The Centralized Organizational Structure Of The US Military
The Centralized Organizational Structure of the US Military
Thaddeus A. Menold, Sr.
Project Management 611
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
August 23, 2014
The Centralized Organizational Structure of the US Military
I have served as a warrant officer in the US Army since 1992, which means that I have always worked in a centralized organization. Why must our military use a centralized organizational structure? The nature of our military’s missions require a structure with a definite chain-of-command for decision-making processes, distribution, and enforcing standards and discipline.
The Need for Centralization
Centralization is the measure of the distribution of authority over decision-making among the top-tier Army leadership and second-level commanders within the organization. Decision-making deals with the formulation of strategy, scheduling appointments, distribution of resources, communication dissemination, and the enforcement of discipline. Second-level commanders can only make such decisions for their part of the organization, while the top leadership can be influential on all of the organizational levels (Sinno, 2011).
According to Sinno (2011), only centralized organizations can implement sophisticated strategies such as 'divide and conquer ', 'co-option ', and 'hearts and minds ', and they are the most effective at enforcing standards and discipline. However, the US military is very inefficient and slow to adapt to change.
Centralization Has Its Flaws Fort Riley, Kansas did not have a combat aviation brigade until 2006. As a result, the Army post has always been infantry-centric. The demands placed on the aviation brigade far outpace the other units stationed at Fort Riley. The 1st Infantry Division’s leadership does not fully understand the diversity of the units in its command, and therefore does not fully realize all of the internal and external requirements placed on the various units.
As the RAND study pointed out, “The challenge for the
Thaddeus A. Menold, Sr.
Project Management 611
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
August 23, 2014
The Centralized Organizational Structure of the US Military
I have served as a warrant officer in the US Army since 1992, which means that I have always worked in a centralized organization. Why must our military use a centralized organizational structure? The nature of our military’s missions require a structure with a definite chain-of-command for decision-making processes, distribution, and enforcing standards and discipline.
The Need for Centralization
Centralization is the measure of the distribution of authority over decision-making among the top-tier Army leadership and second-level commanders within the organization. Decision-making deals with the formulation of strategy, scheduling appointments, distribution of resources, communication dissemination, and the enforcement of discipline. Second-level commanders can only make such decisions for their part of the organization, while the top leadership can be influential on all of the organizational levels (Sinno, 2011).
According to Sinno (2011), only centralized organizations can implement sophisticated strategies such as 'divide and conquer ', 'co-option ', and 'hearts and minds ', and they are the most effective at enforcing standards and discipline. However, the US military is very inefficient and slow to adapt to change.
Centralization Has Its Flaws Fort Riley, Kansas did not have a combat aviation brigade until 2006. As a result, the Army post has always been infantry-centric. The demands placed on the aviation brigade far outpace the other units stationed at Fort Riley. The 1st Infantry Division’s leadership does not fully understand the diversity of the units in its command, and therefore does not fully realize all of the internal and external requirements placed on the various units.
As the RAND study pointed out, “The challenge for the
References: Price, John F.,,Jr. (2013). Napoleon 's shadow: Facing organizational design challenges in the U.S. military. Joint Force Quarterly: JFQ, (68), 48-52. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.libproxy.db.erau.edu/docview/1429670218?accountid=27203 Sinno, A. H. (2011). Armed groups ' organizational structure and their strategic options. International Review of the Red Cross, 93(882), 311-332. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S1816383111000348