Army officer personnel management and trends in warfighting

This study relates recent changes in the focus of the United States Army in the aftermath of the Cold War to the structural change embodied in the new Officer Personnel Management System (OPMS XXI). Of interest is the connect ion between the organizational orientation and structural systems. I argue that the relationship is a mutual causality loop, where each variable simul taneously reinforces the other. OPMS XXI arranges senior officers in career fields in which they specialize in institutionalized support. This necessa rily involves a focus on areas other than warfighting for much of the offic er corps. In the years since the end of the Cold War, the US Army has been actively engaged in numerous operations other than war. The reduced focus o n warfighting in the recent operational environment allowed for the current change in personnel management. This change, especially since it involves the officer corps, which has a strong influence on military culture, may re inforce the non-warfighting focus.