Preparing the U.S. Army for the Future

(CBS)  In its "Where America Stands" series, CBS News is looking at a broad spectrum of issues facing this country in the new decade.

If one moment could capture the unexpected trauma of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, this would be it. American soldiers hit by a roadside bomb. Something as simple as a homemade booby trap literally blew up America's plan for quick and easy victories.

The report card is written in blood and treasure:

5,300 dead with more than a third of them killed by roadside bombs.

36,000 wounded, with more than 950 amputees.

Two million have deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. More than half of them leaving families behind. Some have served five combat tours.

300,000 are estimated to suffer from post traumatic stress or major depression.

480,000 who have left the service are now in the VA system.

CBS Reports: Where America Stands

The soldiers have made the sacrifices, but the American taxpayer has footed the bill. This year, the total spent on the two wars will go over the $1 trillion mark.

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THE PROBLEM

The problem is there for all to see. The most powerful and the sophisticated military in history stretched almost to the breaking point by two guerrilla wars against 3rd rate opponents. Shock and awe turned out to be a myth.

"There were many people who believed that technology had essentially solved the problem of future war," said Brigadier General H. R. McMaster. "That we would be able to win future wars cheaply, quickly, mainly at stand off range," said the general.

Gen. McMaster, one of the most successful battlefield commanders in Iraq, argues that the next conflict is likely to be another war the U.S. did not bargain for.

"What we see in Afghanistan and Iraq is we see sort of harbingers of future conflict," McMaster said.

The principle lesson of both conflicts and the problem McMaster is grappling with is the unpredictability of war -- where it will break out and how it will unfold.

"You're never going to get it right. "No one has ever got it precisely right in terms of the demands of future armed conflict," McMaster said. "The key though is to not be so far off the mark that you can't adapt, that you can't adjust."

"You're not going to be exactly right," Martin said. "Just try not to be exactly wrong."

"Exactly. Try not to define future conflict as you would like it to be because if you do you're just about guaranteed that it will be nothing like that," McMaster replied.

(CBS)

In addition to the obvious places where war could break out -- Korea, Iran, Yemen -- there are 90 failing countriesin the world which could dissolve into conflict. The army brainstorms future crises at, ironically, the oldest fort in America -- Fort Monroe, Virginia, defended by a moat.

Lt. Gen. Michael Vaneis in charge of preparing the army for the future: everything from tomorrow in Afghanistan to 2025 in who knows where.

"The future is happening almost in dog years," he said. "The pace of change is at such a rapid rate it's exponential."

The Solution

If you can't predict, the only solution is to adapt -- which has proved painful and costly in both Iraq and Afghanistan. So the Army is trying to train soldiers to adapt to the enemy's latest tactics before they ever get to the battlefield and to do that it has turned to an unlikely source -- the entertainment industry.

Martin asked, "what does Hollywood have to teach the U.S. Army about war?"

"Well, what Hollywood brings is an ability to simulate reality," said Vane. "We can bring the battlefield to the soldier before he or she ever goes to battle."

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First the battlefield -- everything from video taken by spy drones to the chemical composition of the latest roadside bomb -- is brought into an operations center, located of all places, in a mall outside colonial Williamsburg.

It's where the Army tries to capture all the complexities and dilemmas of combat and turn them into real world training for troops on their way to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Terabytes of data are transformed into computer simulations -- a no-nonsense version of the video games today's soldiers grew up playing.

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Retired Army Sergeant Mark Covey runs what is undoubtedly the most high stakes video gaming center in the world. The videos are posted on a classified web site where soldiers bound for Iraq and Afghanistan practice against the latest enemy tactics.

That's just the beginning of what the Army has in mind: 3D battlefield simulations.

Web Extra: 3D Simulator

"This is next step in the serious gaming for training and that is to take a soldier and put him in the environment," Covey said. "So in this case you know we're in a humvee."

The aim is to download the 3D simulations into a warehouse big enough to hold an entire platoon of soldiers learning to clear a village wherever the next war might be.

"We can rapidly change. We can go from an Afghan village to an Iraqi village to perhaps somewhere in the Philippines," Covey said. "You're only limited by your imagination."

Next training simulator? An improvised explosive device (IED) simulation. Martin got inside the simulator for a test drive.

Web Extra: IED Simulator

The landscape is Lone Pine, California, scene of countless cowboy movies. Only now it's a gauntlet of roadside bombs. The aim is to use the most sophisticated device of all -- the human eye -- to find them before they find you.

Just like the real battlefield, the enemy can come at you in unexpected ways.

Suddenly, a simulated explosion rocked Martin in the test drive.

"I don't know how close to the real thing that was, but it's very, very convincing and it took me totally by surprise," Martin said.

The goal is to make a soldier's last day of training the same as first day in combat -- a very different kind of shock and awe.

CBS Reports: Where America Stands

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[woodenbee]

"the world is more dangerous than ever" really? I doubt a months total of casualties throughout the world for terrorism would add up to one average day during WW11, its probably about equal to the amount of people who fall off ladders, or die of obesity, this focus of terrorism is absolutely ridiculous, more people are killed in the US by their ex boyfriend then ever get killed by terrorists, the only reason they go on about it is because it keeps you all good and fearful, and that has a deep effect that allows the war mongers/contractors to keep you paying for their silly war against a few hundred men hiding in caves,

[dhg4]

In your report, you talk about the taxpayer footing the bill. Let me remind you that Congress did not pass any form of war tax. The current American taxpayers are not footing the bill: we are funding the war out of the deficit and passing the bill along to our children.

[itsourmoney]

Why have we given control of our peace,security, and our soldiers lives to "war for profit" corporations? This has to stop!This is our blood and treasure. To privatize our military is a conflict of interest. Huge corporate war profits versus peaceful resolution of differences. Is it not obvious that privatization will only create more wars to keep the profits flowing into these war corporations??? Look what private health insurers have done to our country...they are money handlers getting in between patients and doctors, denying treatments & leaving us sicker & exposed to financial bankruptcy in the name of their bottom line & stockholders. This is immoral and financially bankrupting our country.
Our leaders have stripped out the protection laws that once protected citizens and have handed us over to greedy corporations who now write the rules and run our country.

[mnbrant]

Maybe we can fund our wars with more ponzi schemes? Really do we need war? Why so many? Who is pulling our strings? And to cap it off its not our money really. It's China's. And when we default there probably going to take 30% of what the U.S. has left. Probably we will have to cede California over to them.

[Omni-Present101]

Afghan War Predictions: $5-$10 Billion a Month,300-500 US Soldiers To Be Killed-Wounded


http://www.armytimes.com/news/2010/01/army_casualties_010410w/
____________

Surge in casualties predicted in Afghanistan

By Gina Cavallaro - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Jan 5, 2010 18:04:06 EST

Americans should prepare to accept hundreds of U.S. casualties each month in Afghanistan during spring offensives with enemy forces.

The dire forecast was made by retired Gen. Barry McCaffrey, an adjunct professor of international affairs at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, in a periodic assessment of political and security issues he has conducted in the war zone since 2003.

?What I want to do is signal that this thing is going to be $5 billion to $10 billion a month and 300 to 500 killed and wounded a month by next summer. That?s what we probably should expect. And that?s light casualties,? said McCaffrey, who is also president of his own consulting firm in Arlington, Va., and has conducted numerous trips to the war zones to assess the political and military challenges at hand.

As of Dec. 20, there had been 305 U.S. troops killed in Afghanistan in 2009, the large majority of those due to hostile action. The number of wounded as of the same date for 2009 was 2,102, with more than half of those unable to return to duty.

A month-by-month breakdown using data compiled by Army Times shows that in 2009, the highest number of wounded and dead in Afghanistan occurred from June, with 210 wounded and killed through October, when 318 were listed as wounded or killed.

October was the deadliest month for U.S. troops, with 50 killed in hostile action; but September saw the most wounded with 457 taken out of the fight.

McCaffrey predicts those numbers will go higher, up to 500 casualties per month, as the winter thaw permits enemy and coalition forces to launch their respective offensives.

[gerrim2]

As a parent of military children, I do not appreciate the amount of detailed information about our military's training tactics to fight terrorism. Satellite TV & Internet is worldwide. Dah! Do you not think that this info will aid the terrorists? Do you not think they will use this information to counter attack us? Is CBS a traitor to our American freedom? You decide.

[mnbrant]

I guess if the system is broken its good not to rely on defense contractors to get the info out. You wouldn't like your daughter to be driving a vechicle that rolls over on a dime would you? That type of info used to be called top secret along with the death rate. Good that you are reading CBS news though. keep it up! It really is the best news source out there. Not the only one mind you.

[billpl-2009]

"?300,000 are estimated to suffer from post traumatic stress or major depression."


can't stand the heat?....get out of the kitchen

next time.....stay home

[vuenbelvue]

PTSD In previous wars we blew people up with armaments from planes, helicopters, artillery, claymores and rifles. When the sun comes up there are 12 dead in the kill zone. Most have had the feet blown off, parts of the hips, shoulders. You search the bodies and throw them in the jungle or leave them there for a VC burial later. See the dead **** over there, the door gunner or sniper hit him soundly in the head and his brains are in a neat pile on the ground. Oh, hell, the RTO had himself cut in half by a claymore going off prematurely. Did anyone know that new guy's name that was hit by the RPG. Did we complain about memories. Pass it on, there will be a B52 bomb drop, Arc Light, after 9 PM 4 klics from here. We got out of the army/marines and shot them a bird in our rear view mirror. Something is wrong with the new Pentagon and I feel that they are out of control. Civil Affairs is more important than winning and getting out. They may bankrupt this country. Oh, PTSD at 100% is worth $2,700 a month in a disability for life.

[melchg07]

$1 Trillion for the 2 nearly decade long wars.

There were roughly 138 million tax payers in 2006

So that equates to roughly $7250 per taxpayer.

[ndknow]

I enjoy watching the CBS News/station, but I feel you all are showing/giving to much information reference the tools our Military/Security Department have to protect us/our country. I can't ever recall seeing or hearing what weapons/equipments that's available and/or used for our protection for the Enemies/Terrorist eyes & ears to view. Lately, almost everytime I hear of our Military Force Members/CIA getting killed/murdered, I reflect back to the information the News/Media has supplied the enemies/terrorist. Please let separate what's News from what protects our Military Forces/Country.

[xptxuser]

[quote]
[b]/CIA getting killed[/b]/murdered, I reflect back to the information the News/Media has supplied the enemies/terrorist.

Please explain to me HOW the CIA not searching one of [b]THEIR[/b] informants exploited some information the media provided?

[RozHayes]

Re Jan. 6, 2010 broadcast on "training to fight a changing enemy," has CBS considered that it could be irresponsible and potentially dangerous to our troops to broadcast to the whole world specific locations and details of military training and techniques? This is not the first time you folks have done this. You should take an objective view and acknowledge the dangers and your role in possibly creating those dangerous situations. While we know you want to be "in the know", remember your roadmaps of "how to's" are giving others roadmaps as well.