Military Review English Edition May-June 2016 | Page 124

makes unit leaders better informed to advise
service capabilities and
budget prioritization in
future jobs. For example, many field grade
officers will leave a division or corps headquarters (or other service
equivalent) job to work
within the generating
force (for example, in
the Joint Staff, a service
headquarters, or an
institutional command),
and they will bring
their understanding of
a CCMD’s issues to the
(Photo by Pfc. Lloyd Villanueva, U.S. Army)
Soldiers assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division and soldiers from Albania and Bulgaria discuss mission obnew job. By assigning
jectives while conducting a combined-arms rehearsal 24 May 2015 during Exercise Combined Resolve
forces to each CCMD,
IV at the U.S. Army’s Joint Multinational Readiness Center, Hohenfels, Germany.
the units’ leaders would
Joint planning. Although assigned forces may not
gain direct knowledge and understanding of the needs
always be the first to deploy to a theater (due to readof that command and be better able to advise the Joint
iness levels and availability), formalizing an enduring
Staff and the services in future jobs.
relationship between a unit and a CCMD by assigning
Assigning forces would give combatant commandthe unit would improve the readiness of the overall
ers a greater role in the Planning, Programming,
force to meet specific contingencies. Although valuable
Budget, and Execution (PPBE) cycle. It would
for any unit, an enduring relationship is particularly
make CCMD planning horizons mirror those of
important for those service units that may assume the
the services in planning steady-state use of forces.
role of a joint task force headquarters in an operation
Campaign planning must include resource and force
led by a CCMD. Assigning units would also help the
planning through the Future Years Defense Program,
CCMD develop effective plans by allowing the units
and the Joint Strategic Planning System. Now, howthat will potentially execute the plans to actively partic- ever, CCMDs, particularly those without assigned
ipate in the planning process. Units without this focus
forces, tend to have limited knowledge of long-term
are not more trained in the range of military operaresources. This prevents them from fully engaging in
tions, just less knowledgeable of any theater of operaplanning processes and restricts much of their input
tions. In addition, division and corps headquarters have to the budget year and year of execution (current year
planning capabilities that are largely dormant when
and next year) rather than the longer term for their
units are not operationally employed. Their particitheater campaign plans.13 CCMDs do not have large
pation in developing plans and concepts of operation
budgets and must rely on the services and governwould not only help them build proficiency but also
mental organizations to pay for steady-state activities.
could lighten the load on a CCMD’s planning staff for
Through assigned forces and dedicated employment
contingency response planning.
funding, CCMDs could fully participate in these
Unit leaders’ participation in contingency planning
processes, which would allow them to better negotiate
and exercises helps them gain knowledge about their
funding with the services. The current GFM process
assigned regions and the capabilities needed to support a
looks no more than two years out on the use of the
commander’s operations or contingencies. This knowledge force, as it relies largely on allocation.
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May-June 2016  MILITARY REVIEW