Merle V Bickford

Alignment: Discrepancies of Practice and Vision in U.S. Army Staffing Merle V Bickford

Publisher Marketing: This study examines a fundamental misalignment in the efficiency and effectiveness of current processes employed to select and place candidates for service in tomorrow's United States Army. This misalignment concerns the Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, and Other characteristics (KSAOs) identified and measured through selection testing and employed as qualification metrics for final job assignment within the Army's enlisted recruit population. Because of paradigm shifts in the national security environment and a consequent expected increase in the type of activities predicted for tomorrow's Army, Cold War qualification metrics now require alteration to ensure the best potential for successful prosecution of the national security strategy. Through a deliberate re-engineering of key staffing stratagems and processes, the Army can better align with modern goals and the human capital needs of tomorrow's Army. This study elaborates on the principle needs for change by examining official documents which specify the recent paradigm shift in the global security environment and enumerate the consequent future force requirements. This examination highlights the misalignment between the Army's contemporary staffing strategy and the actual staffing needs of the organization, a classic example of espoused theory vs. theory-in-use. This study then prescribes a strategic solution for this misalignment, a solution that leverages available technology within existing systems to provide significant return on investment. In closing, this study will furnish a detailed map of processes targeted for re-engineering, a forecast of anticipated major obstacles, and a consolidated listing of human resource skills required for the implementation and subsequent management of the revitalized Army soldier selection and placement system.