Leadership in Force XXI

The infusion of technology into the Army's Force XXI organization creates new leadership challenges for non-commissioned and commissioned officers at all levels. The purpose of this research paper is to answer the question, "Is the Army's current leadership model and leader development doctrine properly addressing the challenges brought about by the transition to Force XXI?" This is not a project focused on command and control of Force XXI organizations -- it is an examination of the leadership challenges created, and how we need to address them. I have used a number of Army Field Manuals and Pamphlets on leadership and Force XXI, books, articles, and reviews of leadership models, previous research on leadership models, and a number of Army web pages to gather the most current information on the subject. Using the descriptions of technologies and organizations already fielded, or still on the drawing board, I have attempted to do some predictive analysis of what the demands of the Force XXI Army will be. Using the vision of what the Army will look like, I assess that the Army is taking some effective steps in employing transformational leadership to help guide organizational change. Melding of the Army's current leadership development models into this more academic model is taking place as part of the six imperatives of Force XXI.