The Modern Louisiana Maneuvers - US Army Center Of Military History

File 4-2. See also Memorandum for See Distribution,
DACS-LM-ECL, 28 January 1993, sub : Louisiana
Maneuvers Exercise Coordination Conference, signed
by COL Gale Smith, which summarizes the results of
the 12-13 January conference, in LAM TF Files, Box
12, File 6-1. See next Memorandum for Distribution,
from LTC Austin Bell, ECC, 25 January 1993, sub
Louisiana Maneuvers (LAM) Quarterly Update, in
LAM TF Files, Box 1, File 3-4b. Sullivan also conferred
with BG Franks during his 4-5 February 1993
visit to Redstone Arsenal and Fort Rucker, Alabama,
and discussed the revised plan to execute a linked
GHQ exercise in summer 1993. (See Memorandum
for Distribution, DACS-ZAA, 11 February 1993, sub:
Trip to Redstone Arsenal and Fort Rucker, Alabama,
in LAM TF Files, Box 1, File 3-4b, and BG Franks'
Memorandum for Record , 6 February 1993, sub: Trip
to Huntsville, 4 February 1993, in LAM TF Files, Box
1, File 3-3cl.) See also a follow-on LAM Exercise Directorate
memo, 24 February 1993, sub: Initial Planning
Conference, GHQ-X 93, which describes the
agenda for the 3 March conference to plan for the
July-August GHQx, in LAM TF Files, Box 12, File 6-
3. The mission statement is contained in an undated
LAM Task Force briefing package from about this
timeframe. See also John C. Dibert, "General Headquarters
Exercise InSights," Military Review, March­
April 1997, 62. In addition, the Task Force mustered
Concepts Analysis Agency support, and the Director
of the Joint Staff approved Joint Staff support for the
ARSTAF portions of the GHQx.
36 The PW 94 iteration was actually the second
exercise of the MSF It had been tested in PW 93 but
had been kept separate from the main body of the
exercise and did not involve student players. See
Message, Cdr, USACAC, to other TRADOC school
commandants, 161320Z April 1993, sub: Prairie
Warrior 93 Taskings, which sets forth requirements
to develop the MSF for employment in that exercise;
in LAM TF Files, Box 12, File 6-3. See also Memorandum
for Director, LAM TF, from LTC John A. Klevcz,
5 May 1993, sub: Mobile Strike Force Coordination
Conference Trip Report, and Memorandum for BG(P)
Franks from LTC Henry S. Tu ttle, 26 May 1993, sub:
Notes from CSA Visit to Mobile Strike Force, both in
LAM TF Files, Box 1, File 3-3cl. Sullivan saw great
power in the MSF's first efforts, but emphasized his
belief that all commanders must have a common perception
of the situation. Sullivan believed the successes
of AWE 94-07 in April 1994 would invigorate
the MSF play in PW 94. See Sullivan writing in his
sketch book on 24 April 1994 at the NTC, in Sullivan
Papers, Personal Papers, Sketch Books, December
1989-February 1995, Box 1 of 5, Sketchbook #8,
April-December 1994: "I predict it will have a positive
impact on Mobile Strike Force-told Freddy to
send some key folks to stimulate CGSOC [Command
and General Staff Officer Course] students." Dibert,
"General Headquarters Exercise InSights," does not
54
discuss Mobile Strike Force play in PRAIRIE WAR­
RIOR, but it is included in the HQDA exercise directive
for GHQ 94 and did occur. See Memorandum for
See Distribution, from DCSOPS, 15 Nov 1993, sub:
HQDA Directive for Exercise GHQ-94 (U) , Annex F,
pp. 31-32, in Historian's files. Information cited is
unclassified. The concerns DCSOPS had with MSF in
GHQx 95 surfaced in 94, also. In addition, CGSC was
concerned that experimentation in PRAIRIE WAR­
RIOR might contaminate the students' learning experience.
See Interview, Blackwell with Yarrison, 16
October 1996, pp. 35-36, for his reservations.
37 Initial planning, of course, began even before
GHQx 93. See Memorandum for Director, Louisiana
Maneuvers Task Force, 24 June 1993, sub: Louisiana
Maneuvers/GHQ-X94 Planning and Coordination,
from the DAMO-ODO, BG Joseph Kinzer, responding
to Franks' memo of 16 June 1993, same subject.
DCSOPS issued planning guidance in a message,
091 250Z Sep 93, sub: Initial HQDA Planning Guidance
for Exercise General Headquarters 94 (GHQ-94).
Interestingly, GEN Franks responded, as the Deputy
Director of LAM , to LTG Tilelli's message with his own,
151640Z Sep 93, sub: Planning Guidance, providing
nuances on Tilelli's original. See Dibert, "General
Headquarters Exercise Insights," 62-64, for discussions
of the exercise play and the insights. See also
Memorandum for See Distribution, 12 Aug 1994, sub:
General Headquarters Exercise 94 Recommendations
to the Force XXI Board of Directors, signed by LTG
Charles Dominy, the DAS. All documents in LAM TF
Files, Box 12, File 6-5.
38 Letters, Sullivan to Mountcastle, 17 October
1997 and 6 June 1998. See also Letter, Radda to
Yarrison, 18 October 1997, indicating that the simulation
tools for joint DIS were not available as of the
beginning of the GHQxs and that the services and
Joint Staff had tacitly agreed among themselves to let
the Army take the lead in developing DIS so that all
eventually could use it. See, as well, Interview,
Blodgett with Yarrison, 15 August 1996, pp. 19-20.
See also Letter, Valliant to Yarrison, 6 November 1997,
p. 19, on TRANS COM and USAF involvement. Finally,
Sullivan's decision to go slow on early joint involvement
in LAM reflected Peay's advice from February
1992. See Chapter 1, n. 51, above.
39 LAM TF Roundtable, Afternoon Session, 14 May
1996, pp. 124-128. The externally oriented Significant
Activities Reports are in the LAM TF Files, Box
3, file 3-51.
40 Letters, Radda to Yarrison, 18 October 1997,
and Valliant to Yarrison, 6 November 1997, clarify
how this worked out. Senior Executive Service members
are civil service civilian equivalents of general
officers.
41 Interview, BG (Ret.) William We st with
Yarrison, 21 November 1996, p. 20.
42 Interview, Brown with Yarrison, 6 August 1996,
pp. 15-16. Brown relates an instance in which he so
The Modern Louisiana Maneuvers