ARMY

POSTURE STATEMENT

2016
A STATEMENT ON THE POSTURE OF 

THE UNITED STATES ARMY 2016

submitted by

THE HONORABLE PATRICK J. MURPHY and 

GENERAL MARK. A. MILLEY

to the Committees and Subcommittees of the

UNITED STATES SENATE

and the

UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 2ND SESSION, 114th CONGRESS

March-April 2016
CONTENTS 

Introduction..................................................................................................... 1

Adapting to New Strategic Realities................................................................ 2

The Foundation of America’s Defense ........................................................... 4

Ready to Fight Tonight .................................................................................... 6

Strengthening Army Readiness ...................................................................... 8

Modernization: Equipped to Fight................................................................... 9

Soldiers, Civilians, and Families: Our Greatest Asset.................................... 11

The Army’s Budget Request......................................................................... 13

Conclusion.................................................................................................... 14
POSTURE STATEMENT
2016 ARMY POSTURE STATEMENT

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Introduction

The United States Army is the most formidable ground combat force on earth. America’s Army 

has convincingly demonstrated its competence and effectiveness in diverse missions overseas 

and in the homeland. Today, these missions include: fighting terrorists around the world; 

training Afghan and Iraqi Army forces; peacekeeping in the Sinai Peninsula and Kosovo; missile 

defense in the Persian Gulf; security assistance in Africa and South America; deterrence in 

Europe, the Republic of Korea, and Kuwait; rapid deployment global contingency forces; and 

response forces for the homeland. Additionally, we maintain 12,000 miles of U.S. waterways; 

respond to hurricanes, floods, and severe snowstorms; patrol our Southwest border; and assist 

with the response to the outbreak of pandemic diseases. In support of these U.S. Geographic 

Combatant Command missions, the Army has approximately 190,000 Soldiers deployed 

to 140 countries. Largely due to deliberate investments in Soldier training, equipping, and 

leader development, today’s Army continues to excel at these diverse and enduring missions. 

However, we cannot become complacent, remain static, and look to the past or present to 

be a guarantor of future victory. To sustain this high performance and remain prepared for 

potential contingencies, the Army must make the most of the resources entrusted to us by the 

American people. This ultimately requires a balance of competing requirements—readiness, 

end strength, and modernization—to ensure America’s Army remains ready to fight and win 

both today and in the future.

Throughout history, successful armies anticipated the future, adapted, and capitalized upon 

opportunities. Today, the Army faces a rapidly changing security environment that requires 

the Army to make difficult decisions in order to remain an effective instrument of the Nation’s 

military power. An Army ready for combat is the most effective tool to continually assure 

allies and deter or defeat adversaries. However, given the past three years of reduced funding 

coupled with the uncertainty of future funding, the Army risks going to war with insufficient 

readiness to win decisively. Therefore, the Army’s number one priority is readiness. 

Increasing Army readiness provides additional options for the President, Secretary of Defense, 

and Congress to successfully implement American foreign and security policy. In this budget, 

the Army will focus investments on readiness, key modernization programs, and Soldier 

quality of life to sustain the world’s greatest Army. Our benchmark of success is to: sustain 

and improve our capabilities to prevent conflict; shape the environment by building partner 

capacity; win the current war against terrorists in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere; and 

prepare ourselves to win the next war decisively. 

A ready Army is a manned, trained, equipped, and well-led force that can conduct Joint 

missions to deter and defeat a wide range of state and non-state actors. No American Soldier 

should ever go to combat unready for the brutal and unforgiving environment of ground 
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combat—that is the contract we must ensure is rock solid between the American people and 

the American Army. Therefore, this budget requests Congressional support to fund readiness 

and end strength, provide our Soldiers with modern equipment, and ensure adequate Soldier 

quality of life. 

Adapting to New Strategic Realities

The global security environment is increasingly uncertain and complex. Opportunities to 

create a less dangerous world through diplomacy, economic stability, collective security, and 

national example exist, but military strength is both a complementary and foundational 

element of National power in a dangerous world. Each element is necessary in combination 

with the others; however, each alone is insufficient to win a war or maintain a peace. The 

conditions of diplomatic success, for example, are more likely if military options are credible, 

real, and perceived as unacceptable to an 

adversary. Therefore, for the Nation to advance 

its enduring national interests, our Joint force as 

a whole, and the Army in particular—in terms 

of capacity and capability—must remain strong. 

In Europe, Russia continues to act aggressively. 

While we cannot predict Russia’s next move, 

its record of aggression in multiple domains 

throughout the last decade—Georgia in 2008 

and Ukraine (both eastern and Crimea) in 

2014—clearly illustrates the need to be prepared 

to deter or defeat further Russian aggression. 

Russian acts of aggression are a direct threat to 

the national security of the United States and 

our NATO allies. Accordingly, in this budget 

we ask for your support to modify the Army’s 

posture in Europe, including more rotational forces, prepositioned equipment, and increased 

operational use of the Army National Guard and Army Reserve. 

Throughout the Middle East and South Asia, radical terrorism threatens regional order. The 

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, al-Qaeda, and other transnational terrorist groups present 

a significant threat and must be destroyed. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant is the most 

lethal and destabilizing terrorist group in modern history. There are more members of radical 

Islamic terrorist groups operating in Iraq, Syria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Algeria, Morocco, 

and elsewhere than ever before. Their ability to seize and hold territory and spread their 

Soldiers of the 82nd Airborne Division gather their equipment before boarding a CH-47F 

Chinook that serves with the Task Force Flying Dragons, 1st General Support Aviation 

Battalion., 25th Avn. Regiment, 16th Combat Avn. Brigade, in the Nawa Valley, Kandahar 

Province, Afghanistan. (U.S. Army photo by Staff SGT Whitney Houston)
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ideology through social media is a significant challenge. They also have demonstrated both 

capability and intent for global reach into Europe, Asia, and the U.S. homeland. Additionally, 

although the imminent threat of Iran’s nuclear weapons development has reduced, Iran 

remains a supporter of various terrorist groups and is a considerable threat to stability in the 

Middle East and U.S. interests. Destroying the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and other 

radical terrorist groups will take considerable time. It is a necessary commitment and we ask 

Congress for continued resources to sustain our efforts in the Middle East and South Asia for 

the long term. 

Strategically in Asia and the Pacific, there are complex systemic challenges from unresolved 

territorial disputes, economic and demographic change, a little noticed ongoing arms race, 

a perceptible rise in nationalism, and a lack of multilateral collective security regimes in 

Northeast Asia. China is not currently an enemy, but their rapid military modernization 

and activities in the South China Sea are warning signs that cause concern. China continues 

to militarize territorial claims in the South China Sea and impede freedom of navigation in 

the Asia-Pacific region. The Army, in support of naval, air, and diplomatic efforts, will play 

a significant role in maintaining peaceful relations with a rising China. Meanwhile, North 

Korean nuclear and missile developments, in combination with routine acts of provocation 

in the Demilitarized Zone, continue to pose an imminent threat to regional security in 

Northeast Asia. The Army’s assigned and rotational forces in the Republic of Korea, Japan, 

and throughout the Asia-Pacific region today provide a deterrent and contingency response 

capability that strengthens defense relationships and builds increased capacity with our allies. 

We must sustain and improve that capability to execute our national strategy to rebalance to 

the Asia-Pacific. In short, the conditions for potential conflict in Asia, as in Europe, are of 

considerable concern and our Army has an important role to prevent conflict and if conflict 

occurs, then to win as part of the Joint force.

Politically, socially, economically, and demographically, Africa’s potential for positive growth 

is significant. Realizing this potential depends on African governments’ ability to provide 

security and stability for their people against terrorist groups such as the Boko Haram, 

al-Shabaab, and al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb as well as the Islamic State of Iraq and 

the Levant in Libya. Army forces partner with ministries of defense to develop and shape 

the environment and establish strategic frameworks that employ forces, build professional 

military institutions, and partner with European Allies to achieve shared strategic objectives. 

In Central and South America, criminal gang and drug trafficking activities have wrought 

devastating consequences in many of our partner nations, degrading their civilian police and 

justice systems, corrupting their institutions, and contributing to a breakdown in citizen safety. 

Our annual multinational training exercises with our partners promote regional cooperation 
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and enhance readiness of partner nation military forces. To date, we have active partnerships 

with defense and security forces from 26 nations in the Caribbean, Central America, and 

South America. 

Today, state and non-state actors are destabilizing major regions of the world by combining 

conventional and irregular warfare with terrorism. Acts of aggression also occur through 

surrogates, cyber and electronic systems, organized criminal activity, and economic 

coercion. These groups mobilize people, resources, and sophisticated modern weapons in 

unconventional ways that enable hostile actors to be more agile than traditional militaries. 

Since these advantages are low cost, it is likely this form of conflict will persist well into the 

future and our Army must adapt.

The U.S. Army, as the principal land force of a global power, does not have the luxury of 

preparing to fight only one type of enemy, at one time, in one place. We cannot forecast 

precisely when and where the next contingency that requires Army forces will arise. However, 

history indicates that the next contingency will likely require a commitment of conventional 

and unconventional forces to conduct operations of significant scale and duration to achieve 

strategic objectives. If a major crisis occurred today, the Army would likely deploy all 

uncommitted forces—from all components—into combat on very short notice. Therefore, 

the readiness of the Army is key to the security of the Nation. Unfortunately, less than onethird of Army forces are at acceptable readiness levels to conduct sustained ground combat in 

a full spectrum environment against a highly lethal hybrid threat or near-peer adversary. The 

risk of deploying unready forces into combat is higher U.S. casualty rates and increased risk to 

mission success. To mitigate this risk, the Army will continue to prioritize readiness to reverse 

declines from the past 15 years of continuous combat and reduced resources. We welcome 

continued Congressional support in this effort. 

The Foundation of America’s Defense 

Fundamentally, America’s Army protects the Nation by winning wars as part of the Joint 

Force. As the Nation’s principal land force, the Army organizes, trains, and equips forces for 

prompt and sustained campaign-level ground combat. The Army is necessary to defeat enemy 

forces, control terrain, secure populations, consolidate gains, preserve joint force freedom 

of action, and establish conditions for lasting peace. To do the core tasks globally against a 

wide range of threats, the Army must have both capability and capacity properly balanced. 

Although important, it is not just the size of the Army that matters, but rather the right mix 

of capacity, readiness, skill, superior equipment, and talented Soldiers, which in combination, 

are the key to ground combat power and decision in warfare.
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Today’s Army maintains significant forces stationed and rotating overseas that provide a visible 

and credible deterrent. However, should war occur, we must terminate the conflict on terms 

favorable to the United States—this requires significant ready forces and the operational 

use of the Army National Guard and Army Reserve. Only the Army provides the President 

and the Secretary of Defense the ability to rapidly deploy ground forces, ranging in decisive 

ground capabilities from Humanitarian Assistance and Countering Terrorism to high-end 

decisive operations. Moreover, the Army conducts these operations in unilateral, bilateral, 

or coalition environments across the range of conflict from unconventional warfare to major 

combat operations. In the end, the deployment of the American Army is the ultimate display 

of American resolve to assure allies and deter enemies.

While the Army fights alongside the Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, and our allies, 

the Nation also relies on a ready Army to provide unique capabilities for the Nation’s defense. 

Unique to the Army is the ability to conduct sustained land campaigns in order to destroy 

or defeat an enemy, defend critical assets, protect populations, and seize positions of strategic 

advantage. Additionally, as the foundation of the Joint Force, the Army provides critical 

capabilities—command and control, communications, intelligence, logistics, and special 

operations—in support of Joint operations. In short, a ready Army enables the Nation to 

deploy ground forces in sufficient scale and duration to prevent conflict, shape outcomes, 

create multiple options for resolving crises, and if necessary, win decisively in war. 

U.S. Army Soldiers, assigned to 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, and German soldiers move M2A3 Bradley Fighting Vehicles during 

combined river crossing operations at the river Elbe using German army M3 amphibious bridging vehicles during Exercise Heidesturm Shock near Storkau, 

Germany, June 6, 2015. (U.S. Army photo by SPC Markus Rauchenberger)
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Ready to Fight Tonight

The Army’s primary focus on counterinsurgency for the last decade shaped a generation of 

Army leaders with invaluable skills and experiences. Nonetheless, this expertise comes at a 

cost. Today, most leaders of combat formations have limited experience with combined arms 

operations against enemy conventional or hybrid forces. Moreover, the current operational 

tempo and changing security environment continues to place significant demands on Army 

forces, stressing our ability to rebuild and retain combined arms proficiency. The Army 

currently provides 40% of planned forces committed to global operations and over 60% of 

forces for emerging demands from Combatant Commanders.

The four components of readiness—manning, training, equipping, and leader development—

describe how the Army prioritizes its efforts to provide trained and ready forces ready to fight 

and win our Nation’s wars. Even though investing in readiness takes time and is expensive, the 

result ensures that our Soldiers remain the world’s premier combat land force. 

The first component of readiness, manning, is about people—the core of our Army and 

keystone to innovation, versatility, and combat capabilities. Unlike other Services that derive 

power from advanced platforms, the collective strength of the Army is people. America’s 

Army must recruit resilient, fit people of character and develop them into quality Soldiers. 

After recruitment, the Army develops men and women into competent Officers, NonCommissioned Officers, and Soldiers who possess combat skills and values essential to the 

profession of arms. Unfortunately, in order to meet Regular Army end strength reduction 

requirements, the Army has involuntary separated thousands of mid-career Soldiers. While 

numbers are not the only factor, end strength reductions below the current plan will reduce 

our capability to support the National Military Strategy. Additionally, manning requires 

an appropriate mix of forces across the Army—Regular Army, Army National Guard, and 

the Army Reserve—to accomplish our National military objectives. To support Joint Force 

commitments worldwide over the last 15 years, the Army increased its operational use of 

the Army National Guard and the Army Reserve. We will continue this trend as we draw 

down the Regular Army. With the support of Congress, we can maintain the appropriate 

force mix capable of conducting sustained land combat operations worldwide with increased 

operational use of the Army National Guard and Army Reserve. 

To win on the battlefield, the Army must sufficiently resource training—the second component 

of readiness—to provide sufficient combat ready units in a timely manner. Building readiness 

from the individual Soldier to collective units across multiple echelons is time intensive. 

Moreover, a ready unit is not only prepared in the classroom; it is prepared by conducting 

rigorous and repetitive training under intense pressure and realistic battlefield conditions. 
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Training at the highest level, the kind the Army conducts at combat training centers, brings 

all elements of the force together to practice firing, maneuver, and leader decisions against a 

skilled and determined enemy in all environmental conditions. In FY16 and FY17, the Army 

has programmed 19 combat training center rotations, giving Soldiers and leaders intensive 

combined arms maneuver experiences in anticipation of future combat. Key to success of the 

combat training center exercises is preparing at home station. Both combat training center 

exercises and home station training have declined in the past 15 years. Ultimately, training is 

the most essential aspect of readiness and we must rapidly improve this area. Therefore, we 

request funding for training that will enable our Soldiers to succeed.

A trained army requires modern equipment to win—the third component of readiness. An 

unintended consequence of the current fiscal environment is that the Army has not equipped 

and sustained the force with the 

most modern equipment and risks 

falling behind near-peers. Instead, 

funding constraints forced the Army 

to selectively modernize equipment 

to counter our adversary’s most 

significant technological advances. 

While we are deliberately choosing to 

delay several modernization efforts, 

we request Congressional support 

of our prioritized modernization 

programs to ensure the Army retains 

the necessary capabilities to deter 

and if necessary, defeat an act of 

aggression by a near-peer.

The fourth component of Army 

readiness is leader development. As 

stated in the 2015 National Military Strategy, “Military and civilian professionals are our 

decisive advantage.” The Army is committed to build leaders of character who are technically 

and tactically proficient, adaptive, innovative, and agile. It takes time to develop Soldiers 

who can successfully lead, train, and equip a unit for combat. Leader development starts 

with a framework of formal training coupled with professional education and operational 

assignments. Professional Military Education serves as the principal way leaders combine 

experiences gained during operational assignments with current and emerging doctrinal 

methods in preparation for combat. As such, we have re-established the requirement to have 

our leaders complete military education prior to promotion. Ultimately, predictable funding 

US Army Soldiers assigned to 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, conduct air 

assault sling load training on Warrior Base, New Mexico Range, in the Demilitarized Zone, Republic of Korea, 

March 18, 2015, during joint training exercise Foal Eagle 2015. (U.S. Army photo by SPC Steven Hitchcock)
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provides the facilities and faculty that develop Army leaders who provide the Nation an 

advantage that neither technology nor weapons can replace.

The deliberate decision to prioritize readiness while reducing end strength and decreasing 

funding for modernization places the Army in a readiness paradox: devoting resources to 

today’s readiness invariably decreases investments for future readiness. While the Army prefers 

investments for current and future readiness, the security environment of today demands 

readiness for global operations and contingencies. We request the support of Congress to fund 

Army readiness at sufficient levels to meet current demands, build readiness for contingencies, 

and understand the mid and long term risks. 

Strengthening Army Readiness

Before the Army can significantly increase readiness, there must be an infrastructure to support 

Army manning, training, equipping, and leader development. Army readiness occurs on Army 

installations—where Soldiers live, work, and train. Installations provide the platform where 

the Army focuses on its fundamental task—readiness. The Army maintains 154 permanent 

Army installations, and over 1100 community-based Army National Guard and Army Reserve 

Centers worldwide. Regrettably, we estimate an annual burden of spending at least $500M/

year on excess or underutilized facilities. In short, smaller investments in Army installations 

without the ability to reduce excess infrastructure jeopardizes our ability to ensure long-term 

readiness. To continue the efficient 

use of resources, the Army requests 

Congressional authority to consolidate 

or close excess infrastructure. 

As we spend taxpayer’s dollars, the 

Army makes every effort to achieve 

the most efficient use of resources and 

demonstrate accountability. The Army 

is conducting a 25% headquarters 

personnel reduction to minimize the 

impact of our end strength reductions 

to our combat formations. These 

headquarters personnel reductions 

and future reductions will reduce 

authorizations for Soldiers and Civilians 

at a comparable rate. 

US Army Soldiers, assigned to 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, 

conduct operations during Decisive Action Rotation 16-02 at the National Training Center on 

Fort Irwin, Calif., Nov. 12, 2015. (U.S. Army photo by PFC Daniel Parrott)
2016 ARMY POSTURE STATEMENT

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The Army is also reviewing the recommendations of the National Commission of the Future of 

the Army. After a thorough assessment, we intend to implement recommendations that increase 

Army readiness, consistent with statute, policy, and available resources. Implementation of 

any recommendation will include the coordinated efforts of the Army’s three components: 

the Regular Army, the Army National Guard, and the Army Reserve. The Army may request 

the support of Congress to reprogram funding and, if needed, request additional funds to 

implement the commission’s recommendations.

 In addition to the recommendations of the National Commission of the Future of the Army, 

the size and mix of Army forces relates to the capabilities required in the 2015 National 

Military Strategy. To respond to global contingencies or domestic emergencies, the Army has 

37 multicomponent units—units that have members of the Regular Army, Army National 

Guard, and the Army Reserve. Multicomponent units strengthen Army readiness by training 

together today and if needed, fighting together tomorrow. 

The Army has excelled in providing trained and ready forces for combatant commanders 

across a wide array of missions for the past 15 years of war. This creates the impression we 

are ready for any conflict. In fact, only one-third of Army forces are at acceptable combat 

readiness levels, a byproduct of near continuous deployments into Iraq and Afghanistan. To 

address this readiness shortfall, the Army has redesigned our force generation model to focus 

on Sustainable Readiness: a process that will not only meet combatant commander demands, 

but will sustain unit readiness in anticipation of the next mission. This process synchronizes 

manning, equipping, training and mission assignments in such a way to minimize readiness 

loss and accelerate restoration of leader and unit proficiency. Designed for all three components 

and all types of units, our objective within current budget projections is to achieve two-thirds 

combat readiness for global contingencies by 2023. But, we will do everything possible to 

accelerate our progress to mitigate the window of strategic risk. 

Modernization: Equipped to Fight 

While rebalancing readiness and modernization in the mid-term, from 2020 to 2029, the 

Army will not have the resources to equip and sustain the entire force with the most modern 

equipment. Informed by the Army Warfighting experiments, the Army will invest in programs 

with the highest operational return and we build new only by exception. We will delay 

procurement of our next generation platforms and accept risk to mission in the mid-term. 

The Army Equipment Modernization Strategy focuses on the five capability areas of Aviation, 

the Network, Integrated Air Missile Defense, Combat Vehicles, and Emerging Threats. 

The Army will resource the first capability area, Aviation, to provide greater combat capability 

at a lower cost than proposed alternatives. Key to the success of this initiative is the divestment 
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of the Army’s oldest aircraft 

fleets and distributing 

its modernized aircraft 

between the components. 

The Army will upgrade the 

UH-60 Black Hawk fleet 

and invest in the AH-64 

Apache. These helicopters 

provide the capability to 

conduct close combat, 

mobile strike, armed 

reconnaissance, and the full 

range of support to Joint 

operations. Though aviation 

modernization is a priority, 

reduced funding caused 

the Army to decelerate fleet 

modernization by procuring fewer UH-60 Black Hawks and AH-64 Apaches in FY17.

Second, the Army must maintain a robust Network that is not vulnerable to cyber-attacks. This 

network provides the ability for the Joint Force to assess reliable information on adversaries, 

the terrain, and friendly forces. This information provides a decisive advantage by enabling 

the Joint Force commander to make accurate and timely decisions, ultimately, hastening 

the defeat of an adversary. Key investments supporting the network are the Warfighter 

Information Network-Tactical; assured position, navigation, and timing; communications 

security; and defensive and offensive cyberspace operations.

The Army will invest in the third capability area, Integrated Air Missile Defense, to defeat a 

large portfolio of threats, ranging from micro unmanned aerial vehicles and mortars to cruise 

missiles and medium range ballistic missiles. The Army will support this priority by investing 

in an Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System, an Indirect Fire Protection 

Capability, and the Patriot missile system.

Army improvements to Combat Vehicles ensure that the Army’s fourth modernization 

capability area provides future Army maneuver forces an advantage over the enemy in the 

conduct of expeditionary maneuver, air-ground reconnaissance, and joint combined arms 

maneuver. Specifically, the Army will invest in the Ground Mobility Vehicle, Stryker lethality 

upgrades, Mobile Protected Firepower, and the Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle.

U.S. Army AH-64 Apache helicopter crews, assigned to 16th Combat Aviation Brigade, 7th Infantry Division, land 

at Wheeler Army Airfield, Hawaii, Jan.6, 2016. The helicopter crews trained with U.S. Army Pacific’s 25th Combat 

Aviation Brigade, 25th Infantry Division. (U.S. Army photo by SGT Daniel Johnson)
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Finally, the Army will address Emerging Threats by investing in mature technologies with the 

greatest potential for future use. The Army will invest in innovative technologies that focus 

on protecting mission critical systems from cyber-attacks. To this end, the Army will invest 

in innovative technologies focused on active protection systems (both ground and air), aircraft 

survivability, future vertical lift, directed energy weapons, cyber, and integrated electronic warfare. 

The Army modernization strategy reflects those areas in which the Army will focus its limited 

investments for future Army readiness. However, our implementation of the strategy will fall 

short if we delay investment in next generation platforms. We request the support of Congress 

to provide flexibility in current procurement methods and to fund these five capability areas—

Aviation, the Network, Integrated Air Missile Defense, Combat Vehicles, and Emerging 

Threats—to provide the equipment the Army requires to fight and win our Nation’s wars. 

We support the ongoing Congressional efforts to streamline redundant and unnecessary 

barriers in the acquisition process. Our adversaries are rapidly leveraging available technology; 

our acquisition process must be agile enough to keep pace. Aligning responsibilities with 

authorities only improves the acquisition process. The Army remains committed to ensuring 

that we make the right acquisition decisions and that we improve the acquisition process to 

maintain a technological advantage over adversaries and provide requisite capabilities to Soldiers. 

Soldiers, Civilians, and Families: Our Greatest Asset

The Army’s collective strength originates from the quality citizens we recruit from communities 

across America and place into our formations. We build readiness by training and developing 

American citizens into ethical and competent Soldiers who are mentally and physically fit 

to withstand the intense rigors of ground combat. Additionally, the Families of our Soldiers 

make sacrifices for the Nation that contribute to Army readiness and play an important part 

in achieving mission success. As a result of the dedication and sacrifices of Soldiers and their 

Families, the Army is committed to providing the best possible care, support, and services. 

The Army is committed to improve access of behavioral health services. Beginning in 2012, 

the Army transformed its behavioral health care to place providers within combat brigades. 

These embedded behavioral health teams improve Soldier readiness by providing care closer 

to the point of need. However, the Army only has 1,789 of the 2,090 behavioral health 

providers required to deliver clinical care. The Army will continue to use all available incentives 

and authorities to hire these high demand professionals to ensure we provide our Soldiers 

immediate access to the best possible care.

The Army provides an inclusive environment that provides every Soldier and Civilian equal 

opportunities to advance to the level of their ability regardless of their racial background, sexual 

orientation, or gender. This year, the Army removed legacy gender-based entry barriers from the most 

physically and mentally demanding leadership school the Army offers—the United States Army 
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Ranger School. To date, three female 

Soldiers have graduated the United 

States Army Ranger School. We 

increasingly recognize that we derive 

strength from our diversity, varying 

perspectives, and differing qualities 

of our people. The Army welcomes 

the increased opportunities to bring 

new ideas and expanded capabilities 

to the mission. 

The Army does not tolerate sexual 

assault or sexual harassment. We 

are committed to identifying and 

implementing all proven methods 

to eliminate sexual harassment 

and sexual assault. As an example, the United States Army Cadet Command shared sexual 

harassment and sexual assault prevention best practices with universities and organizations 

nationwide. Currently, Cadet Command has 232 Army Reserve Officers Training Corps 

programs that have signed partnership charters with their colleges or universities. These cadets 

actively participate in education and awareness training on campuses that include programs 

such as “Take Back the Night” and “Stomp Out Sexual Assault.” Cadets also serve as peer 

mentors, bystander intervention trainers, and sexual assault prevention advocates. 

Prevention is the primary objective of the Army Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and 

Prevention (SHARP) program. However, when an incident does occur, the Army initiates 

a professional investigation to hold the offender accountable while providing best-inclass support and protection to the survivor. Additionally, the Army performs assessments 

of SHARP program strategies to measure effectiveness. To increase effectiveness, the U.S. 

Army Medical Command ensures that every Military Treatment Facility operating a 24/7 

Emergency Room has a trained and qualified Sexual Assault Medical Forensic Examiner. Our 

enduring commitment to the SHARP program strives to eliminate sexual assault and sexual 

harassment, strengthen trust within our formations, and ensure our Soldiers are combat ready. 

Another program committed to keeping the faith and improving quality of life is the Soldier 

For Life Program. The Soldier For Life program connects Army, governmental, and community 

efforts to build relationships that facilitate successful reintegration of our Soldiers and their 

Families into communities across America. Currently, the Soldier For Life program offers 

support to 9.5 million Army Veterans and Soldiers. Moreover, the Army plans to support 

U.S. Army Capt. Kristen Griest, middle, carries a fellow Soldier as part of combative training 

during the Ranger Course on Fort Benning, Ga. Nineteen female Soldiers made history, April 

20, when they began the first gender-integrated Ranger Course assessment. April 20, 2015 

(U.S. Army photo by SPC Nikayla Shodeen)
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the transition of 374,000 Soldiers in the next three years. In 2015, veteran unemployment in 

the United States was at a seven-year low and employers hired veterans at higher rates than 

non-veterans. Additionally, the Army distribution of FY15 unemployment compensation 

for former service members was down 25%, $81.8 million, from FY14. The Army seeks 

to continue the positive trends for Army Soldiers, Family Members, and Veterans in 2015. 

Ultimately, this program provides a connection between the Soldiers and the American people. 

The Army’s most valuable asset is its people; therefore, the well-being of Soldiers, Civilians, 

and their Family members, both on and off-duty remains critical to the success of the Army. 

Taking care of Soldiers is an obligation of every Army leader. The Army focuses on improving 

personal readiness and increasing personal accountability. Programs like “Not in My Squad,” 

first championed by Sergeant Major of the Army Daniel Dailey, empower Army leaders to 

instill Army values in their Soldiers and enforce Army standards. Our Soldiers and Civilians 

want to be part of a team that fosters greatness. It is through personal conduct and proactive 

leadership that we seek to improve on a culture of trust that motivates and guides the conduct of 

Soldiers. The American people expect and continue to deserve an Army of trusted professionals. 

The Army’s Budget Request

The Army requires sustained, long term, and predictable funding. We thank Congress for the 

Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015, which provides short-term relief and two years of predictable 

funding. However, funding levels are not keeping pace with the reality of the strategic 

environment and global threats. Moreover, while the current budget provides predictability, 

it does so at funding levels less than envisioned by the President last year. In short, the FY17 

Army Budget base request of $125.1 billion is $1.4 billion less than the FY16 enacted budget of 

$126.5 billion. As a result, the Army will fully fund readiness, reduce funding for modernization 

and infrastructure maintenance, and continue programmed end strength reductions.

Our major goals in this budget request are to: 

improve readiness by fully manning in combat 

units, increase combat power, streamline 

headquarters, improve command and control, 

and conduct realistic combined arms training. The 

Army will also modernize in five capability areas: 

Aviation, the Network, Integrated Air Missile 

Defense, Combat Vehicles, and Emerging Threats. 

Additionally, the Army will ensure the recruitment 

and retention of high quality Soldiers of character 

and competence. The FY17 budget also provides 

adequate funding so that we can provide Soldiers, A US Army Soldier, assigned to 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, fires an M4 

carbine rifle during partnered live fire range training at Tactical Base Gamberi, Afghanistan, May 

29, 2015. (US Army photo by CPT Charlie Emmons)
2016 ARMY POSTURE STATEMENT

14

Civilians, and their Families the best possible quality of life. Absent additional legislation, the 

Budget Control Act funding levels will return in FY18. This continued fiscal unpredictability 

beyond FY17 is one of the Army’s single greatest challenges and inhibits our ability to generate 

readiness. This will force the Army to continue to reduce end strength and delay modernization, 

decreasing Army capability and capacity—a risk our Nation should not accept. 

Conclusion

The Army’s FY17 Budget prioritizes readiness while reducing our end strength and delaying 

modernization. Prioritizing Army readiness ensures the Joint Force has the capability to 

deter, and when required, fight and win wars in defense of the United States and its national 

interests. To fulfil this obligation to the Nation, the Army requires predictable and sufficient 

funding to build readiness, maintain Army installations, modernize equipment, and provide 

Soldier compensation commensurate with their service and sacrifice.

The Nation’s resources available for defense are limited, but the uncertainties of today require 

a ready force capable of responding to protect our national interests. An investment in 

readiness is the primary means that allows the Army to meet the demands of our Combatant 

Commanders and maintain the capacity to respond to contingencies worldwide. By building 

readiness, the Army provides the Joint Force the ability to respond to unforeseeable threats, 

decisively defeat our enemies, and advance the Nation’s national security interests. As a result 

of our current fiscal uncertainty, the Army prioritizes today’s readiness and accepts risk in 

modernization, infrastructure maintenance, and sustained end strength in the mid and long 

term. We request the support of Congress to fund Army readiness at sufficient levels to meet 

current demands, build readiness for contingencies, and understand the mid and long term 

risks. Ultimately, the American people will judge us by one standard: that the Army is ready 

when called upon to fight and win our Nation’s wars.
2015

RECIPIENTS

Medal

ofHonor

Captain

Florent GROBERG

United States Army

AFGHANISTAN

Sergeant

William shemin

United States Army

WORLD WAR I

Private

HENRY JOHNSON

United States Army

WORLD WAR I

ABOVE AND BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY
ARMY

POSTURE STATEMENT

2016