Page:Aps 2021.pdf/8

 integrate the active and reserve forces and complete the Army’s transition to a single system across all components capable of identifying needed talent and managing Soldier careers from accession to transition.

Talent management starts with having the right Army leaders at the battalion and brigade-level. These are the Army’s most consequential leadership positions in terms of affecting retention and attrition. In the biggest change to the Army’s command selection process in fifty years, the Army now uses a Commander Assessment Program to select future battalion and brigade commanders, as well as command sergeants major. This intensive five-day program evaluates individuals for their temperament, cognitive fitness, physical health, and leadership skills. We are also expanding to build a system to assess and select our Army Acquisition Corps civilians at the same echelons. We are putting the right people in the right place at the right time to remain ready today.

Ready Today

The Army stands ready today to compete globally and fight and win the Nation’s wars in support of the Joint Force. This is only because we recognized six years ago that readiness had declined precipitously after three years of reduced funding and uncertain budgets. Since then, and funding from Congress, we rebuilt tactical readiness and built strategic readiness. However, readiness is fragile. We require continued support to maintain it, in order to reliably meet the needs of combatant commands without overstressing our people.

People are the Army’s most important weapon system. The Army represents 25 percent of the Defense budget, 35 percent of the active force, and 45 percent of the active and reserve forces, but meets over half of global demands. Today, the Total Army supports the Joint Force by supplying Soldiers to combatant commanders in more than 140 countries. Over 69,000 Soldiers are in the Indo-Pacific, including over 25,000 forward deployed on the Korean peninsula. Over 30,000 Soldiers are in Europe supporting NATO and the European Deterrence Initiative, including the forward command post of our newly reactivated V Corps. We remain dedicated to our counterterrorism and train, advise, assist missions, providing over 21,000 Soldiers in support of the U.S. Central Command theater. In our Nation’s Capital this year, over