Military Review English Edition July-August 2015 | Page 94

(Photo by Staff Sgt. Michael R. Noggle, Special Operations Task Force-103 PAO)

Senegalese special operations soldiers conduct close-quarter battle drills during a military training engagement with U.S. special operations
advisors 11 May 2010 in Bamako, Mali, part of Exercise Flintlock 10. U.S. Africa Command sponsors annual exercises with partner nations in
northern and western Africa. Exercise Flintlock 10 focuses on military interoperability and capacity building.

ABCT’s experience is an indicator, at current budget levels one combat brigade cannot manage all the
resources and expenditures required. Both operating
and generating forces need to be assigned or allocated
to support regionally aligned forces unconditionally in
accordance with revised business rules.

Summary of Recommendations
Based on the experiences of the 2nd ABCT, six
major improvements should be considered to support
regionally aligned forces: a standardized assessment
system, tailored and streamlined administrative
personnel processes, life-cycle personnel management
procedures for assigning and retaining personnel with
specialized skills, more efficient business rules, Army
sustainment channels allocated for regionally aligned
units, and a higher priority of funding.
The Asymmetric Warfare Group assessed that 2nd
ABCT should have had additional support in planning,
preparing, employment, and recovery for missions of
regionally aligned forces.27 USARAF recommended
an assigned or allocated expeditionary support command be established to provide direct logistic support
to regionally aligned units.28 In addition, other organizations, such as the Army Sustainment Command
and Army Surface Deployment and Distribution
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Command, should be tasked to support overseas operations of regionally aligned forces. These designated
support commands would align with USAFRICOM
and USARAF, providing essential material, equipment,
and technical expertise for missions in Africa.
Barring availability of support units, additional
support gaps might best be filled by contractor support.
Similarly, contractors for satellite communication and
strategic network should be considered.
There is no need to create additional organizations or
commands. The commands already exist to support units
like the regionally aligned forces, but they have not been
aligned with them for support. The Army Sustainment
Command is one of them. Army leaders should determine
how such units can best support regionally aligned forces,
and what is the best way to assign them (assigned, allocated, or service-retained command aligned).29 These supporting commands should be allocated to USAFRICOM
as part of the regionally aligned forces.
In conjunction, additional support for urgent
equipment fielding for regionally aligned units should
be provided by the U.S. Army Rapid Equipping Force.
Finally, the Army should consider adopting budgeting
models that could ensure regionally aligned units are
properly included into funding plans for operations,
maintenance, and training.
July-August 2015  MILITARY REVIEW