At least 20% empty chairs at military symposium

TRADOC commander stresses need for investment
Army Times
By Lance M. Bacon
Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Feb 20, 2013

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — At least 20 percent of the chairs were empty when Gen. Robert Cone, commanding general of Training and Doctrine Command, kicked off the AUSA winter symposium in Fort Lauderdale this morning. There also was a notable absence of uniformed soldiers.

AUSA president retired Gen. Gordon Sullivan, in welcoming foreign militaries, noted “there are more of them than there are of us.”

Cone addressed “The Transition to an Army of Preparation.” His presentation did not address the fiscal uncertainty with which the Army is wrestling. The four-star mentioned the budget only once, and that was to warn that cutbacks will have “a very serious, negative impact on retention.”

But the cutbacks are more severe than that. Army Chief of Staff Gen. Raymond Odierno last week said soldiers may see Afghanistan tours extended next year because budget cuts will drastically limit training for brigades to replace them.

Roughly 80 percent of combat forces also will have significant cuts to training. Cone alluded to this with an upbeat assertion that the unspoken lack of training funds would provided the Army a chance to reassert the role of the unit commander in training with a focus on leadership skills.
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