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Army Public Affairs Guidance on Media Contacts Regarding QDR

Subject: Additional Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) Public Affairs Guidance. Please Pass to Commanders and Public Affairs Officers

  1. As outlined in Ref B, the QDR will be rolled out to the Pentagon Press Corps at 1330 EDT 19 May 97.
  2. Service chief testimony to Congress in support of the QDR will occur on 21 May 97. Until that time, public comment regarding QDR details and decisions is inappropriate. You may express the Army's confidence that the SecDef is committed to reshaping the Armed forces for the 21st century to support the National Military Strategy.
  3. Following service chief testimony, Army public affairs will not actively seek opportunities to discuss the QDR with the media. However, if asked we will provide knowledgeable spokespersons in the he national capital region.
  4. Beginning 22 May 97, MACOMS and installations may use the following talking points to clarity, if asked by local media, the Army position relative to the QDR.
    1. The report: The Army is committed to supporting the QDR report.
    2. Why an Army:
      1. The Army, as a relevant supporter of the national military strategy provides boots on the ground any time/any place needed; gunline leadership; and a quality force, trained and ready.
      2. We have the world's best Army, a full spectrum force, trained and ready for victory. The Army is a total force of quality soldiers and civilians: values-based, an integral part of the joint team, equipped with the most modern weapons and equipment the country can provide, and able to respond to our nation's needs. We are changing to meet challenges of today, tomorrow and the 21st century.
      3. The Army must be prepared to project its capabilities rapidly an effectively in support of the national military strategy.
      4. Land forces provide the nation the full range of options for shaping the world environment.
      5. The Army is transitioning from an industrial to an information age Army. The Army of the future will be a knowledgeable and capabilities-based, power projection Army, capable of land force dominance across the continuum of 21st century joint military operations.
      6. The Army's ability to use information to dominate future battles will give the United States a new key to victory, for years if not generations to come.
      7. The Army has shifted its intellectual and physical focus from a predominately forward deployed force to a United States based force projection Army. While the size of the force has been substantially reduced, the tempo of current operations remains high. The imperative for a smaller, better, high-tempo Army is to maintain and even increase its capabilities through modernization.
    3. On the composition of the total force: the Army is a fully integrated force (active and reserve). Reserve forces provide critical capabilities. We are restructuring to capitalize on each component's strengths.

Originally published in Inside the Pentagon, 5 June, 1997.

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