Jason Sherman
Inside Defense
02 September 2005
Sept. 2, 2005 -- The Pentagon office charged with overseeing the U.S.
militaryÿs transformation efforts believes the services are making
progress in adopting new technologies and concepts that are essential to Information Age-combat operations.
In a new 34-page self-assessment, the Office of Force Transformation
highlights its work to bring new technologies and concepts that aim todeliver dramatic improvements to U.S. armed forces. The document,
´Supporting Force Transformation: An Office of Force Transformation
Progress Report,¡ a draft version of which is dated September 2005, was provided to InsideDefense.com.
´We are seeing signs of progress that the military is transforming; yet much remains to be done,¡ states the document. ´As conflict becomes more complex, so we witness evidence that a new national security culture is increasingly desirable and feasible.¡
This assessment, to be distributed this month, comes as the Office of
Force Transformation faces criticism from an advisory panel to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. The Defense Science Board 2005 summer study on transformation raises questions about the need for the Office of Force Transformation, according to sources familiar with the panelÿs findings. (Defense Alert, Aug. 30)
The monograph details how the nearly 4-year-old office is involved in
activities across the Defense Department, including research and
development, concept development, training, as well as new technology
development and use.
The document recaps major initiatives the office has led over the last year, from concepts such as a new Navy fleet architecture to a new approach for distributed operation dubbed ´WolfPAC.¡ Also mentioned are Project Sheriff, a program that is equipping ground vehicles with a range of new lethal and non-lethal technologies for urban operations, and an effort to field low-cost, small satellites.
This report, however, omits two significant developments over the last year that affect the office: the departure of its founding director, Arthur Cebrowski, who stepped down in January because he was in poor health; and a directive from the Office of the Secretary of Defense to the services to suspend work on their annual transformation road maps in order to focus on a major defense review. -- Jason Sherman
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Citation:
Jason Sherman, "Pentagon Transformation Office: 'Much Remains To Be Done'", Inside Defense, 02 September 2005.