Training of U.S. soldiers poised for major realignment.

AuthorKennedy, Harold
PositionARMY READINESS

FORT MONROE, Va. -- Military training and education programs in the U.S. Army are bound for significant changes. The impending transfer of the Army's Training and Doctrine Command headquarters from this historic facility to nearby Fort Eustis is only the tip of the iceberg.

TRADOC's move is one of several hundred base realignments proposed by the Defense Department and likely to De approved soon by Congress. The Base Realignment and Closure Commission not only recommended the relocation of TRADOC headquarters, but also the consolidation of seven schools at bases around the nation and the establishment of several joint centers of excellence at others.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld defined these centers as bases where the research, support and training for specific functions are consolidated "to improve the ability of the military branches to share information, adopt common standards and procedures and increase efficiency."

The BRAC plans have the backing of TRADOC'S acting commander, Lt. Gen. Anthony R. Jones. "We owe it to American taxpayers to provide the best, most cost-effective and efficient basing strategy for our command-and-control headquarters and military units," Jones said.

That could be a substantial challenge, given TRADOC's size, officials conceded. The command operates 33 schools and centers at 16 Army installations around the country. Its schools conduct 1,714 courses, with seats for 400,000 soldiers, 30,000 personnel for other services, 6,700 foreign troopers and 16,000 civilians.

"At sometime in his or her career, every soldier or officer is touched by a TRADOC school," said Maj. Mark Van Hout, a spokesman for the command.

The job of guiding TRADOC through the coming changes has been assigned to the director of the command's new BRAC office, John A. Durkin. A retired Army colonel, Durkin has helped implement such reorganizations twice before.

During the 1991 BRAC, he helped plan the move by the 5th Division (Mechanized) from Fort Polk, in Louisiana, to Fort Hood, Texas, where it became the 2nd Armored Division. Then, amid the 1995 BRAC, he helped consolidate chemical, engineer, military police and noncommissioned officer schools into a maneuver-support center of excellence at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.

"It's something I enjoy doing," he told National Defense. "It's a challenge. There are a lot of moving pieces--especially in the case of TRADOC."

As stipulated by federal law, he said, the changes would take place over a...

To continue reading

Request your trial

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT