2012 Army Posture

We have been a Nation at war for the past 10 years, and America's Army has proven-on and off the battlefield-that we are the premier warfighting force in the world. Over the past year, we successfully concluded combat operations in Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation New Dawn. In Afghanistan, more than 65,000 Soldiers continue to conduct combat operations and transfer security responsibilities to the Afghanistan National Security Forces. Today, over 192,000 American Soldiers remain committed to their missions while forward deployed in about 150 countries around the world. Our Army-Active, Guard, Reserve and Civilian-has demonstrated its versatility by supporting homeland defense while conducting a wide range of operations, including counterinsurgency, stability operations, regular and irregular warfare, counterterrorism, building partner capacity, and providing humanitarian assistance at home and abroad. The 1.1 million Soldiers who deployed to combat during the past decade have demonstrated remarkable courage, mental and physical fortitude. In that time, U.S. Soldiers have earned 6 Medals of Honor, 24 Distinguished Service Crosses, more than 600 Silver Stars and nearly 14,000 other awards for valor. Our accomplishments in Iraq and Afghanistan have come with an enormous cost, as more than 4,500 Soldiers have rendered the ultimate sacrifice and almost 33,000 have returned as Wounded Warriors. Through all of this adversity, the courage and resilience of our Soldiers, Civilians and Family members have demonstrated repeatedly that our Army remains the Strength of the Nation. As we look to the future, the uncertainty and complexity of the global security environment demands vigilance. In these challenging economic times, America's Army will join Department of Defense efforts to maximize efficiency by identifying and eliminating redundant, obsolete or unnecessary programs, responsibly reducing end-strength and by evolving our global posture to meet future security challenges. We know, as President Obama has repeatedly said, that a strong economy is vital to our national security. During this decade of conflict, we have dramatically transformed our Army, and we will continue to do so. We will emerge from the forthcoming budget reductions a leaner force, but one still fully capable of and committed to meeting our obligations to the Nation, the American people and our Soldiers, Civilians and Family members. Although our Army will become smaller in the coming months and years, we will preserve the quality of our all-volunteer force. We must ensure that our Army-as part of Joint Force 2020-is adaptive, innovative, flexible, agile, integrated, synchronized, lethal and discriminate. This 2012 Army Posture Statement lays out the priorities and guiding principles for our year ahead. With the continued support of the President, Congress, our Departmental leadership and the American people, we will continue not only to fight and win our Nation's wars, but also to maintain our decisive edge into the coming decade.