{"id":12714,"date":"2018-03-12T13:31:55","date_gmt":"2018-03-12T13:31:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/uncategorized\/2018\/03\/12\/army-leaders-dont-expect-identical-mission-command-systems\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T17:50:42","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T17:50:42","slug":"army-leaders-dont-expect-identical-mission-command-systems","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/c2-comms\/2018\/03\/12\/army-leaders-dont-expect-identical-mission-command-systems\/","title":{"rendered":"Army leaders: don\u2019t expect identical mission command systems"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This is part two of a two part series<\/i>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Army is beginning to change the way it buys, equips and fights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While it is signaling a move away from big programs<\/a> it has also begun discussing the notion of tiered readiness, in which all units across the Army either won\u2019t have equipment or won\u2019t receive in-depth training on networking and mission command systems from years past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Officials speaking over the course of the AFCEA Army Signal Conference last week in Springfield, Virginia articulated how this training scenario may play out<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEverybody in the Army doesn\u2019t need one. The days of everybody in the Army having one, they\u2019re gone,\u201d Lt. Gen. Paul Ostrowski, principal military deputy to the assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology, said March 7.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As is most often the case when military leaders discuss the ideal capability, smartphones were used as the prime example for what this readiness might look like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think we\u2019ve had a revelation over the last four or five months that we can\u2019t field everybody,\u201d Brig. Gen. Brian J. Mennes, director of force management in the deputy chief of staff, G-3\/5\/7, said March 6. \u201cMy daughter gets [an iPhone] X and guess what I get? I get her 8. Before the 8 it was a 6 and I had a 3 in Korea. Whoever was passing on the phone, I get upgraded when they\u2019re done.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, he added, despite having an older version of the device, he\u2019s still able to run the same apps on the same architecture, albeit maybe not as fast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ostrowski noted the Army has to realize whatever the first five units get, the next ten probably won\u2019t receive the same devices because the service is going after current capabilities in order to fix current issues at the same time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Home station training<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Basic systems must at least be available at home stations for units to train on because all units won\u2019t be able to go to combat training centers prior to deployments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not going to cycle every [brigade combat team] through combat training center before we deploy them,\u201d Gen. Stephen Townsend, the new Training and Doctrine Command commander, said March 8. \u201cWe\u2019re not going to cycle every division and corps command post through mission command training program before we deploy them. You\u2019re going to deploy as you are.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t