| The terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 changed the world. These changes affect every part of the United States, from domestic security measures to its foreign policy. In October of that year, American forces invaded Afghanistan, where the plot for the attacks originated. This began a decade plus of irregular war that would strain the United States Army to the breaking point. On 2011, after fighting in Iraq, Afghanistan and other far-flung places around the world, the United States Army was fundamentally altered from the organization it had been in 2000. Responding to the counterinsurgency nature of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan the Army changed the way it trained, fought, and equipped itself. Once focused almost solely on conventional war, the Army made significant changes. Today the Army is at a crossroads. With limited resources to address diverse threats and missions around the world, the Unites States Army must develop a long-term strategic concept that places the operations in Iraq and Afghanistan in the proper context. This will enable it to project its manning, equipment and training needs for the coming decade.;This thesis examines the results of this eleven-year evolution of the Army as a fighting force. It examines the current capabilities the Army maintains, those that it acquired as well as those in which it no longer has proficiency. Lastly, it makes recommendations to help ensure the Army is capable of meeting its requirements as directed by the civilian National Command Authority; these include conventional deterrence and full-spectrum dominance. |
