Wartime Casualty and Survivor Assistance Program: A Perspective

摘要

There is a high potential for US involvement in a conventional or limited nuclear war. Changes in doctrine and equipment have increased the lethality of the battlefield and the casualties in the operational theater. The current Casualty Reporting and Survivor Assistance program should be modified to enhance readiness and facilitate the transfer to wartime operations. The Army should follow the four principles listed below in developing a wartime Casualty Reporting and Survivor Assistance Program: 1) continue to make personal notification and provision of a survivor assistance officer during a national emergency for as long as personnel resources can be made available; 2)implement as many procedureal modifications for wartime operations as possible during peacetime to facilitate the transition; 3) coordinate for approval all necessary emergency procedures that may requirement enactment in a wartime environment; 4) review the organizational structure of the units agencies and installations for potential wartime modifications of mobilization augmentation.