Conversion of Selected Military Forces to the Use of Metric Measurement Units

Conversion of the United States military to the International System of units is in the very early stages. Little formal planning has been done to articulate the management required to complete the conversion of operational army and air force units. For those operational forces tasked to provide continuous combat readiness throughout metrication, management problems associated with the conversion are particularly difficult because of the nature of these assigned missions. This is the case for the 82nd Airborne Division ready brigade force (DRB) and the Military Airlift Command (MAC) strategic airlift system operating the C-141 and C-5A aircraft. Adequate treatment of metrication management depends upon thorough preplanning and skillful resource allocation. This paper presents a descriptive and a graphic model for management of major events in the changeover process in the DRB and the C-141/C-5A system. It includes major personnel, hardware and interfacing considerations which will be critical to both combat readiness and optional measurement system conversion. Investigation shows that metrication of these forces within prescribed readiness constraints is feasible but will require centralized management and highly decentralized execution of many conversion activities. Successful integration of military metrication steps to match the pace of non-military conversion activities and thorough preparation of small unit leaders will be key factors in conducting an optimal conversion program. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.