6 Ways SECDEF Pete Hegseth Can Fix the Army

The ideas are:

1. Create a Space Force Academy

2. Push JAGs down to battalion level

3. Reintroduce Spec 5 / Spec 6 rank

4. Beards

5. Name the V-280 Valor the "Crow/Warchief"

6. Create a warrant officer position for an ISR / Swarm officer

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Create a Space Force Academy

The Space Force will be the most important branch of the next 100 years. Wars used to be a contest of Mass and Time. As Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest

said: “I git the firstust with the mostest.”

Nathan Bedford Forrest

But today, wars are a contest of Mass, Time, and Spectrum. In order to dominate that spectrum, we must take the ultimate high ground of space.

This starts with a Space Force Academy which is the best technical school in the country.

Push JAGs down to battalion level

The JAG or Judge Advocate General is basically a military lawyer. While you will find some JAGs at the brigade level, the problem is that all of the battalion commanders today were platoon leaders during the Global War on Terror.

You can’t spell “Lost” without “LT”

Soldiers from that time period relied heavily on the Rules of Engagement (ROE) as well as engagement directions from “Taj Mahal“ Tactical Operations Centers (TOCs). With the advent of cell phones and Information Domain Warfare (INFODOMWAR), commanders may be reluctant to strike certain targets due to the optics involved. A JAG would assist the battalion commander in reviewing questionable targeting decisions.

Reintroduce Spec 5 / Spec 6 rank

The Army used to have Specialist ranks when went all the way up to Spec-9.

Although by 1984, all of these ranks but Spec-4 were eliminated. Re-introducing the Spec-5 and Spec-6 rank could be a way to retain the technical talent of Army aircraft maintainers who do not wish to attend leadership schools. If the experiment works, they could be rolled out to other non-combat branches.

Beards

I know this isn’t going to happen, but I want to ask for it anyway. Roughly 17% of the US Army are African American men and about 1/3rd suffer from pseudofolliculitis barbae or “Razor Bumps.”

Currently, shaving waivers are granted by medical or religious need on a case-by-case basis and they need to be periodically renewed. Allowing soldiers to grow a beard would eliminate medical busy work and improve soldier retention. If a soldier must enter a chemical environment, he can be told to shave.

Name the V-280 Valor the “Crow”

The V-280 Valor is the latest Army future vertical lift helicopter.

The US Army has a tradition of naming its helicopters after Native American tribes. Naming the helicopter the “Crow” would honor the Crow People and Chief Joe Medicine Crow, a World War II veteran and the last Crow Warchief.

Medicine Crow (right) with President Barack Obama in 2009 Credit Pete Souza

Create an ISR / Swarm Officer at the Company Level

Currently, the US Army takes a “shotgun” approach to drones at the company level.

An RQ-11 Raven Company-level drone

Oftentimes soldiers are picked for the two-week RQ-11 raven class not based on their desire to operate drones, but based on who is available to send to the school. This needs to change and it can be done with a dedicated “ISR” or “Swarm officer.”

Ideally, this soldier would be a warrant officer (WO1/WO2) who’s only job is to be the subject matter expert for drone warfare in the company. This position would also advise the company commander on drone operations and coordinate all drone actions.