Gaining Irreversible Momentum for Army Transformation

摘要

The Army's Final Draft Transformation Campaign Plan, dated 15 November 2000 defines the conditions of irreversible momentum as 'a rate and scope of change that can survive individual decision makers and singular, discrete decisions'. The Army's plan continues that such transformation must rest on perceptions and therefore must depend upon strategic communications efforts. Using this definition, transformation can achieve irreversible momentum only when the Total Army (active, reserve, and civilian), the other services, the administration, the Congress, and the American public become convinced of its need, suitability, and feasibility. It is the purpose of this paper to determine the critical elements of irreversible momentum, to propose some recommendations for the Army to achieve it, and to become an intrinsic way of thinking about and solving problems arising from transformation. The paper consists of three sections. The first introduces the reader to current thoughts on managing and succeeding in transformation and offers a template for gaining irreversible momentum. This section concludes by comparing this template to historical examples of military transformation. The second section reviews the current status of the Army's transformation plan to the proposed template. The last section offers recommendations to assist in achieving irreversible momentum.