Mike
28 June 2000, 12:48
Army Times 7/3/00, p. 22
Green Berets Restructure Skilled Soldier Shortage Depletes Elite 'A' Teams
By Matthew Cox
Struggling with an under-strength force, Army Special Operations Command has cut the number of Green Beret teams it can throw into a fight.
For more than a decade, Army Special Forces units have been losing skilled soldiers faster than it can replace them -- a problem that has forced many of its 12-man "A-teams" to operate at half strength.
As a temporary solution, the elite force has reorganized its company-level structure, manning each with five operational detachment A-teams (ODAs) instead of six.
The move leaves each of the five Special Forces Groups with nine fewer A-teams to deploy, but officials remain confident that full-strength teams are more likely to accomplish their mission.
"There were many ODAs that did not have enough people to do the missions expected of them, so they realigned to ensure that they have five fully manned [A-teams] per company," said Special Operations Command spokesman Maj. Jonathan Withington. "It gives us the flexibility to continue with our missions."
This redistribution of forces is part of a "get-well plan" begun a year ago to shore up the effectiveness of Special Forces units until the pipeline of newly trained Green Berets can be increased.
Special Forces recruits experienced officers, warrant officers and noncommissioned officers from all over the Army to conduct unconventional warfare operations in hot spots around the world.
A-teams operate behind enemy lines, conducting guerilla warfare missions and organizing and training civilian armies. Each Special Forces company also has one B-team, which specializes in mission planning.
But before soldiers can join a Special Forces unit, they must complete a grueling training program that can last up to a year, depending on the soldier's MOS.
The intensity of the training at the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School at Fort Bragg, N.C., means that an average of only 40 to 50 percent of soldiers who are accepted complete the Qualification Course, officials said.
This, combined with the prediction that 38 percent of the current Special Forces population will be eligible for retirement by the end of 2004, has prompted officials to rethink how Special Forces soldiers are trained to ensure more make it through the program.
While the training will remain the same, Special Forces units have reassigned 108 senior soldiers to the JFK center to serve as instructors.
"It improves the instructor-student ratio, which will, in turn, increase the production of students who are successful in the course," Withington said.
Officials maintain the reassignments will increase the instructor-to-student ratio at the Qualification Course to an average of one instructor for every 12 to 15 students, from the current ratio of one instructor for every 16 to 20 students.
Officials plan to evaluate the program's effectiveness in three years to see if Special Forces companies can return to operating with six A-teams.
"The bottom line is we have to increase production," Withington said. "This is a temporary solution until we get a fully manned force."
Green Berets Restructure Skilled Soldier Shortage Depletes Elite 'A' Teams
By Matthew Cox
Struggling with an under-strength force, Army Special Operations Command has cut the number of Green Beret teams it can throw into a fight.
For more than a decade, Army Special Forces units have been losing skilled soldiers faster than it can replace them -- a problem that has forced many of its 12-man "A-teams" to operate at half strength.
As a temporary solution, the elite force has reorganized its company-level structure, manning each with five operational detachment A-teams (ODAs) instead of six.
The move leaves each of the five Special Forces Groups with nine fewer A-teams to deploy, but officials remain confident that full-strength teams are more likely to accomplish their mission.
"There were many ODAs that did not have enough people to do the missions expected of them, so they realigned to ensure that they have five fully manned [A-teams] per company," said Special Operations Command spokesman Maj. Jonathan Withington. "It gives us the flexibility to continue with our missions."
This redistribution of forces is part of a "get-well plan" begun a year ago to shore up the effectiveness of Special Forces units until the pipeline of newly trained Green Berets can be increased.
Special Forces recruits experienced officers, warrant officers and noncommissioned officers from all over the Army to conduct unconventional warfare operations in hot spots around the world.
A-teams operate behind enemy lines, conducting guerilla warfare missions and organizing and training civilian armies. Each Special Forces company also has one B-team, which specializes in mission planning.
But before soldiers can join a Special Forces unit, they must complete a grueling training program that can last up to a year, depending on the soldier's MOS.
The intensity of the training at the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School at Fort Bragg, N.C., means that an average of only 40 to 50 percent of soldiers who are accepted complete the Qualification Course, officials said.
This, combined with the prediction that 38 percent of the current Special Forces population will be eligible for retirement by the end of 2004, has prompted officials to rethink how Special Forces soldiers are trained to ensure more make it through the program.
While the training will remain the same, Special Forces units have reassigned 108 senior soldiers to the JFK center to serve as instructors.
"It improves the instructor-student ratio, which will, in turn, increase the production of students who are successful in the course," Withington said.
Officials maintain the reassignments will increase the instructor-to-student ratio at the Qualification Course to an average of one instructor for every 12 to 15 students, from the current ratio of one instructor for every 16 to 20 students.
Officials plan to evaluate the program's effectiveness in three years to see if Special Forces companies can return to operating with six A-teams.
"The bottom line is we have to increase production," Withington said. "This is a temporary solution until we get a fully manned force."