Factors Causing Soldiers' Overload

"The Factors of Soldiers' Load"; A thesis presented to the Faculty of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College; Master of Military Art and Science, by Stephen J. Townsend, Major, USA, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, 1994

1.     Lack of Appreciation for the Problem.

• lack of awareness of doctrine, management techniques, etc.
• unwillingness to take action to correct

2.     Fear and Fatigue.

• Fear-Fatigue-Fear cycle
• magnified by uncertainty over threat, mission, support

3.     Fear of Risk.

• desire to plan for every contingency
• fears of the staff: unit failure, soldier discomfort

4.     The Fire Load.

• false beliefs: ammo = high morale, out of ammo = defeat
• lack of reasonable SOPs or lack of enforcement

5.     Drag of Orthodoxy.

• tradition and the conservative military mindset
• tyranny of the SOP: worst-case, total uniformity

6.     Discipline and the Enforcement of Standards.

• Failure to establish or enforce/inspect packing lists

7.     Nature of the Soldier: "from hoarding to ditching".

8.     The Lack of Transport (strategic and tactical).

9.     The Myths of Training.

• misconception that training capabilities = wartime
• problems created by the way we train: structure of exercises, funding, tooth vs. tail focus
• simulations don't necessarily help

10.     The Failure of Technology.

• new capabilities = more weight
• increasing requirements can kill weight savings
• "load creep:" excessive durability, isolation of decisions, multi-purpose items, "close enough"

11.     Terrain and Weather.

• special equipment needs
• effects on mobility: heat, gradient, soil conditions

12.     Physical Conditioning: the [Army Physical Fitness Test] vs. the foot march.

• The O'Leary Collection; Medals of The Royal Canadian Regiment.
• Researching Canadian Soldiers of the First World War
• Researching The Royal Canadian Regiment
• The RCR in the First World War
• Badges of The RCR
• The Senior Subaltern
• The Minute Book
• Rogue Papers
• Tactical Primers
• The Regimental Library
• Battle Honours
• Perpetuation of the CEF
• A Miscellany
• Quotes
• The Frontenac Times
• Site Map
• e-mail

QUICK LINKS

• The Royal Canadian Regiment
• CEF Study Group
• British Medal Forum
• British and Commonwealth Military Badge Forum
• Great War Forum
• Google.ca
• Google Maps
• CBC.ca
• Wikipedia

The Minute Book

• The Canadian Militia (152)
• Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) (137)
• Officers (95)
• Drill and Training (87)
• Army Rations (89)
• Discipline (76)
• The Canadian Army (64)
• The Royal Canadian Regiment (The RCR) (51)
• Leadership (23)
• Humour (50)
• Medals (52)
• Military Theory (42)
• Tradition (38)
• Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) (41)
• Field of Battle (36)
• British Army (32)
• Soldiers' Load (31)
• Halifax (23)
• Remembrance (23)
• Wolseley Barracks (London, Ontario) (23)
• Cold Steel (24)
• Battle Honours (17)
• Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) (20)
• Pay (12)
• The Vimy Pilgrimage (1936) (11)
• The Battle of Paardeberg (18-27 Feb 1900) (10)