Echelons above corps: Difference between revisions

From Citizendium
Jump to navigation Jump to search
imported>Howard C. Berkowitz
m (Made "corps" link uniform with field army, etc. -- removed "army" from name)
imported>Howard C. Berkowitz
No edit summary
(8 intermediate revisions by 2 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{subpages}}
{{subpages}}
Echelons above corps (EAC), in US and NATO practice, refer to higher headquarters, of purpose-built organization, which involve a greater number of troops than would be in an [[Corps]]. They may be standing organizations with a regional responsibility, or may be established for a particular operational purpose. While EAC most commonly refer to ground combat forces, they may refer to joint commands. They may also be administrative headquarters with responsibility for preparing combat forces.
{{TOC|right}}
'''Echelons above corps''' (EAC), in US and NATO practice, refer to higher headquarters, of purpose-built organization, which involve a greater number of troops than would be in a [[corps]]. They may be standing organizations with a regional responsibility, or may be established for a particular operational purpose. While EAC most commonly refer to ground combat forces, they may refer to joint commands. They may also be administrative headquarters with responsibility for preparing combat forces.
 
The role of the corps is changing. Traditionally, it was the highest-level tactical headquarters. Changes in military technology allow smaller tactical organizations, perhaps built on a [[division]] as the headquarters unit. Nevertheless, the idea of units that augment the highest tactical headquarters, and the additional adminiatrative and support units that comprise the organization above that headquarters, remains valid.
 
'''Echelons above division''' (EAD) is coming into more common use, since, in conflicts such as Iraq and Afghanistan, the senior operational headquarters may be a corps, or, during the active 2003 invasion, two corps with an interim coordinating headquarters.


While there were a significant number of EAC in [[WWII]], with increasing power of smaller organizations, it may not be required to have a ground force of the size of:
While there were a significant number of EAC in [[WWII]], with increasing power of smaller organizations, it may not be required to have a ground force of the size of:
Line 6: Line 11:
:*[[Field army]], made up of two or more [[corps]] plus units under the direct control of the army commander
:*[[Field army]], made up of two or more [[corps]] plus units under the direct control of the army commander
:*[[Army group]], composed of two or more [[field army| field armies]] plus units subordinated to the army group commander
:*[[Army group]], composed of two or more [[field army| field armies]] plus units subordinated to the army group commander
:*[[Theater (warfare)|Theater]], composed of all land, sea, and air forces in a geographic area
:*[[Theater (military)|Theater]], composed of all land, sea, and air forces in a geographic area; the U.S. equivalent today is a [[Unified Combatant Command]]


Even in WWII, while the Western Allies used these terms, they were not universal. A Soviet army was roughly equivalent to a US or Commonwealth Corps, with a Front roughly equivalent to an Army Group.  Japanese armies were also equivalent to US or Commonwealth Corps, an Area Army to a western Field Army, and a General Army to a Theater.
Even in WWII, while the Western Allies used these terms, they were not universal. A Soviet army was roughly equivalent to a US or Commonwealth Corps, with a Front roughly equivalent to an Army Group.  Japanese armies were also equivalent to US or Commonwealth Corps, an Area Army to a western Field Army, and a General Army to a Theater.
US forces' highest levels are [[Unified Combatant Command]]s, roughly equivalent to a [[Theater]].  There are, however, "sub-unified commands", headed by four-star officers. [[Multi-National Force-Iraq]] (MNF-I) is a level of command comparable to a reinforced Field Army, composed of a Multinational Corps built on a U.S. Corps headquarters, plus several multinational divisions and other attached troops.


==Current US concepts of EAC==
Besides MNF-I, other unusual four-star commands include the [[International Security Assistance Force]] (ISAF) in [[Afghanistan]]. In the [[Republic of Korea]], a U.S. general hs the combined roles of United Nations Commander, commander of [[United States Forces Korea]], and [[Eighth United States Army]].
The US Army divides types of troops into Combat Arms (infantry, armor, artillery, aviation, special forces), Combat Support (intelligence, communications, engineer, military police) and Combat Service Support (supply, maintenance, medical, transportation, chaplain, finance & administration)
 
===Combat Support===
Military police, in the current environment, often are in a combat role. Doctrine is catching up with reality, as in Panama, and most recently in Iraq, with the [[Raven 42]] patrol led by SSGT [[Timothy Nein]] and SGT [[Leigh Ann Hester]], where a woman, for the first time, received the [[Silver Star]] medal, and qualified for the [[Combat Action Badge]]. Raven 42, a unit of the 617th Military Police Company of the Kentucky National Guard, was on a convoy escort mission where combat was reasonable to expect, as opposed to the rear area MP units guarding prisons and POWs.
 
===Combat Sevice Support===
The author, a Quartermaster Corps major at the time of its writing, analyzes the roles of combat service support at EAC. It must be remembered that US Army doctrine was in flux as this monograph was being developed, analyzing the lessons learned from [[Operation Desert Storm]], but the Army not yet gone to the major restructuring into Units of Action/Brigade Combat Teams and Units of Employment.<ref name=Newman>{{citation
| title = Combat Service Support At Echelons Above corps: The Doctrinal Challenge
| first = Thomas J. | last = Newman
| publisher = School of Advanced Military Studies, US Army Command and General Staff College
| year = 1993
|url = http://cgsc.cdmhost.com/cgi-bin/showfile.exe?CISOROOT=/p4013coll3&CISOPTR=1482&filename=1483.pdf}}</ref>
[from the abstract] <blockquote>Army concepts for supporting operations involving multiple corps were called into question by actions taken during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Non-doctrinal organizations provided support to U.S. forces deployed on these operations, despite the fact that doctrinally correct organizations existed. The monograph examines existing doctrine for support of multi-corps operations, and also doctrine for Army theater command and control architecture. It then summarizes support operations during the Gulf
War Emerging logistics doctrine is then compared with both previous doctrine and with lessons learned in the Gulf. The monograph concludes that existing doctrine for support at echelons above corps requires revision, that-emerging doctrine is on the right track, and that a key requirement will be for the Army to identify a way to test new doctrine in a realistic manner.</blockquote>
 
==Is there an EAC between US corps and unified command?==
Still in use in US forces are [[Unified Combatant Command]]s, roughly equivalent to a [[Theater]].  [[Multinational Force Iraq]] (MNF-I) is a level of command comparable to a reinforced Field Army.{{Fact|date=February 2008}}
 
==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}

Revision as of 11:40, 12 August 2010

This article is developing and not approved.
 Main Article
 Discussion
Related Articles  [?]
Bibliography  [?]
External Links  [?]
Citable Version  [?]
 
https://en.citizendium.org/wiki/index.php?title=Echelons_above_corps&printable=yes
This editable Main Article is under development and subject to a disclaimer.

Echelons above corps (EAC), in US and NATO practice, refer to higher headquarters, of purpose-built organization, which involve a greater number of troops than would be in a corps. They may be standing organizations with a regional responsibility, or may be established for a particular operational purpose. While EAC most commonly refer to ground combat forces, they may refer to joint commands. They may also be administrative headquarters with responsibility for preparing combat forces.

The role of the corps is changing. Traditionally, it was the highest-level tactical headquarters. Changes in military technology allow smaller tactical organizations, perhaps built on a division as the headquarters unit. Nevertheless, the idea of units that augment the highest tactical headquarters, and the additional adminiatrative and support units that comprise the organization above that headquarters, remains valid.

Echelons above division (EAD) is coming into more common use, since, in conflicts such as Iraq and Afghanistan, the senior operational headquarters may be a corps, or, during the active 2003 invasion, two corps with an interim coordinating headquarters.

While there were a significant number of EAC in WWII, with increasing power of smaller organizations, it may not be required to have a ground force of the size of:

Even in WWII, while the Western Allies used these terms, they were not universal. A Soviet army was roughly equivalent to a US or Commonwealth Corps, with a Front roughly equivalent to an Army Group. Japanese armies were also equivalent to US or Commonwealth Corps, an Area Army to a western Field Army, and a General Army to a Theater. US forces' highest levels are Unified Combatant Commands, roughly equivalent to a Theater. There are, however, "sub-unified commands", headed by four-star officers. Multi-National Force-Iraq (MNF-I) is a level of command comparable to a reinforced Field Army, composed of a Multinational Corps built on a U.S. Corps headquarters, plus several multinational divisions and other attached troops.

Besides MNF-I, other unusual four-star commands include the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan. In the Republic of Korea, a U.S. general hs the combined roles of United Nations Commander, commander of United States Forces Korea, and Eighth United States Army.

References

Retrieved from "https://citizendium.org/wiki/index.php?title=Echelons_above_corps&oldid=463871"