Today's Army in change--an exciting place to be.

Q Is the Army spread too thin?

A That is probably the most asked question of the Army and of me. There is not a simple answer. Is the Army stretched too thin--The answer is, "No." Is the Army challenged at this time--Yes--it is. Is the Army under stress? Yes.

The Army is at war, we're growing and transforming, we're rebalancing repositioning forces from overseas, and we're affecting BRAC [Base Realignment and Closures]--that's a lot to be doing. Right now, there is tremendous churning in our Army, especially as we deliver the most capable, best trained, best led Soldiers in the world--and they are.

So, are there challenges? Yes. But the AC [Active Component] has made enlistment goals for the past nine months. And the Guard and Reserves are on track for their sixth and seventh months' enlistment goals. We met last year's reenlistment goals and are continuing to meet this year's goals. What that shows is young men and women want to come into the Army and once in, they want to stay. That's because they see value in the Army's pride, the call to duty, and they like being on the "Superbowl Team," called the United States Army. The Army's a wonderful environment in which to live, work and play--stressed or not.

Q As the G3, how do you manage all that change?

A First, we are growing the combat capability and rebalancing the force. Essentially, we're increasing the operating force from 315,000 in the AC to 355,000. That's 40,000 spaces and faces of greater combat capability.

We're also rebalancing the force across all the components. Now, this is not something we started "yesterday." Several years ago, we had a Cold War force structure that, essentially, was one of containment. Now we are rebalancing into a CONUS--[continental US]-based force that can project the right kind of capabilities and capacity to implement the National Military Strategy. That means we must have the depth of force at the right points in time, requiring us to rebalance the high-demand, low-density kinds of MOS [military occupational specialties] and units to make our Army much more efficient and effective. Over time, it's only going to get better with rebalancing.

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As an Army, we have been very good at high-intensity conflict. It's not that we've ignored our doctrine--we've had light infantry units in the force--it's just that we tended to focus on tasks at the higher end of the spectrum.

Today we're a full-spectrum force that can address high-end operations and, equally adeptly, counterinsurgency operations. So in this transformation process, we are building an Army not only for today, but also for the future combat system [FCS] force. It really is exciting.

The last piece of force management, ARFORGEN [Army Force Generation], really is the key, once we rebalance and transform. That means, in a predictable manner, generating 18 to 20 brigades with all their combat support, combat service support and enablers and then, right behind it, generating another package of 20 brigades with their combat support, combat service support and enablers.

We are doing that now to address and sustain the war in Iraq and Afghanistan but also to address homeland defense, a national disaster or any future combat operation.

So are there risks in all this? Yes. Do we have priorities that allow us to focus our energies and help minimize those risks? Yes. And the way ahead is equally clear.

Q Is the Army moving toward AR-FORGEN quickly and effectively enough?

A Yes it is. Army Force Generation, which is projected to have its initial operating capability in FY08, includes not only the ability to generate a force, but also the ability to field the equipment and systems our units need. And that calls for agility.

The Army as an institution is very agile--people often don't realize just how agile we've become. For example, the Army used to change its doctrine about once every 10 years. Now, essentially, we take tactics, techniques and procedures being learned in theater and push them back into TRADOC [Training and Doctrine Command] and home-station training in a short period of time. Something that happens in theater rapidly manifests itself at the combat training centers.

Another example is that we fielded our first Stryker unit from concept to employment to deployment in just four years. That's a powerful statement of agility.

The same is true of our agility in terms of incorporating technologies. When you look at how many UAVs [unmanned aerial vehicles] the force had when they executed 1003V (the war plan for Iraq), the number was small. Today, we have hundreds of UAVs inside Iraq alone. The same thing goes for types of weapons, up-armored HMMWVs [high-mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicles], body armor--and I can go on and on giving examples.

Everyone now understands that you measure success by the "tip of the spear," by how affective the force is on the ground, and we all contribute to "the spear." Before, you could stay very singularly in your lane. You can't do that anymore. So we're having to change the method by which we measure the effectiveness of our organizations. Everybody is learning that.

Q What is the status of the decision to increase the number of brigade combat teams (BCTs)?

A What is coming out of the Quadrennial Defense Review [QDR] is that we're going to build the capacity inside the AC from 33 to 42 BCTs and the capacity inside the National Guard from 15 enhanced separate brigades to 28 BCTs to give us 70 BCTs. [QDR is the President's assessment of the Department of Defense every four years with the change of the administration; the last one was in 2001.]

Many seem to think we are cutting BCTs. That's not the case. About two years ago, the Chief [of Staff of the Army] said that the Army was going to build potentially to 48 BCTs inside the AC, and the National Guard, potentially to 34 BCTs as a "stretch" goal for the Guard.

So now, informed by four years at war, we are not "cutting" the force, just stopping the growth of the BCTs at 42 and 28 BCTs, respectively. There are not going to be force structure cuts in the National Guard, and we aren't changing the Congressionally mandated end strength--the National Guard end strength is 350,000 and the USAR end strength is 205,000.

Q Will the Army field the NLOS-C [non-line-of-sight cannon]? What about the NLOS-LS [NLOS launch system]?

A First let me say that there is a clear recognition of the importance of indirect fires to the Army--it is a core capability we are not backing away from. You can see its importance by the intentions of legislation and the support of Congress.

As we move toward the modernized, FCS Army, the Soldier is the centerpiece. We call it "One Plus 18"--the Soldier with a network of 18 FCS.

One of those critical systems is the NLOS-C, replacing the M109 A6 Paladin with its 1960's chassis. NLOS-C will have eight pre-production prototypes available by the end of calendar year 2008 with actual prototypes delivered, along with the seven other FCS manned ground vehicles, in late FY 10 through early FY11.

With its advanced technologies, NLOS-LS also is a big part of the movement toward the future. NLOS-LS will be incorporated into FCS Spin Out 1 in FY08 when it is delivered to the evaluation BCT, called an EBCT, at Fort Bliss, Texas. After successful testing and evaluation by the EBCT, Spin Out 1 will begin fielding to current force heavy BCTs (HBCTs) in FY 10. [As part of the ARFORGEN process, the Army plans four incremental spin out fieldings of FCS technologies to the force as the technologies mature and the EBCT tests and evaluates them.]

The NLOS-C and NLOS-LS are important and on track.

Q Because so many FA lieutenant colonels and colonels have served successfully in combat as infantry task force/BCT commanders and because, as fire supporters, they have to understand schemes of maneuver at all levels to plan, coordinate, synchronize and execute fires and effects in support of them, should Field Artillerymen be eligible for DA selection to command BCTs?

A I think the time has come for senior leaders to have discussions about that possibility--time to make a decision.

The Army must have an environment in which we develop leaders, all leaders, and take advantage of their capabilities and potential. It must be an environment of opportunities, one that leverages experiences and talents that is not constrained by a narrowness of MOS or branch designation.

We've had Div Arty [division artillery] commanders who have served, essentially, as maneuver commanders with their command sergeants major successfully in both Afghanistan and Iraq. The same for many FA battalion commanders serving as maneuver task force commanders. We've also had young leaders, majors and lieutenant colonels, serve in some very critical jobs inside of maneuver formations.

The Chief and the Secretary [of the Army] want to maximize the experience and leadership talent that we're gaining. They want Soldiers and leaders to see themselves as "Pentathletes" who are unbounded by more traditional constraints. So the time has come for just such a discussion.

In high-intensity conflict, the solution is more branch-centric at the lower command and leadership levels--the company level. But even in high-intensity conflict, as you move to the higher levels of command and leadership, the Army can tap a broader definition of commanders and leaders to command task forces or BCTs, regardless of branch--with at least some specificity of training and experience.

In low-intensity counterinsurgency operations, we employ forces differently, so leadership/command can be more broadly applied.

To build an Army of Pentathletes, the Chief and Secretary are looking for the appropriate balance and mark for leadership and command development, including for task force and BCT commands.

Q What benefits do you see in the BRAC Commission-directed move of the Air Defense Artillery (ADA) to Fort Sill, Oklahoma?

A The Army has been able to take advantage of the efforts and energy that went into BRAC to help rebalance the force. Basically, BRAC efforts dovetail with the Army's efforts to reposition the force globally and enhance the overall utility of the force--for example, bring forces out of Europe and Korea, leaving behind much smaller "footprints."

ADA's coming to Fort Sill to help establish the Fires Center of Excellence leverages BRAC. At the same time that we are collocating two capabilities with a lot of similarities at Fort Sill, we are bringing the 1st Armored Division out of Germany to Fort Bliss [Texas].

Q With the Chief of Staff's promoting Soldiers and leaders as Pentathletes, do you foresee branches merging?

A Right now, the most important thing is to build Soldiers who see themselves as Warriors--able to do whatever is asked in their call to duty.

Do I see branches merging? OPMS-3 [Officer Personnel Management System, Version 3] that we are transitioning to now moves the Army in that direction by focusing more on core capabilities that support the tip of the spear; it will help us grow officer Pentathletes with multiple career paths, less prescriptive requirements and increased flexibility in position coding. It will leverage what we've learned in operations and personnel management.

I think that, sometime in the future, the Army will merge branches.

For the ADA and FA, the questions are ... How do we leverage the core competencies of the two branches so we have Pentathletes with both skill sets? How do we take those same skill sets, maintain combat arms intensity and use them for what the Army requires?

The two branches were one and then separated in the late sixties. We have opportunities here. We should not be afraid of them.

Q How important are artillery-fired precision-guided munitions (PGMs), such as GMLRS unitary and Excalibur unitary, to Army operations?

A Today's military operations call for precision-guided munitions as well as accurate area fires. GMLRS already has had an impact on the battlefield in Iraq as an all-weather precision capability and will continue to have an impact on future operations. The ability of both GMLRS and Excalibur to deliver within meters is a huge advantage that has gained notoriety among maneuver commanders, both senior and emerging.

Precision fires are very important, and organic, surface-to-surface all-weather PGMs add significantly to ground force commanders' options.

Q What message would you like to send Army and Marine Field Artillerymen stationed around the world?

A The Artillery is a proud branch with a rich history of serving the Army and our nation and will continue to serve in the future. As our Army goes through all the changes I have talked about, the Field Artillery has opportunities to expand its identity and contributions.

Artillerymen are a very versatile, adaptable group of Soldiers and leaders who do whatever the Army asks, including providing a precision-guided munitions with incredible accuracy or area fire effects with precision, or serving as MPs [military policemen], motorized infantry-men or as transporters in truck companies. We have young men and women who are trained to be Field Artillerymen who see themselves as Warriors--they know it is not about who they are but what they can do for the tip of the spear. That's inherent goodness for the Army.

To be honest, our young Soldiers and leaders understand that ... it's we senior leaders who seemed to be so concerned about branch identity and combat missions.

Lieutenant General James J. Lovelace, Jr., is the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army, G3, at the Pentagon. Before his current assignment, he served as the Director of the Army Staff and Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army, also at the Pentagon. He was Commander of Army Forces Alaska, Fort Richardson, Alaska; Director of Training in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Plans at the Pentagon; Commanding General of Joint Task Force (JTF) 6 at Fort Bliss, Texas; and Assistant Division Commander (Support) for the 2nd Infantry Division, Eighth Army, at Camp Casey, Korea. Also in Korea, he was the Chief of Staff of the 2nd Division and Chief for the Commander-in-Chief's Initiative Group, United Nations Command/Combined Forces Command/US Forces Korea. He holds three master's degrees, including one in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island.

Lieutenant General James J. Lovelace, Jr.

Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army, G3

Interview by Patrecia Slayden Hollis

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Army Force Generation (AR-FORGEN) -- A strategy to provide a continuous flow of Army trained and ready forces for full-spectrum operations. Active Component (AC) and Reserve Component (RC) modular units move sequentially through three force pools. 1. Reset/Train Force Pool -- units coming out of deployments or with manning, organization or equipment challenges meet those challenges and conduct individual and battalion-level collective training. 2. Ready Force Pool -- units conduct mission preparation and higher level collective training with other operational headquarters. Units are task-organized into two force packages: a Deployment Expeditionary Force (DEF) preparing to execute known or planned operational requirements or a Ready Expeditionary Force (REF) with each unit under a higher headquarters and conducting full-spectrum training. 3. Available Force Pool -- units that are capable of deploying with little or minimal pre-mission training. A unit package is either a DEF or a Contingency Expeditionary Force (CEF). DEF units in the Available Force Pool are either deploying or deployed and include units conducting homeland defense and support. The remaining CEF units are capable of rapid deployment but have not been alerted yet. When a unit is alerted for deployment, it transitions from a CEF to DEF. After redeploying, the unit begins its training and readiness transition to a DEF again in the Reset/Train Force Pool.

RELATED ARTICLE

Excalibur Unitary -- All-weather, fire-and-forget, 155-mm round that has a near-vertical terminal trajectory and 10-meter or less circular error probable (CEP) at all ranges and is precisely lethal while minimizing collateral damage, all of which optimize its employment in urban operations, complex terrain and close to friendly troops, even when fired from 40 kilometers away. It is projected for fielding in Central Command (CENTCOM), First Quarter, FY07.

Guided Multiple-Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) Unitary -- All-weather, high-explosive (HE) unitary warhead rocket eliminates submunition duds, is equipped with global positioning system-aided inertial guidance, can impact safely within 200 meters of friendly forces (or less, situation dependent) when fired from 70 kilometers and has a scalable footprint optimized for urban and complex terrain. GMLRS unitary was fielded in CENTCOM last year and has proven incredibly accurate.