The purpose of the monograph is to determine whether or not the Army has previously transformed under the same conditions and for similar reasons. If the Army has faced a similar situation, the monograph seeks to highlight the mistakes to avoid and lessons learned that can be applied today in order to improve the 21st Century transformation process. Additionally this monograph seeks to educate the officer corps on the difficulties and complexities of institutional transformation and dispel the natural fear and traditional military resistance to change by articulating the logic of the current Army transformation and the necessity to adapt order to prepare for the uncertainties of the future. This monograph illustrates the nature and challenges of Army transformation since the Civil War. The monograph thoroughly researches and describes four periods of Army transformation. These are the post-Civil War, Pre-WW II, post-Vietnam, and post-Cold War eras. It examines each period's changing security environment, advances weapons technology, and the political and military culture and types of resistance. The monograph identifies the Army's basic problem or challenge of the period, and explains the Army's method and process implemented to adapt and solve the problem. The monograph also identifies the Army's key individuals that made significant contributions during each transformation. The monograph concludes that the 21st Century transformation is similar to the post Civil War period of change. The way the Army created and used the formal military school system after the Civil War as an intellectual vehicle for enlightenment in how to organize and fight in the Industrial Age is analogous to the 21st Century transformation creating and fielding the interim force in order to understand how to organize, equip, and prepare leaders for war in the Information Age. Both periods were also influenced by the defeat or dissolution of the only major threat to the United States. In both cases, the Army assumed different and unconventional missions shortly afterwards. The monograph recommends that the 21st Century transformation campaign place more emphasis on incorporating into the Army's officer professional development program more combat training in urban terrain in order to prepare the officer corps and the force for the variety of uncertain and complex threats of the future.

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.)