I was one of the Soldiers and Officers these 2 CPTs are talking about without a combat patch for many many years in the Army, but I did not feel left out or unmotivated in the Infantry at all, just the opposite I had to try harder and be more motivated than those who had combat patches was what I felt to show that I could operate in combat some day. resident who serves as a helicopter mechanic. Just look what happened when the Army authorized the beret for everyone and all of the SF and Ranger types were so disgusted for a lesson on how a change like this would make people feel. Security has improved vastly in the past several years, Hopkins said. The new combat-related device does not minimize contributions that earn a V device, but is an additional way to demonstrate a soldiers valuable contributions. Here's an idea after the first day of bootcamp give everyone a seal trident. Although the Captains are credited with four "operational deployments", their responsibilities during those assignments would be pertinent to the discussion. Non-political . Your email address will not be published. Kosovo is not listed as an authorized recipient of an SSI-MOHC. Luddite4Change 2 yr. ago By the letter of the regulation that existed when the operation kicked off, the Army should have awarded the patch. Kosovo would become, with U.S. leadership, a newly independent, democratic country. If youre worried about innovation And competitiveness lets fix military acquisition process before we worry about what patches we have in our uniforms. You may, however, be awarded campaign ribbons and medals. https://apstylebook.blogspot.com/2009/05/military-titles.html. Comments will be moderated before posting to ensure logical, professional, and courteous application to article content. But Washington and its NATO allies have no plans to reduce the Kosovo Force or KFOR which is still considered essential in maintaining peace between the Albanian majority and Serb minority, whose rivalry erupted in a war in the late 1990s in which at least 10,000 people died. Testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee in January, then Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Eldridge Colby sought to secure support for the National Defense Strategy in the new Congress. The men and women getting shot at deserve these visible signals of what they have done. Ultimately, credibility is derived by what an institution chooses to highlight. Just come right out and say: "Combat patches for everyone!" Less competitiveness (as pointed out in the article) and less drive to push themselves. As far as national guard deployments go, Kosovo is probably one of the more 'real' ones; although you don't get any neat patches for going, despite it being a designated combat zone since 1999. Yet in the face of prolonged and ever-changing competition, when was the last time a US Army uniform change positively impacted the forces mission? Leadership needs to be able to make the case for why uniformity as currently defined matters, and why honors worn on a uniform are appropriate. Absolutely. Sir, I know I'm a bit late to your comment and all however I thought I should note that the combat patch has morphed into something probably much different than before you retired. Also, did you actually read TRADOC Pamphlet 525-3-1? I'd have thought they would follow AP Style to be more inline with DoD, but if they chose differently, that's their business, and there's nothing wrong with it. I get it, you want folks to feel good. Don't believe me, wait til You get out or retire. NATO has been leading a peace-support operation in Kosovo - the Kosovo Force (KFOR) - since June 1999. (Slobodan Lekic/Stars and Stripes). (Image credit: Capt. Correspondence outside of the DA uses the Chicago manual as they mentioned (check AR 25-50). Since World War II, Army SSI-FWTS policy drifted to its current combat patch form, but not without consequence. for an article devoted to Army uniform culture, I was surprised to see the article end with "uniform" errors. Pvt. With the transient PCS-culture of the Army, showing which of potentially several units a Soldier has deployd with serves no obvious purpose other than to add a splash of color or pattern to the uniform. I doubt the combat patch will have a significant amount of influence in all of this, but I hope a lot more Soldiers the lead of these CPT's and provide ideas and propose innovations that will prevent our son's and daughters from being on the losing side. While wearing a PC is certainly more convenient, and while it's also arguably true that the black beret wasn't a great match for the hideous ACUs, I don't necessarily dislike the beret, nor do I agree that it stands as a trophy. For anything going out to the public, I'll write Capt., 1st Lt., etc. A stagnant policy can change over time because of a dynamic environment. I wasn't in Vietnam 3 days before I was fired upon driving a jeep in Rocket City (Da Nang), again a few months later riding shotgun in a jeep coming down the Hai Van Pass to Hue, and once just north of Chu Lai in the 1/2 dozen times I was a door gunner on our unit's Huey. Changing to the ASU removed unit patches which designated the unit you were in 75th Rangers versus 297th BSB or Finance Battalion. It would probably be best to simply eliminate the SSI-FWS altogether. "So Everyone Gets A Trophy?" Thank you for your service at every mention of your job just isnt enough if you have to go to work every day and see people who have actually "done things" just displaying it for everyone to see. becomes the order of the day. Third, the Marines eliminated unit patches many years ago for a reason they believed would be beneficial. (2) The units must have actively participated in or supported ground combat operations against hostile forces in which they were exposed to the threat of enemy action or fire, either directly or indirectly across the multi-domain spectrum. The main sticking point remains Kosovos insistence that Belgrade recognize its independence, which Serbia refuses to even discuss. The patch, which is worn. It's a perfect tool to create environment based . Combat is the Army's entire reason for being. The purpose behind this is to harmonize DoD public communications with what is used most commonly in the media, so that the public sees consistent and more easily understandable terms. When ships are being sunk next to your coast, then the combat zone starts there. The Army should also award overseas services bars for competitive zone deployment time. KFOR currently has 3,770 troops on the ground working to deter further hostilities and ensure public order, according to NATO. If that is the current mentality than I am glad I served when I did from 72 till 92. If you are worried about people you know (your Soldiers) respecting you, they still will. Colby explained that the Department of Defense should expand the competitive spacemeaning above all to adopt a competitive mentality in everything that Department personnel do, one. The Army partly recognizes this truth already, allocating the vast majority of troop deployments to competition. KFOR was established when NATO's 78-day air campaign against Milosevic's regime, aimed at putting an end to violence in Kosovo, was over. The real issue here is that military service (read: the Army for this comment) is now the one arena our nation seems to "compete" successfully in. While the combat patch is no guarantee of experience or responsibility under an active, unfettered situation, it is at least the start of a conversation to ascertain the individual's experience. So they have their combat patches. Second, I've rarely read so many "get off my lawn" responses in a professional forum. If you are worried about how much respect you get from people you don't know (at the PX, Walmart, etc) well, that's your problem. 13119, the following locations (and the airspace above) were designated as a combat zone beginning March 24, 1999. The Canadian reconnaissance squadron . It signals a return to focusing on conflict with nation states and specifically names Russia and China. The Armys Expanding Role in Competition Below Armed Conflict, Current policy guidance and future projections alike show the nature of conflict shifting toward great power competition. Members of trial defense will wear the SSI of their respective commands as their SSI-FWTS. Similarly, Army leaders can widen the meaning and prestige currently associated with the SSI-FWTS to include competition, reflecting the shifting warfighting focus in the recent National Defense Strategy. Seems like something you could.whats it called when you are in college.research. KFOR currently includes about 3,600 peacekeepers from 27 nations. Just because our leadership thinks great power war is unthinkable doesn't mean that it can't or won't happen. Reads like an acute case of, "Igotmineism.". Pro tip once you leave the Division Army, you find out there is more to the Army than Divisions. Why is this? Yes, preparing for the last war is a terrible thing, and we're in a unique point in history where doing that could have dire consequences. Small adjustments to uniforms can offer ancillary benefits including unit cohesion during policy change. Enough already! See the State Department's travel website for the Worldwide Caution and Travel Advisories. He had been commissioned in 1970 and assigned to Europe and never made it to Vietnam. I agree overall about those in combat and it is what the Army is supposed to do (how I remember, "You're a soldier first"). Instead of looking at those folks and being angry, you might try talking to them and.gasplearning something. While a business partner touts a diploma to signal credibility, a soldiers foremost signaling mechanism is the uniform. Each rotation typically lasts between nine to 12 months. It has nothing to do with what's "in vogue" or not. Finally, while SSI-FWTS reform facilitates the competitive mindset necessary in future fights, it does not detract from garrison combat preparation. Another reason the US Army wears the SSI is the improved unit cohesion caused by strong symbols. In the modern US Army, earning the right to wear a combat patch is a revered accomplishment. Building the Mindset: Symbols and Unit Cohesion Within the Army. Rather, the Modern War Institute provides a forum for professionals to share opinions and cultivate ideas. The Navy, Air Force, and Marines also have their own internal-use rank abbreviations. Taken altogether, the SSI-FWS doesn't do anything that compliments the overseas bars and campaign ribbons. Kudos. This separates the policy from its intended outcome. They come out of AIT and want to deploy, and do have respect for those with the patches and stories, but at some point they lose that "awe" and separate teams are formed. avoid showing signs of affluence or wearing expensive jewellery. Believe it or not it's mainly a US-only view that the beret is a "trophy." Those who deploy to zones of competition participate in valuable work that supports the Armys strategic goals. Why not just give everyone a Ranger and Long Tab?! The revised regulation could appear as followsbased on the current AR 670-1 paragraph 1917, a, (1), (a) and with revisions in italics: (1) The Secretary of the Army or higher must declare the theater or area of operation as a hostile or competitive environment to which the unit is assigned or Congress must pass a Declaration of War. Individual branches need to adopt that mindset and inculcate it in their soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines. This drift can occur at any organizational level without proper controls such as continuous goal reassessment. The authors are not stupid, they are well educated and know how to write according to Army regulations. 1 / 12 Show Caption + Hide Caption - CAMP BONDSTEEL, Kosovo - Col. Brey Hopkins, right, commander, 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Vermont National Guard, and outgoing Kosovo Force Regional . Patch Manager Plus supports over 850 third-party applications. This was a 78-day bombing campaign to force Serbia to stop military action against Kosovo. Jeffrey Jace Rivard of the Vermont Army National Guard at Camp Bondsteel in Kosovo. Chiding CPTs who have ideas that you don't agree with for such vanities as using "buzz words" which come from legitimate research into organization and economic theory is not helpful. While Kosovo has been recognized by the U.S. and most EU nations, Belgrade has relied on support from Russia and China in its bid to maintain its claim to its former province. The wearing of a combat patch has been a long honored tradition for those who have deployed to combat zones and have little or no impact on unit cohesionmuch less on the overall goals of the US Army. Nice try, Sharpshooter, but your comment about the 3-letter rank abbreviations is misguided. (Slobodan Lekic/Stars and Stripes). The problem is that thousands of young soldiers are increasingly choosing to not go on combat deployments and instead choose to join units like the 1st Cavalry Division. The scary part is when you start seeing how many troops have patches that are unfortunately know and/or do nothings. I don't think I've ever read so many buzzwords in a single document before. If it dissapeared altogether the immediate howling and gnashing of teeth of those who have sunk thieridentity into it would soon fade. The U.S.-led NATO force has helped keep the peace between rival Albanians and Serbs in Europes youngest nation since a brief war in 1999. The Dayton Accords have been in place and enforced by NATO for almost as long as the two of you have been on the planet. It is a motivator to deploy, and I do like wearing my patch. Similar action today leaves opportunity for destabilization by competitors across domainsopportunity more likely exploited at faster rates in the future. The way things are today, that's exactly what is expected. In the final analysis, it is what You get paid and Va benefits. Our current awards and decoration apparatus provides for recognition of administrative competition, but the final exam is still in the uncontrolled environment of operations involving an enemy force. If you knew your job, the job of the next 2 people above you, you were consider competitive. I would be amenable to the idea so long as the deployment patch for a competitive deployment AOR received a deployment patch of the US ARMY star logo patch, and not a unit patch. Ridiculous. It is not common knowledge. The forces current bias toward combat distinction runs counter to this new reality: as the geopolitical tectonic plates shift beneath us toward great power competition, the vast majority of the Armys tasks will occur below the threshold of armed conflict. Custom patches for the United States Air Force, Air Force Reserve Command, and Air National Guard. Unfortunately, Army performance, as part of larger joint force, historically struggles below armed conflict. This policy conveyed an external message with the goal of binding the unit together. The mission was launched in 1999, as a peace-support operation and derives its mandate from the UN Security Council Resolution 1244 and international agreements. However, I think the implementation of their proposed policies runs into some implementation issues. While new technological and doctrinal innovations will be critical, the Army must build a new mindset to succeed in competition. As though removing a patch will help the Army meet future challenges, really? Violence and protests in recent weeks have disrupted a fragile peace established in Kosovo after the Albanian-majority region declared independence from Serbia in 2008, the result of a brutal conflict a decade prior that saw NATO intervention led by former President . After his unit completes its deployment, it will be followed by the Virginia Army National Guard next spring. First the reach of the Army will exceed it's grasp because there is not nearly enough force to spread across all that undefined OOTW spectrum. As a result, any organization must revisit even its most cherished traditions. You weren't in active combat zone. Believe it or not, there was a time when we didnt have to account for EVERY exception in a policy to keep someone from abusing said policy. So the easy answer is to remove all unit designators and give everyone a beret or as the authors suggest, give everyone a combat or competitive patch. I agree with both your Lesson and Tip. Even with official Army (or any DoD branch) writing there are differences mandated by policy that depend on whether the writing is internal only or meant to be public facing. Several U.S. service members interviewed at Bondsteel said they were glad to be contributing to the peace. The authors offer a good starting pointwhat we see every day and something to move the force as a whole in the right direction.