HAMMER: Korea was the first war where the US Army rotated Soldiers in and out of theatre in significant numbers, a practice that has continued ever since. In doing practical and instructional knowledge is lost and lessons have to be re-learned, sometimes at great cost. How would you change the manner in which we now rotate Soldiers into different conflicts across the globe? Are the benefits worth the cost, when our enemies remain in place and continue to learn? What are the pros and cons of each system?

The manner in which we currently rotate Soldiers into different conflicts across the globe should be closely scrutinized for efficacy.  The idea behind the idea is sound as rotating soldiers is intended to give them a break from being in a constant state of war for years on end and the opportunities to see their family.  Another bonus to rotating Soldiers and units in different theatres while the enemy remains allows for new views of problems faced by the previous unit which keeps the enemy on their toes with an ever-changing cycle of SOPs and tactics.  However, This method of warfare has also lead to the style of warfare seen more recently where young soldiers and leaders are left out by themselves in combat zones for months without rotating for rest.  This has been proven to be psychologically damaging the longer Soldiers are exposed to constant combat.  The most prevalent examples of this occurred on the Western Front during WWI as Armies began seeing a rise in cases of Shell Shock.  These Armies of WWI discovered that the longer a soldier spent on the front lines without respite, the greater their risk of developing shell shock.  Soldiers under the current system do not receive enough rest while out in combat environments because the Army wants to push them at 100% for the full length of the rotation to get as much out of them as possible.  While it is impractical to assume nowadays the Army could move away from its rotational model, it could very well alter its rotations so that the soldiers receive at least roughly consistent times of R&R back at major FOBs instead of being forced to remain in constant combat for 6 months, receive a two week break, then steel their mind for another 6 to 9 months straight of combat.  Rotations need to be amended so that every two or three weeks soldiers receive a couple days rest before returning to combat.  This will prolong the efficacy and psychology of the fighting force.