Modular Army

Beginning in September 2003, Army Chief of Staff General Peter Schoomaker implemented a radical shift in the U.S. Army from its traditional division-based structure toward a brigade-based modular army. This ongoing transformation of the army resulted in the combined arms brigade combat team (BCT) becoming the centerpiece of army organization. BCTs will be attached to a higher, stand-alone headquarters—a division, corps, or theater army—as part of a formation tailored for operational requirements. BCTs as well as other modular multifunctional support brigades and single functional brigades will be pooled for use as part of expeditionary forces that enhance the flexibility and responsiveness of the army to joint and coalition task forces. This entry discusses the background, implementation, and assessment of the modular army.