Rear Detachments provided unprecedented support with mixed success for US Army soldiers during Operation Desert Shield/Storm. Rear Detachments have no doctrine but raised an Army wide systemic issue that requires real responses in terms of manpower, material, money and time. Ad hoc missions were derived from past experiences and general officer guidance. The Rear Detachments had numerous specified and implied duties. Key but undefined was how to provide family support. Rear Detachment duties and family support groups were complimentary and also conflicting. As a Rear Detachment mission and an Army wide problem, family support was the most prevalent issue raised in both primary and secondary sources. A single, cohesive doctrine would ensure success for today and tomorrow's Army. Analysis by this thesis recommends a Rear Detachment at separate brigade or post level. The Rear Detachment would handle deployment and redeployment and combat service support as required. Subordinate to the Rear Detachment at brigade and battalion level, Family Support Teams, organized similarly to the U.S. Navy Family Ombudsman Program, would provide full-time family support. The Family Support Teams would ensure continuous communications between families and the Army, helping reduce stress, encouraging self-sufficiency and providing assistance when necessary.

ADA 258293 Approved for public release; Distribution is unlimited. The opinions and conclusions expressed herein are those of the student-authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College or any other governmental agency. (References to these studies should include the foregoing statement.)