General George W. Casey, Jr.'s Calendar Year

¶ … General George W. Casey, Jr.'s Calendar Year 2010 Objectives vs. The Six Key Mission Areas 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review Report The Calendar Year 2010 Objectives set by General George W. Casey, Jr. define the priorities for the U.S. Army first and foremost in terms of its continued support for the U.S. mission in Afghanistan and Iraq. He also resolves to restore strategic flexibility and balance to the ability of the armed services to respond to threats.

His third stated objective is in regards to the quality of life for soldiers, not simply the mission's advancement itself: "We have made great progress over the last 3 years in the quality and quantity of support we provide to our Soldiers, Civilians and Families. This year we need to consolidate and improve on the gains we have made. We will also institutionalize both a Comprehensive Soldier Fitness Program and an Army Risk Reduction and Health Promotion Program to strengthen the health of our force" (Casey 2010:1).

This shows not simply care and concern for soldiers in terms of their preparedness for wars, but also the mental health of families. Implementing an army leader development strategy similarly shows a commitment to giving back to the members of the armed forces who put their lives on the line for America's safety: "We will maintain the balance between training, education, and experience in developing our force while encouraging life-long learning and development.

We want to develop leaders that are competent in their core competencies yet broad enough to succeed at operations across the spectrum of conflict" (Casey 2010:2). Both the army and servicemen will benefit from this commitment to education, as soldiers will be able to use their education even after they leave the armed forces. This objective also acknowledges the fundamental truth that the military's greatest asset is its people.

Casey then identifies certain IT objectives necessary to for the army to realize, such as constructing an integrated management system for Army Business Operations, a goal that is given equal priority. Overall, the aim of these priorities is to create a true, 21st century fighting force. The priorities of the Six Key Mission Areas 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review Report resonate with Casey's objectives, but are more specific in terms of how Casey's vision will be realized.

In terms of supporting the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, it specifically notes that support is defined as organizing, training and equipping the forces for deployment in the two theaters, but shifting the balance of the focus to Afghanistan. Its plan for re-balancing notes the need to fully implement BRAC and rotational readiness as well as Casey's more generally-stated objectives such as balancing forces commitments.

The objective of sustaining families is likewise similar to Casey's, but as well as improving the health of troops it also defines grievance support as critical. The vaguest of the defined objectives, establishing an integrated management system merely resolves to establish enterprise information.