An Individual Augmentee is a United States military member assigned to a unit for the purpose of filling in for, or augmenting, members of that unit. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A military is an Organization authorized by its Nation to use force usually including use of Weapons in defending its Country (or by attacking Individual Augmentees or IAs are differentiated from existing members of that unit by the fact that they are assigned individually rather than as part of a traditional military organization (such as a brigade, battalion or company). A brigade is a Military unit Echelon: is A battalion is a Military unit of around 500-1500 men usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel A company is a Military unit, typically consisting of 75-200 Soldiers Most companies are formed of three to five Platoons although the exact number may vary Individual Augmentees can be used to fill shortages or can be used when an individual with specialized knowledge or skill sets is required. As a result, Individual Augmentees can include members from an entirely different branch of service. The system has been used extensively in the current Iraq War, though with some criticism. The Iraq War, also known as the Second Gulf War, the Occupation of Iraq, or the War in Iraq, is an ongoing Military campaign Currently, there are approximately 12,000 Navy and Air Force personnel filling Army jobs in the United States, Iraq, Afghanistan, Cuba and the Horn of Africa at any one time. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics. Afghanistan /æfˈgænɪstæn/ officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan ( Pashto: د افغانستان اسلامي جمهوریت, The Republic of Cuba (ˈkjuːbə or) consists of the island of Cuba (the largest and second-most populous island of the Greater Antilles) Isla de la ^[1]

Contents 1 Historical use 2 Current assignment and training model 3 Controversy 4 References 5 External links

Historical use

All branches of the military have existing regulations concerning assignment of personnel outside of their normal organization or branch of service. Examples include members of the Navy or Air Force who are temporarily assigned to NASA for astronaut duty, or Navy Hospital Corpsmen who are assigned to Marine Corps units (who do not furnish their own medical personnel). The National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA, ˈnæsə is an agency of the United States government, responsible for the nation's public space program An astronaut or cosmonaut (космона́вт) is a person trained Hospital Corpsman (HM is a rating in the United States Navy and a member of the Navy's Hospital Corps Upon completion of their duties, these members are returned to their home units.

After the September 11, 2001 attacks, and especially after the U. S. invasion of Iraq, Individual Augmentee assignments increased dramatically. The 2003 invasion of Iraq, from March 20 to May 1 2003 was spearheaded by the United States, backed by British forces and smaller contingents from Australia Initially, most of these assignments included Navy or Air Force personnel assigned to Army units to fill specialized roles that the Army had either trouble filling or had limited expertise in. Some of these personnel were already combat trained by virtue of their existing skills, while others went into combat zones in Aghanistan and Iraq with little or no combat training. The ComBat was an Aluminium Cricket bat and the subject of an incident that occurred at the WACA cricket ground in Perth in December 1979. As a result, a formal program soon developed that ensured a minimum level of training for all members deploying to combat zones.

Current assignment and training model

The current Individual Augmentee system approved by the United States Department of Defense works on a combination of ordered and volunteer assignments mirroring manning requirements. The United States Department of Defense ( DOD or DoD) is the federal department charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government A volunteer is someone who works for a community or for the benefit of environment primarily because they choose to do so The Army produces a document consisting of job requirements with the required skill sets as well as starting and ending dates. The job descriptions are converted to Navy or Air Force equivalents and the personnel activities of these branches task local commanders with assigning the required personnel. Volunteers are used first, and local commands issue orders for the remaining jobs based on local instructions. For the Navy, excess shore billets are tapped first. ^[2]

As of October 1, 2006, United States Joint Forces Command has responsibility of the Individual Augmentee training program. United States Joint Forces Command ( USJFCOM) is one of ten Unified Combatant Commands of the United States military. ^[3] In January 2006 the McCrady Training Center at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, became the central training facility for Navy and Air Force personnel assigned as Individual Augmentees. This article is about the current US Army post For other uses see Fort Jackson. The center is also a South Carolina Army National Guard facility, and the Individual Augmentee training program is modeled closely after the refresher training conducted for drilling reservists. The South Carolina National Guard comprises both Army and Air National Guard components ^[4] Prior to using this centralized facility personnel were trained in several other locations including Fort Lewis, Washington, Camp Shelby, Mississippi, Fort Bliss, Texas, and Fort Benning, Georgia. Fort Lewis is a Census-designated place and United States Army post located in Pierce County Washington, United States. Camp Shelby is a military post whose North Gate begins at the southern boundary of Hattiesburg Mississippi, on United States Highway 49. Fort Bliss is a United States Army Military installation of approximately -- the second largest in the Army behind the adjacent White Sands Missile Fort Benning is a United States Army post located southwest The McCrady facility, organized under the Army's Task Force Marshall, is capable of processing up to 600 students at once with an annual budget of $16. For the computer game see Joint Task Force (computer game. A task force (TF is a temporary unit or formation established to work 7 million. ^[5]

Curriculum at McCrady includes basic combat skills. In formal education a curriculum (plural curricula) is the set of courses and their content offered at a School or University. The three week course is not designed to build Army infantrymen since even for Army personnel a significant amount of training occurs not in Basic Combat Training but in the experience of years on the job. The Infantry is the oldest and most numerous of the Combat Arms in the Armed forces, and consists Recruit training is the initial Indoctrination and instruction given to new military personnel Instead, the program is designed to teach individuals assigned to Army units the basic skills required to stay alive should the worst scenario occur. In keeping with this, topics covered in the training include basic marksmanship (Navy and Air Force personnel must qualify at the same skill level as Army personnel), combat first aid, land navigation, urban operations and an introduction to Army culture. Shooting is the act or process of firing Rifles Shotguns or other projectile Weapons such as bows or Crossbows Even the firing of First aid is the provision of initial care for an Illness or Injury. Navigation is the process of reading and controlling the movement of a craft or vehicle from one place to another Urban warfare is modern warfare conducted in Urban areas such as Towns and cities. Perhaps most important is training in convoy and counter-IED operations since these subjects are crucial to survival in Afghanistan and Iraq. A convoy is a group of Vehicles (of any type but usually motor vehicles or ships traveling together for mutual support An improvised explosive device ( IED) is a Bomb constructed and deployed in ways other than in conventional Military action ^[4]

It's important to note that the vast majority of Navy and Air Force Individual Augmentees are assigned to combat support or combat service support roles, and only a small percentage of Individual Augmentees have seen combat. In the United States Army, Combat Support is a military term which refers to units which provide fire support and operational assistance to combat elements In the United States Army, Combat Service Support is a military term defined as the essential capabilities functions activities and tasks necessary to sustain all elements ^[4] While some risk exposure in a war zone is inevitable, most joint commands in Iraq and Afghanistan have specific controls in place to limit the exposure of personnel who are not trained for such high risk operations. Risk is a Concept that denotes the precise probability of specific eventualities

Even with the additional training and limited combat exposure of most Individual Augmentees, deaths have occurred. While the Navy has sustained 73 casualties in the combined efforts of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, many of these individuals were SEAL, EOD or Seabee members whose roles were not typical of most Navy personnel. The Iraq War, also known as the Second Gulf War, the Occupation of Iraq, or the War in Iraq, is an ongoing Military campaign Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF is the official name used by the U Bomb disposal is the process by which hazardous explosive devices are rendered safe The Seabees are the Construction Battalions of the United States Navy. ^[6]

Controversy

While the Individual Augmentee program has been in existence long before the September 11, 2001 attacks, the current use of the program has drawn controversy. ^[5] One reason is the perception that the program is being used to fill Army vacancies for the sole reason of making up for lower Army recruiting numbers. The second reason is the argument that regardless of what training takes place at the McCrady Training Center, sailors and airmen are placed in harm's way because they do not have the full training of Army personnel.

There has also been criticism in Congress about the program due to issues of oversight and financing, as well as mission readiness. The United States Congress is the bicameral Legislature of the federal government of the United States of America, consisting of two houses The field of finance refers to the concepts of Time, Money and Risk and how they are interrelated Congress has expressed concern that the Navy, with a traditionally sea-centric role, may be spreading itself too thin (some units have up to 14% of personnel on IA duty) and in the process may lose some of its core competency in traditional seagoing warfare. ^[7][8][9] Members within the Navy have expressed concern about the increased focus of IA assignments, especially as to how they relate to promotions, advancement and awards, with some members interpreting new Navy instructions on the subject to mean that Individual Augmentees are to receive preferential treatment. An award is something given to a person or a group of people to recognize Excellence in a certain field a certificate of excellence ^[10]

Although Congress and the Department of Defense have increased the Army's troop strength authorization by 7,000, the Army and Navy have both admitted that it may take as much as five years before Individual Augmentee requirements draw down to to pre-Iraq War levels.

References

External links

• Beth Wiruth. "Homefront in Focus Individual Augmentee Duty; It Could Happen to You", Kitsap Sun, 2007. The Kitsap Sun is a Newspaper in Bremerton Washington, that covers general news Retrieved on 2008-02-10. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 1355 - The St Scholastica's Day riot breaks out in Oxford, England, leaving 63 scholars and perhaps 30 locals dead  
• SURFOR Sailor Talks About Serving as Individual Augmentee By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Alexis R. Brown, Navy Region Southwest Public Affairs

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