2012 ARMY STRATEGIC PLANNING GUIDANCE Page 1
2012 ARMY STRATEGIC PLANNING GUIDANCE
Foreword
The Army is at a turning point. Over the past decade, the Army has focused its resources and
processes on fighting two wars, both of which developed into counterinsurgency and stability
operations. We adopted the Army Force Generation model, changed Brigade Combat Team
structure, refocused training, modified processes, purchased equipment and de-prioritized non-
essential capabilities and missions to accomplish these critical tasks. While many of these
changes were difficult, they were essential to accomplishing our mission while taking care of
Soldiers and Families.
Now, however, with the end of the war in Iraq and our plans for transition in Afghanistan, the
President has asked the Army, along with the rest of the Department of Defense, to focus on
fulfilling a broader range of missions and to do so while reducing defense spending.
The development of the Army Program for Fiscal Years 2014 -18 is a key step in the process of
refocusing the Army. The 2012 Army Strategic Planning Guidance (ASPG), Section I of The
Army Plan (TAP), is our initial guidance for adapting the Army Program to meet new
Department of Defense priorities, as defined by the Department’s new guidance, Sustaining U.S.
Global Leadership: Priorities for 21st Century Defense, and the Defense Planning Guidance for
Fiscal Years 2014-18. As Section I of TAP, the ASPG is the foundation for strategic planning,
priorities, and programming guidance to ensure Army resources are appropriately linked to
strategy and will be the guide for evaluating the Army Program.
The Army must transform itself from a force that focuses on counterinsurgency operations to an
Army that is operationally adaptable, able to meet the range of Combatant Commander
requirements as part of the Joint Force, including counterterrorism and irregular warfare;
deterring and defeating aggression; projecting power despite anti-access/area denial challenges;
countering weapons of mass destruction; operating effectively in cyberspace and in space;
maintaining a safe, secure and effective nuclear deterrent; defending the homeland and providing
support to civil authorities; providing a stabilizing presence; conducting stability and
counterinsurgency operations; and conducting humanitarian, disaster relief and other operations.
The breadth of missions the Army must fulfill requires changing priorities in the way we man,
train, organize and equip the Army to ensure it is an agile, responsive, tailorable force capable of
responding to any mission, anywhere, anytime. While not every Soldier will be trained for all
missions, the Army as a whole will be trained to and capable of accomplishing all the missions
with which it may be tasked. To do this the Army must re-invigorate capabilities that have
declined, develop new capabilities for the changing world and adapt processes to reflect the
broader range of requirements. This will require leveraging the capacity and capabilities of the
