Introduction
International collaboration in military training with partner forces is crucial for improving operational cooperation globally and enhancing the capabilities of the US Army. Joint exercises on a large scale often involve the participation of various nations. Effective interaction is facilitated through simulation training, which helps military personnel to sharpen their combat skills and increase their preparedness. Coordination issues within government departments and between the government and defense industries hinder high-standard collaborative training with partner forces. Previous efforts to resolve the coordination issues, such as establishing the United States Joint Forces Command, have not yet produced a sustainable solution. This problem will negatively impact military readiness and threaten US national security if left unaddressed.
History of the Question
Historically, the need to create strong cross-country cooperation in matters of military training began to take shape after the Second World War. However, with the modern functioning of the international system of joint operational training, countries came recently. Starting from the European continent, the US continued to establish military-international ties. In the late 1960s, Special Operations Command Pacific (SOCPAC) was organized to develop effective Indo-Pacific cooperation (SOCPAC, 2023). In 2018, 367 events were held in the region, 29 of which were of a military operational nature (SOCPAC, 2023). The US mission is constantly expanding, and now cooperation includes not only training and education but also assistance to the civilian population (Gibson-Fall, 2021). It is expected that international cooperation in the field of joint training will increase due to the growing global instability.
The Background of the Problem
Despite the constantly developing network of interaction for the organization of joint training in the country and abroad, there is a problem of coordination within departmental structures. The complexity of coordination presents a significant challenge, according to the last report by RAND researchers (Marler et al., 2021). The problem of miscoordination has been noticed, and attempts have been made to solve it. The emergence of the problem is traditionally associated with the complexity of the military structure (Marler et al., 2021). Previous attempts to address this problem resulted in the creation of the United States Joint Forces Command, but this backbone branch was dissolved in 2011, and its key functions were inefficiently delegated (Marler et al., 2021). Thus, the Department of Defense has not yet found an effective solution to the current situation. If the problem is not resolved, it will have a significant impact on the readiness for military conflicts and is a threat to US external security. The goal for the US Department of Defense at this point should be to focus efforts on improving departmental coordination.
Problem Definition
Operational readiness involves a significant amount of joint training to achieve rapid international response capability. The majority of training should be simulation-based as it provides the greatest opportunities for interaction and skill development (Marler et al., 2021). At the moment, significant efforts are underway to develop high-performance simulation systems that allow network training, but these developments do not always meet the needs of the military (Fan & Wen, 2019). For example, there are significant difficulties in developing the acquisition of simulators for training due to miscoordination in the departmental system (Marler et al., 2021). Thus, there is no systematic and consistent match between the needs of the US Department of Defense and the industry.
Position Statement
It is necessary to achieve coordination and interoperability between internal departmental services to support collaborative learning. Increasing effective coordination is needed to overcome challenges in setting priorities and maintaining data exchange to meet information assurance standards. Joint training of soldiers is crucial for addressing international conflicts and filling identified gaps in joint operations (Tow, 2019). The functioning of all organizational units should be harmonized to facilitate coordination in operational training with international partner forces.
Potential Solution to the Problem
One of the potential solutions to the problem of internal and external miscoordination is to increase centralization, the purpose of which will be to inform departmental structures about the goals and needs of joint training. To strengthen centralization, it is necessary to create a unit that will deal exclusively with the study and provision of a joint learning process with partner forces (Marler et al., 2021). Such an organization could be the point of contact for providing the latest research on military training and including the study of simulation and related equipment. Increased funding is necessary for proper functioning and coordination of the unit and between departments on equipment and organization.
Coordination problems may be associated with inaccurate prioritization of research, development, and procurement of equipment for joint training. Establishing the true demand and specific needs of the military industry at the current moment should become the basis for the priority allocation of resources (Marler et al., 2021). Additional data collection should also be organized to reflect the need of collaborative learning with partner forces. This need arises due to the fact that the industry may also not meet the demands and needs of the Department of Defense. The only way out of this situation will be to establish a permanent connection between scientific research, experimental work, and the needs formed during joint training.
Conclusion
Efficient organization of training with partner forces requires addressing the problem of insufficient coordination within departments and in relation to the industry. The solution to this problem may be to create a separate unit that will oversee and address the needs of collaborative learning. It is important to establish a connection between research and production in the field and the needs of the Department of Defense. If this problem is left unaddressed, it will undermine the effectiveness of joint training and the US Army as a whole.
References
Fan, Y. C., & Wen, C. Y. (2019). A virtual reality soldier simulator with body area networks for team training. Sensors, 19(3), 451-473. Web.
Gibson-Fall, F. (2021). Military responses to COVID-19, emerging trends in global civil-military engagements. Review of International Studies, 47(2), 155-170. Web.
Marler, T., Lewis, M. W., Toukan, M., Haberman, R., Kochhar, A. K., Downing, B., Andrews, G., & Eden, R. (2021, August 4). Supporting joint warfighter readiness: Opportunities and incentives for interservice and interservice coordination with training-simulator acquisition and use. RAND. Web.
Special Operations Command Pacific (SOCPAC). (2023). FactBook 2023. Web.
Tow, W. T. (2019). Minilateral security’s relevance to US strategy in the Indo-Pacific: challenges and prospects. The Pacific Review, 32(2), 232-244. Web.