Large Combat Units -- A Special Case

          In mid - November the Army mobilized three heavy combat brigades and three heavy combat battalions. Although reserve component units, these Roundout units were parts of active-duty divisions.

          The Army had long planned that in a short - notice deployment it would replace each Roundout brigade with an active - duty brigade. In such a situation, the Army expected that the Roundout brigades would arrive in theater no earlier than 45 to 60 days after mobilization.

          Plans for extended post - mobilization training of the Roundout units reflected the Army's belief that the synchronization and integration skills needed to use battalion - and brigade - sized units effectively could not be attained quickly after mobilization by units limited to 39 days of training per year.

          The Army viewed deploying these units to Southwest Asia without the needed training as unnecessary as long as more combat capable, active - duty units were still available to meet theater requirements.

          Additionally, the Army Chief of Staff established a requirement that the reserve component combat units must meet the highest standard of readiness ( C - I ) prior to being deployed to Southwest Asia. After mobilization the Roundout brigades were assessed as less ready than the units had originally assessed themselves. A large number of active - duty personnel were committed to training the Roundout brigades.

          The commanders of the Roundout brigades recognized the need for some post - mobilization training to develop the needed skills. However, one month was a common estimate by them for the time needed. Much more training proved necessary.

          The Roundout brigades spent about three months in intensive training at sites in the United States, including the National Training Center. By the time the war ended, one brigade was validated for deployment. None of the Roundout units was deployed to Southwest Asia.

          By contrast, two reserve component artillery brigades did deploy to Southwest Asia. These combat support units were mobilized for about two months ( including one month training at Fort Sill ) before deploying. Both brigades engaged in combat, but only one, the 142nd Field Artillery Brigade, fought as a brigade.

          The 142nd Brigade was notable for an aggressive peacetime leadership that achieved a very high level and intensity of peacetime training, including participation in: unusually large number of exercises with active-duty units in peacetime. The unit sustained a high level of personnel, generally in excess of 100 percent of deployment levels and managed access to and training on equipment that enabled it to operate compatibly with active artillery units.

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