The world in 1999 is a rapidly changing place. Regional conflict based on ethnic, religious, cultural and economic differences is increasing because of a lack of superpower containment. The number of regional powers involved in these conflicts and the strength of their military forces is increasing because of the economic gains these nations have enjoyed from an improved world economy. Improved weapons technology is providing very precise weapons with increased ranges to whoever can afford them and improved information technology is permitting enhanced battlefield situational awareness that allows a commander to act and apply combat power faster than an opponent. The Government has adopted the policy of engagement to counter these many conflicts while they are still manageable and maintain U.S. leadership. To execute the policy of engagement while recognizing that all U.S. military forces have been significantly downsized, the National Military Strategy (NMS) requires that U.S. forces be multi-mission capable, meaning that forces should be trained, armed, and equipped to operate across the full spectrum conflict. The NMS also requires that U.S. forces be lethal so that U.S. forces can defeat the potentially larger opponents that are likely to be involved in these regional conflicts. The light infantry division was created in 1984 in an effort to provide a more strategically deployable force and to address the increasing number of counter-insurgencies present in the 1980's. This was accomplished by reducing the number and size of mobility and firepower assets in the division to the bare minimum that was thought to be required for operations in low intensity conflict. These reductions have reduced the division's mobility because now only one battalion out of nine can move faster than four kilometers an hour through the use of the divisions lift aviation battalion. Firepower has also been significantly degraded through a reduction in anti-armor systems and a loss of deep firing systems. The historical performance of light divisions shows that from WWll to present they have lacked the mobility and firepower to conduct operations without significant augmentation. Force XXI is how the Army intends to defeat potentially larger forces through the use of advanced weapons systems and information technology. Improved information technology will provide the commander with near-perfect situational awareness that will allow him to make decisions and apply combat power faster than an enemy commander. Force XXI relies heavily on the use of mobility and firepower to defeat larger opponents and currently the light division just doesn't have enough of either to operate according to Force XXI. The light infantry division doesn't meet the ground security needs of the United States of America because it isn't multi-mission capable, lacks the lethality provided by mobility and firepower, and can't operate according to Force XXI doctrine. Adopting a modern H-series TOE would be one method of solving this problem.

ADA 370320 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.)