|
The Army is not doing a good enough job of communicating and
connecting with the American people, said Secretary of the Army Eric
K. Fanning, adding "That's not healthy for the country or the Army."
Fanning spoke at an Association of the United States Army's
Institute of Land Warfare-hosted professional development forum
breakfast, June 28, 2016.
|
Secretary of the Army Eric K. Fanning (left), speaks at an
Association of the United States Army's Institute of Land
Warfare-hosted professional development forum breakfast, June 28,
2016 in Arlington, Va. Retired Gen. Carter Ham (right) moderates the
discussion. (U.S. Army photo by David Vergun)
|
The lack of connectivity has not happened overnight, he
explained. It started decades ago with the creation of the
all-volunteer force, "which caused a divide over those who
served and those who are protected."
That divide
doesn't bode well for future recruiting efforts and getting
the resources the Army needs from Capitol Hill, Fanning
said.
The Army needs to find ways to reach out --
particularly to the new generation -- and tell the Army
story, he said.
WAYS TO CONNECT
Fanning
suggested several gateways for making that connection,
social media being one and engaging more with the press and
policymakers as others.
Himself a social media user,
the secretary said it's a tool that could be used to share
with everyone what the Army is doing, and get that told in
an accurate and informative manner.
The Army brings a
lot to the fight. It is large, for instance, with huge
geographical reach, he said. It brings great capability to
the fight -- to the joint fight. That could be communicated.
When people think about the third offset strategy, they
think about sophisticated aircraft and vessels the Air Force
and the Navy field. "The Army is undersold and
underappreciated with the role technology plays," he said.
For instance, there's 10 times as much computerized code
in a tank today than there was in the spacecraft that flew
men to the moon, he said. There are robotics, autonomous
vehicles and a lot of other things in the Army that are
high-tech and need to be talked about. That too could be
told.
Another way to connect is through word of
mouth, Fanning said. If you walk down the street and see a
person in uniform, chances are, they're in the National
Guard or Reserve. They're in every community and are a
potent source for telling the Army story. They bring unique
capabilities to the fight and are integral to the total
force.
Asked why youngsters choose joining the Army,
Fanning replied that when he visits basic training at Fort
Jackson, South Carolina, he poses that question to the
parents.
They often reply that there's a family
connection. Perhaps an uncle or grandfather served, he said.
That's how important staying connected is. The Army is
literally "America's service."
BIGGEST THREAT TO ARMY
Fanning addressed a number of other concerns during a
question and answer session.
When asked what he
thought was the biggest threat to the Army, Fanning replied
"the budget instability and the political environment."
He noted that budget uncertainty "makes it very hard to
put together any sort of long-term plan. ... It's the biggest
threat to building the most capable Army we can build."
BUDGET REFORM
Regarding budget reform, Fanning
noted that's still a big problem after many attempts to
tackle it.
Some of what stymies reform is the
enormity of the bureaucracy, he said. "Bureaucracies are
additive. ... [There's] too much oversight and top-down
management. We have to loosen that up because we're not
fielding capabilities as fast as we should and we're
spending a lot of money in the process."
Asked about
his involvement with a new "Rapid Capabilities Office,"
Fanning explained that its purpose is ferreting out the
capabilities the adversaries are acquiring -- capabilities
that are often a surprise to the U.S. military -- and
getting new or counter capabilities out to the field as
quickly as possible. Two areas of special concern are
electronic warfare and cyber.
SOLDIERS AND FAMILIES
Soldiers are being asked to do a lot, Fanning said,
referring to multiple deployments. Although they join to do
that, it eventually can and does take a toll on the family.
It's the Army's job to reassure Soldiers that their
families are being taken care of when they deploy, he said.
Family programs are part of that plan and it's a big
institution, he said. There are so many programs and "I'm
not sure we have the oversight and integration, or that
they're as effective as they could be. It should be made as
easy as possible for families to reach out and find the help
they're looking for.
"We need to find out which
programs are working and which are not and which could be
improved or done away with so resourcing can be used for
other things," he continued.
SUICIDES & SEXUAL
ASSAULT
Regarding suicides, Fanning said that's a
difficult nut to crack. There's still a stigma out there to
seeking help and the numbers don't look good. The suicide
rate this year -- about 100 -- is the same as it was last
year.
But Army researchers and behavioral health
experts are laser focused on getting answers, he added.
As to sexual assault, Fanning said "a lot has been done
on the response side, but more needs to be done on the
prevention side."
Even just one suicide or one sexual
assault case in the Army is one too many, he added.
By U.S. Army David Vergun, DMA
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2016
Comment on this article |
