Transformation Under Fire: Revolutionizing How America Fights

Are we prepared to meet the challenges of the next war? What should our military look like? What lessons have we learned from recent actions in Afghanistan and Iraq? Macgregor has captured the attention of key leaders and inspired a genuine public debate on military reform. With the dangerous world situation of the early 21st century-and possible flashpoints ranging from the Middle East to the Far East-interservice cooperation in assembling small, mobile units and a dramatically simplified command structure is essential. MacGregor's controversial ideas, favored by the current Bush administration, would reduce timelines for deployment, enhance responsiveness to crises, and permit rapid decision-making and planning.The Army is the nation's primary instrument of land warfare, but what capabilities can the Army field today, and what is the Joint Commander likely to need tomorrow? Stuck with a force structure that hasn't changed since Word War II, as well as an outdated command system, today's Army faces potential failure in a modern war. Without a conceptual redefinition of warfare as a joint operation, a new military culture that can execute joint expeditionary warfare will not emerge. New technology both compels and enables evolution of the armed forces' organization. MacGregor's visionary plan to integrate ground maneuver forces with powerful strike assets is the foundation for a true revolution in military affairs, and has sparked heated debates in policy and military circles.

Table of Contents:
Figures Acknowledgments Foreword by General Sir Rupert Smith KCB DSO OBE QGM Foreword by Major General Robert H. Scales Jr., USA (Ret.) I: Introduction The Roadmap to Joint Expeditionary Operations in Land Warfare II: Transforming to What? Why Army Transformation Stalled The Illusion of Change A Third Way to Transform Land Power Six Recommendations III: War and Globalization Whom Do We Fight? Where Do We Fight? How Do We Fight? Conclusion IV: It's about Effects Moving beyond Cold War Metrics of Military Power Linking Ends and Means for Effect Thinking about Effects—Kosovo Achieving Synergy in EBO: North Africa, 1940 Fighting for Effects Today Precision Thinking Conclusion V: Concepts and Architectures for Joint Expeditionary Warfare An Intellectual Approach to Transformation Operational Architecture for Joint Expeditionary Warfare Forget the Old Rules Making Flatter Command Structures Work Form Should Follow Function in Command and Control Command and Control for Global Joint Expeditionary Warfare Conclusion VI: Organizing for Global Joint Expeditionary Warfare The Age of "the Small, the Fast, and the Many" Rethinking the Objective Force with a Transformational Approach XVIII Airborne Corps: Spearhead of Army Transformation The Light Reconnaissance Strike Group The Airborne–Air Assault Group The Aviation Combat Group The Early Deploying Support Group The C4I Group Additional Capability-Based Formations in III Corps Conclusion VII: Getting Ready for the Fight! Training for Readiness to Deploy and Fight Toward a Joint Rotational Solution Conclusion VIII: Why the Hell Do We Still Have Troops in Iceland? Where Are the Soldiers? Streamlining Army Command and Control Implementing Army Transformation Conclusion IX: Leadership and Change in a Cultural Revolution The New Army Leader From Garrison to War Danger: Old Cultures in New Worlds Making a Revolution Developing New Leaders Education for Military Excellence Conclusion X: Epilogue or Prologue? The Defining Moment of War Toward a New American Way of War Civilians Must Lead Appendix: Technology for Land Forces in Joint Expeditionary Warfare Adapting the Acquisition Process to Soldier Need Understanding the Army in War The Fight for Information The Battle of Seconds The Battle of Minutes The Battle of Hours and Days Conclusion Glossary of Abbreviations, Acronyms, and Military Terms Index

About the Author :
DOUGLAS A. MACGREGOR is a Colonel with the Center for Technology and National Security at the National Defense University. A West Point graduate, he served in Desert Storm, earning a bronze star with V device for valor for his leadership of combat troops. He is the author of Breaking the Phalanx: A New Design for Landpower in the 21st Century (Praeger, 1997) and The Soviet-East German Military Alliance (1989). He holds an M.A. in comparative politics and a Ph.D. in international relations from the University of Viginia.

Review :
Macgregor, now stationed at National Defense University, has a knack for skillfully blending historical examples from the past with powerful arguments about the future. The combination is both thoroughly educational and extremely stimulating. This is a serious book worthy of reading by today's field grade officers and civilian policymakers interested in arguments that challenge the status quo. It is also highly recommended for joint combat developers and force planners at U.S. Joint Forces Command….Professionals who want to think differently and examine the kinds of forces and capabilities that can meet new challenges and unexpected circumstances should start with Transformation Under Fire. In today's Global War on Terrorism, the Pentagon's senior civilian and military leaders--who should read this book--must be afraid of nothing, not even a new idea. The book is scholarly, well researched, cohesive, and technically written in a stimulating manner…Macgregor's book is ideal for reading at the war colleges, for the professional soldier and military planner, and for advanced courses in strategic defense. Has delivered another insightful vision in his latest book….Transformation Under Fire is a must-read for both military professionals and public officials charged with overseeing defense programs. It is likely to figure prominently in ongoing discussions of defense reform. The value of this book lies in its superb analysis of the current geopolitical environment and the author's coupling of this analysis with an informed assessment of the impact of information technology on warfare to support his proposals….Offers a strident critique of recent Army transformation efforts while also providing the reader a comprehensive vision of near-term changes within the department of Defense that could truly enhance our military's ability to conduct joint expeditionary operations….Essential reading for military professionals and for those with oversight of defense programs. Macgregor's book is the best tradition of military theorists, whose ideas transformed armies to meet the challenges of WWII: Hans Von Seckt, B. H. Liddell Hart, Charles de Gaulle, and Heinz Guderian. Macgregor presents the first coherent view of how the information age should transform the way we organize for war. The question now remains whether the U.S. Army will heed his calls for true or continue to cede more and more of its missions to the Marine Corps, which has embraced expeditionary warfare. Macgregor takes to task the leadership culture that stifles change; but more importantly, he sketches out a realistic, immediate path to true transformation that will vault the Army out of exile at the Pentagon and back into the forefront of the Nation's fight in the war on terrorism. Transformation Under Fire offers a strident critique of recent Army transformation efforts while also providing the reader a comprehensive vision of near-term changes within the department of defense that could truly enhance our military's ability to conduct joint expeditionary operations….Essential reading for military professionals and for those with oversight of defense programs. Though widely considered a maverick, Col Macgregor enjoyed influence beyond his rank. Two of his books--Breaking the Phalanx, published in 1997, and the more recent Transformation Under Fire--were considered must-reads within the army, and some of the changes he advocated have been adopted in some form. Found a receptive audience in Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld's office….The defense secretary is intrigued by Macgregor's thinking, which he has refined in a new book, Transformation Under Fire: Revolutionizing The Way America Fights, due out in the fall: three to five rapidly deployable battle groups is the kind of force Rumsfeld believes is necessary in the global war on terrorism.