The Challenges of the "Now" and Their Implications for the U.S. Army
T he U.S. Army has been at war in Afghanistan and Iraq almost continuously for more than a decade an experience that has, over time, honed the Army's ability to fight irregular adversaries. Ironically, in the aftermath of these wars and despite such capabilities, the Army finds itself in a crisis of relevance, with the national strategy having changed with the " rebalance " to the Pacific, with end strength and budgets shrinking and with U.S. policymakers averse to putting " boots on the ground " even as the Islamic State has again thrown Iraq into war This crisis of relevance reflects a somewhat understandable but recurring Army pattern of focusing intently on a current conflict while ignoring potential ones. As an example, after the United States emerged from Vietnam, it witnessed the events of the 1973 Yom Kippur War a state level conflict fought against Israel by a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria which underscored how far potential enemies had advanced in terms of weapons and tactics. This war vividly illustrated the lethality of modern weapons, the high value of crew proficiency, and the The Army responded with a renewed focus on major combat operations. It developed, procured, and fielded the " Big 5 " weapon systems Abrams main battle tank, Bradley fighting vehicle, Apache helicopter, Black Hawk helicopter, and Patriot air defense missile system as well as other effective weapons, such as the Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) and the Army Tactical Missile System. These weapon systems were accompanied by the development of AirLand Battle doctrine and a training revolution typified by unit rotations at