Author Description

For the last forty years, the US Army has assigned its soldiers on an individual basis -- not as members of a unit. Supporters of this personnel system point out its clockwork efficiency, its economy, and its mirroring of replacement needs in time of war. Not all observers, however, believe that such a personnel system serves us as well as it should. Lieutenant Colonel Christopher C. Straub argues that the current Army personnel system fails to nurture an element necessary for units to fight well: cohesion, that bonding together of soldiers into a coherent fighting unit. Lieutenant Colonel Straub shows that the Army's personnel system is a reflection of cultural values -- particularly American individualism, sense of fair play, equity, and the importance of career advancement. Although US forces performed well in previous wars, experience during the Vietnam conflict suggests that our personnel policies did not foster cohesion in that era. In a future war, we may not be able to count on superior technology, firepower, industrial might, and sheer numbers to compensate for a lack of cohesion. Straub tells us that we will need the added combat power promised by increased cohesion. This book proposes the adoption of a unit-based personnel system. From the work of its staff researchers -- the largest group of organizational psychologist in the free world -- the US Army understands the value of units that remain cohesive amidst the stress, confusion, and destruction of the battlefield. The Army's tests of a regimental system, -- wherein each soldier remains in the same regiment his entire career -- and its successful "COHORT" project, for example, are first steps toward improved cohesion. Although the next step -- a unit-based personnel system -- will not be easy, says the author, it should help realize the promise of battlefield success inherent in the concept of unit cohesion.