At one time, the Army was looking for men and women who could become “Army strong.” It’s now specifically looking for soldiers who “thrive in conditions of chaos.”
“We used to say we need individuals who are comfortable in conditions of ambiguity. Now we need people who improve and thrive in conditions of chaos. There is a big difference between comfortable and thriving,’ Lt. Gen. Robert Brown, commander of the Army Combined Arms Center, said Wednesday, Army Times reported.
The officer made the comments while leading “The Human Dimension” panel at the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) convention in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday.
“Today we expect every fighting man and woman to be a master … there is a lot more in the rucksack of men and women on the battlefield. Squad leaders operate in a much different world. … We are optimizing human performance so we get the most out of every individual, now more than ever,” Lt. Brown added, the paper reported.
Army Times reported that the panel discussed how the U.S. military is losing the kind of technological advantages it once enjoyed, and the need to secure “cognitive dominance” on the battlefield (i.e., soldiers must be able to deal with complex situations in a digital world).
“Now you can buy unmanned aerial systems on the Internet. Now it’s not just a matter of soldiers being able to shoot and kill. Now it’s down to the private to decide ’Do I use force or not.’ That’s difficult,” Lt. Brown added, Army Times reported.
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• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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