There are over 250 former battalion commanders attending resident Senior Service Colleges this year each of whom has a unique assessment of the viability and health of the U.S. Army at battalion level. Although most, if not all, of these officers were debriefed by the members of their immediate chain of command there is no mechanism to collect these assessments, organize the results and provide them to appropriate senior Army leaders. The purpose of this project is to develop a survey instrument to perform these functions and to administer this survey to the officers in the resident senior service college classes of 1991. The survey was developed around the framework of the Army Imperatives and measured former battalion commander attitudes about the adequacy of resources provided to them, the quality of their soldiers and their leaders, their ability to provide tough, realistic training experiences for their units and the command climate of which they were a part. The analysis of the 1991 classes shows some areas of concern but is very positive overall as might be expected given the population surveyed. The value of this survey, however, will be in measuring trends from year to year. Appended to the paper is a copy of the survey, the survey data itself (MSDOS compatible diskette), the statistical analysis program used, the raw output of the analysis program and a compendium of handwritten optional comments.

There are over 250 former battalion commanders attending resident Senior Service Colleges this year each of whom has a unique assessment of the viability and health of the U.S. Army at battalion level. Although most, if not all, of these officers were debriefed by the members of their immediate chain of command there is no mechanism to collect these assessments, organize the results and provide them to appropriate senior Army leaders. The purpose of this project is to develop a survey instrument to perform these functions and to administer this survey to the officers in the resident senior service college classes of 1991. The survey was developed around the framework of the Army Imperatives and measured former battalion commander attitudes about the adequacy of resources provided to them, the quality of their soldiers and their leaders, their ability to provide tough, realistic training experiences for their units and the command climate of which they were a part. The analysis of the 1991 classes shows some areas of concern but is very positive overall as might be expected given the population surveyed. The value of this survey, however, will be in measuring trends from year to year. Appended to the paper is a copy of the survey, the survey data itself (MSDOS compatible diskette), the statistical analysis program used, the raw output of the analysis program and a compendium of handwritten optional comments.

For this report, researchers interviewed 48 battalion commanders to provide feedback for the battalion-level Tactical Commanders Development Course (TCDC), which is part of the program of the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. The interviews focused on training, preparing, and commanding a task force at a combat training center or in Operation Desert Storm. Topics included commander's intent, the planning process, decision support tools, rehearsal techniques, battle drills and formations, training, and leadership. Overall, the commanders rated TCDC very highly. They offered advice, described techniques they developed, and identified problem areas for which they still require guidance. The report should be of interest to battalion-level commanders and staffs and to those engaged in training tactical skills at this level.

"The School for Command Preparation, Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, KS provides three sequential courses for battalion and brigade command selectees. All command designees attend the PreCommand Course (PCC). PCC provides common understanding of current doctrine, and up-to-date information on Army-wide policy, programs and special items of interest. In conjunction with PCC, spouses are invited to attend the Command Team Seminar (CTS). With commanders, they gain awareness of issues that impact families, the unit, and the community. The remaining two courses, the Tactical Commanders' Development Course (TCDC), and the Battle Commanders' Development Course (BCDC) emphasize warfighting skills and the art of battle command for tactical leaders. The Fort Leavenworth Research Unit developed a survey instrument to obtain commanders' assessment of courses following assignment to their commands. Commanders who had attended these courses in the previous 2 years were solicited for feedback. They gauged the usefulness of topics presented, and indicated their level of agreement with statements regarding the courses. They were asked what issues they felt were not addressed during the course and what they would share with incoming commanders. Responses (N=254) were compiled and analyzed. All courses received positive evaluations. Many commanders desired discussions with experienced commanders to cover OPTEMPO, resource constraints, and personnel management issues. Feedback provided useful suggestions and current trends."--DTIC.

Since the mid-80s, the six 'Army Imperatives' have served as guidelines for continuing to forge an Army of Excellence--a modern, lethal, versatile force, totally capable of fighting and winning on any battlefield. The SURVEY OF FORMER BATTALION COMMANDERS, ACADEMIC YEAR 1992, a follow-on to a 1991 effort, is designed to capture this highly successful group's recent perceptions on how well these imperatives are being implemented throughout the Army. Over 300 former battalion commanders (FBCS) provided responses to more than 100 Survey questions. Most commanded for 13-24 months, were between 38-43 years old during command, and served an accompanied command tour. 22.5% commanded in southwest Asia during Desert Shield/Desert Storm. A few of the many conclusions that can be drawn from the responses of these FBCs are: They believe quality of the force is high and Army Imperatives are essentially being properly emphasized and met in the field. Their concerns, many validated by Desert Shield/Desert Storm, focus on improving entry-level training, improving NCO leadership skills, enhancing family support programs, modernizing unit organization and equipment, revitalizing wartime preparation, and increasing training opportunities, facilities, and resources.