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 idea behind utilizing a rotational force serves a significant purpose, but in my opinion the cost outweighs the benefits. The current rotational force concept that the Army implements is arguably ineffective for what it’s attempting to achieve, which is mission readiness. In the event that the United States is forced to mobilize against North Korea, we’re expected to do so with precision and haste. However, it’s difficult to promote mission readiness when it seems like the wheel is being recreated anytime a unit is relieved of its duties. The idea behind a rotational force takes away the sense of pride and ownership that a soldier inherently has for himself and his equipment. Too often have I witnessed soldiers demonstrate their lack of regard for their equipment, as they operate under the impression that it doesn’t belong to them. Although, this way of thinking may be due to a lack of understanding, the fact of the matter is that the vast majority have this skewed notion of ownership for equipment that they’re ultimately responsible for. Furthermore, not only is this concept ineffective for mission readiness, but it’s also costly. As opposed to spending on the transportation between arriving and departing units, we could be spending more on equipment various training opportunities. I believe that as rather than rotating ABCTs in and out of OCONUS, we should permanently station them were they are needed. Permanent party Soldiers are able to focus on the threat that they know is present whereas rotational units are forced to scramble to assimilate to their environment all while working diligently to be at full strength, only to conduct RIP/TOAs toward the end of their integration period.