Reviews Rebuilding the Post-Vietnam U.S. Army Press On!: Selected Works of General values and the Vietnam War, among Westmoreland, then the Army Chief of Donn A. Starry, Volumes I and II. others. It closes with seven oral-history Staff. Abrams wanted to redeploy intact Edited by Lewis Sorley. Combat Stud- interviews with Starry on his life and units and argued fiercely for this ap- ies Institute Press. 1,341 pages; black- career. Two compact discs are included proach, but Westmoreland decided to and-white photographs; index. in the collection. One contains the full redeploy by individuals, so as to return text of the book-length monograph those who had been in Vietnam the By GEN William R. Richardson Mounted Combat in Vietnam, written by longest. Abrams told Starry: “I probably U.S. Army retired Starry with staff assistance at Fort won’t live to see the end of this, but the Knox, Ky., in 1978. The second com- rest of your career will be dedicated to f you want to understand how the pact disc shows Starry as a speaker straightening out the mess this is going IU.S. Army resurrected itself after the and briefer and includes some of his to create.” Vietnam War and proceeded to design presentations, including “Sergeants’ In May 1973, Starry received his sec- and build an Army that could take on Business,” “Tanks Forever” and a clas- ond star and was posted to take over the Warsaw Pact and win, you would sic version of AirLand Battle. the Armor School, with this guidance be well advised to delve into the collec- from Abrams: “Don’t screw up the tank tive writings and speeches of GEN program. Just start with the doctrine, de- Donn A. Starry, all exceptionally well scribe the equipment requirements, re- put-together by historian Lewis (Bob) shape organization. And get the Army Sorley in a two-volume set entitled off its ass!” Starry was blessed with a Press On! (which happens to be a fa- most unusual but equally smart boss, vorite Starry statement, recognized by GEN William E. DePuy, commander of those who worked for him). No one the newly formed Training and Doc- but Starry had such a strong hand and trine Command (TRADOC). Working a smart mind in this rebuilt Army. He together, these two would frame the was clearly the right person for the operational concepts for how the U.S. right jobs at the right times. He knew Army would prepare to fight the next how to make things happen in the ar- likely war—against the Soviets. cane world of doctrine, combat and Later in 1973, the Yom Kippur War training developments. Father of the hit the front pages. Realizing that this AirLand Battle doctrine and the Army war would provide important lessons, 86 studies, both of which led to the Sorley has written an outstanding 16- Abrams sent Starry and then-BG Bob Army that was successful in Desert page prologue. It describes Starry’s life, Baer, the program manager of what Storm and later in the drive to Bagh- beginning with his early days in the would become the Abrams Tank, to dad in the Iraq War, Starry brings to Army as a cadet at West Point and his Israel. They walked the battlefields the reader of Press On! an amazing first duty station in Europe with the and talked to the Israeli leaders, com- amount of useful material that explains 63rd Heavy Tank Battalion, 1st Infantry ing away with a clear view of the ar- how to prepare for war. Division, where his battalion comman- mored battlefield of that war. In Press The first volume is replete with the der was then-LTC Creighton W. Abrams On!, Starry cites several lessons from story of armor in the U.S. Army, but it Jr. The prologue covers Starry’s second that war: the density and lethality of also covers related topics such as the tour in Europe in command of the 1st modern weapons; the advantages of battlefield, doctrine, force structure, Medium Tank Battalion, 32nd Armor, long-range antitank guided missiles; leadership, military history, modern- and then describes his two tours in Viet- the problems with command and con- ization and planning. It begins with a nam, one with great distinction as the trol; and the winner will be the side 22-page “Reflection” by Starry, an ex- commander of the 11th Armored Cav- that seizes the initiative and holds it. ceptional summary of the Army from alry Regiment, where he proved to DePuy wanted to focus on the tactical World War I onward. It presents the many nonbelievers that a mechanized level of war first, then deal later with reader with Starry’s views on the prob- force could be of great advantage in the the operational level. He had learned lems with the Vietnam War and what jungles of Southeast Asia. As a rede- his lessons in both World War II and was not taking place during that pe- ployment planner for GEN Abrams, in Vietnam, where he saw inadequate riod of conflict. Volume II follows with Starry saw what he considered a grave tactics being employed and poor lead- chapters on soldiers, strategy, training, error on the part of GEN William C. ership and training at the small-unit 118 ARMY I March 2010 level. Starry agreed with this ap- fense—now returned home to become the TRADOC commandants to under- proach, and he coupled their concerns the next commander of TRADOC. No stand that going to war must begin with the lessons of the Yom Kippur one was better suited for this key with an operational concept for why War to come up with an operational Army job. He knew exactly what need- you are going to war, what the pur- concept that could be implanted in the ed to be done to move to the next pose is, and how you plan to organize minds of Army combat leaders. stage in rebuilding the Army. He saw and fight it. This, to Starry, was simply the need at the time to modify the Ac- fundamental in the business of war- ed by DePuy, but authored in criti- tive Defense approach and look at the fighting. From the operational con- Lcal parts by Starry with support broader scope at the operational level cept, doctrine on how to fight is then from the TRADOC school comman- of war. His operational concept was to derived. Starry had one immutable dants, the Army produced in 1976 see deep to find the follow-on echelon, principle: doctrine rules. All else— Field Manual (FM) 100-5 Operations, move fast to concentrate forces, strike such as combat developments, force which spelled out how to fight when quickly to attack before the enemy can and organizational design, and train- outnumbered and win against the break our defenses and finish the fight ing—must derive from and be driven Warsaw Pact. This version of FM 100- quickly before the second echelon by doctrine. He also insisted that those 5 encompassed what became known closes. Frequently called the Extended who teach in the TRADOC school- as the Active Defense doctrine. It fo- Battle, Corps Battle or Deep Attack, houses must also be the ones who will cused on the key Soviet concepts of Starry put the TRADOC staff and com- write the doctrine—there was to be no mass, momentum and continuous mandants to work on revising FM 100- ivory tower for the doctrine writers. land combat. Using this new doctrinal 5. He coupled this operational concept Starry created the position of deputy approach, U.S. Army Europe now was with Army 86 changes to the heavy di- chief of staff for doctrine and put in that able to form an approach to combat at vision and the corps. These changes position a perfect fit, BG Don Morelli, the tactical level of war, which offered encompassed the addition of five new whose job it was to develop TRADOC’s a reasonable potential for success. major weapons systems that would be concepts and then to “ride herd” on the When DePuy retired in 1977, Starry critical to what became the AirLand schoolhouses and Fort Leavenworth, —having spent 16 months as the com- Battle doctrine, which was well laid Kan., where the doctrine would be mander of V Corps in Europe, where out in the 1982 version of FM 100-5. written and taught. Starry would say he followed the essence of Active De- Starry got the Army leadership and that “doctrine is what you teach.” he Army never goes to war without to get this responsibility but lost out to the quality of leadership and the Tthe other services, particularly the parochial interests on the part of the courage of our soldiers. It is also quite U.S. Air Force. Hence, Starry engaged Joint Staff. Even today, the Joint Staff is clear that the side that thinks it will his counterpart at the then-Tactical Air reluctant to provide this authority to win, usually does.” Command, Gen. Wilbur L. Creech, in a the current counterpart to REDCOM, On more than one occasion when number of initiatives to seek the best Joint Forces Command. Starry gave a talk on leadership or dis- possible agreements for offensive air Press On! has a wealth of information cussed values, he used four Cs to ex- support, battlefield air interdiction, for those who want to understand bet- press his personal views. These were suppression of enemy air defenses and ter how to build and train an army.