changes as positive. We may need to develop commander's critical information requirements (CCIRs) that include determining perceived deprivation in any one group or parochial behavior in units or other organizations. Both ADA and FA Soldiers must believe they will have a future as one organization and be value-added in this new organization.

As the Army highlights personnel issues, every Soldier must understand that he or she, personally, must be adaptive to change. Soldiers should see the Army's attempt to put them first during transition as a contract. Everyone must be ready to adapt and develop new skills and knowledge.

The merger's greatest impact will be on the officer corps, but it supports the Army's vision for officers. I attended a Human Resources Command briefing a few months ago in which briefers discussed developing "Pentathletes," a reference to athletes in the modern Olympic pentathlon. The pentathlon has five events emphasizing different skill sets in one grueling day. Developing Pentathletes for the transformed Army is the Chief of Staff's and Secretary of the Army's intent.

We must make our officers Pentathletes--multi-capable Fires Branch officers. Eventually, there might be a way to merge some warrant officer or enlisted military occupation specialties (MOS), but this will not occur until there are materiel changes that require adjustments.

This cross-fertilization may not be as difficult as initially thought. Within the ADA community, the high- to medium-altitude (HIMAD)/short-range air defense (SHORAD) divide was larger than some of the ADA/FA divides are. In the 1st Cav, my ADA planner was a SHORAD lieutenant whose last assignment had been as part of the opposing force (OPFOR) at the National Training Center (NTC), Fort Irwin, California. I believe he would have an easier transition into an HBCT fires battalion than he would into a Patriot battalion.

The gap between Patriot and Paladin may be great, but how great is the gap between a BCT FSE and the ADAM cell?

As we broaden skills sets, we will need more deliberate personnel management. How do we broaden the officer corps' view without jeopardizing the skills cultivated in a smaller branch? One way may be to make officers "generalists," or Pentathletes, and increase the roles of warrant officers and (or) senior NCOs to ensure stability in units. The personnel system will need to be more deliberate in both managing individuals and synchronizing experiences in units.

These issues should be addressed as we begin a transition to free the attitudes of the "people at the table" during doctrinal and organizational discussions. This LOO will continue to develop as doctrine, training, etc., solidify the direction of the Fires CoE merger.

Doctrine and Organization. The initial focus on personnel, leadership and education systems will set the conditions for doctrine and organizational changes. A developed way-ahead for personnel will enable open and productive discussions based on Army requirements.

As the doctrine and organization LOO becomes clearer, we may need to adjust the personnel and leader development LOO. This is why LOOs start staggered but mature through simultaneous operations once each enters the construct.

A decisive point along the doctrine and organization line would be force structure within fires battalions/Patriot battalions, all the way up to the corps-, Army air and missile defense-(AMD) command- and theater-level fires and missile defense cells. Another decisive point could be the publication of an FM for Fires Branch doctrine.

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Materiel. Due to the acquisition process, the materiel LOO initially must use currently programmed systems. As other lines mature, materiel requirements must transition to systems identified by operational requirements. The overall structure of the Army must drive these requirements.

Training. The training LOO will build on the doctrine and leader development issues developed in the other lines. Personnel and doctrinal concepts will shape the future and develop training requirements.

Facilities. This line has the final sequential starting point of the staggered campaign plan. As we identify the training and organizational requirements, we can organize facilities before the Air Defense Artillery School moves to Fort Sill. This will eliminate a large-scale "duffle bag drag" as we set up a new "heart of the Fires Branch."

Transform or Be Transformed. Both branches must avoid the instinct to "bend over back wards to avoid moving forward." The BRAC ruling to move the ADA School to Fort Sill is law. This merger will occur. Do we want to take an active role in making the merger a success, or do we want the merger to happen to us?

We must be like Western Union and find a way to celebrate our rich history while identifying our place in the future. We must support the Army's emerging doctrine and transformation. Much has changed already, but there is still much to change using the current momentum. We have the opportunity to contribute.

I recommend that we put our smart ADA and FA minds together, become Pentathletes and make the Army a stronger organization ready to dominate all future land warfare--perhaps as a Fires Branch.

End Notes

1. Colonel Mark McDonald, "Is it Time for Air Defense Artillery and Field Artillery to Merge?" Field Artillery (January-February 2006), 8. The article is online at sill-www.army.mil/famag.

2. Associated Press, "Western Union Ends Telegram Service After 154 Years," The Killeen Daily Herald, Killeen, Texas, (5 February 2006), F3.

3. Ibid.

4. "Black-Boot Army" is a term that references "non-transformed forces" or Soldiers and leaders who adhere to outdated thoughts or ways of doing things that was coined by Major Christopher Wilbeck after receiving rapid fielding initiative (RFI) boots for the new Army combat uniform (ACU). Major Wilbeck is the S3 of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

5. The article "ADA and FA: Finding Common Ground" by Colonels Gregory C. Kraak. FA, and Colonel Harry L, Cohen, ADA, appeared in the November-December 2005 edition of Field Artillery and the January-March edition of Air Defense Artillery. The article is online at sill-www.army.mil/famag.

6. Colonel Kraak, 9.

7. Department of the Army, Field Manual (Interim) 3-90.6 Heavy Brigade Combat Team (Washington. DC: Headquarters, Department of the Army, March 2005), B-8.

8. Ibid., B-5.

9. Colonel Edward J. Filiberti, How the Army Runs: A Senior Leader Reference Book (Chapter 1), (Carlisle, PA: Army War College, 2003), 1.

Major L. Cristine Gibney, the Air and Missile Defense Officer for the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas, also served as the G3 Maneuver Planner for the MultiNational Division-Baghdad/1st Cav during Operation Iraqi Freedom II. She commanded B Battery, 4th Battalion, 6th Air Defense Artillery (B/4-6 ADA), part of the 6th ADA Brigade in the ADA School at Fort Bliss, Texas, and D/1-1 ADA (Patriot), 31st Air Defense Brigade, III Corps, at both Forts Hood and Bliss. She is a graduate of the Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and holds two master's degrees: an MA in Human Resource Development from Webster University, St. Louis, Missouri, and a Master of Military Arts and Science (MMAS) from the School of Advanced Military Studies (SAMS), also at Fort Leavenworth.

This article is an altered version of an article written by Major Gibney by a similar title that was published in the April-June Air Defense Artillery. The author made changes and approved all edits. Ed.

By Major L. Cristine Gibney, ADA

* An HBCT has ___ infantry battalions.
* An armored reconnaissance squadron has ___ M1 Abrams tanks.
* A fires battalion has ___ M7 Bradley fire support team vehicles
(BFISTs).

Figure 1: Transformation Quiz--Heavy Brigade Combat Team (HBCT) Force
Structure