General Calls Poor Post-War Discipline 'Cancerous'

The top commander of US Army forces in Europe sees a growing problem with discipline in Army ranks, saying the lack of accountability for Soldiers with infractions like multiple drunken driving incidents is harmful to a down-sizing Army.

Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling, who recently took charge of U.S. Army Europe, told reporters at an Oct. 5 breakfast meeting in Washington that part of the problem comes from post-deployment indiscretions. But the lack of discipline is also a byproduct of constant pre-deployment training and back-to-back tours in the combat zone.

"There are those in the force that we have a discipline problem. And some of it comes from combat," Hertling said.  "If you allow that to go unnoticed it can be cancerous."

Hertling said he was surprised after he learned Soldiers in his command weren't being disciplined for offenses such as DUIs and has begun an effort to focus on education and mentoring among junior officers and non-commissioned officers.

The Army needs to "relook at what are our professional values and how do we live toward them," Hertling said. "I think the NCOs and the officers know that too."

With 10 years of constant preparation for deployments and year-long stints to Iraq or Afghanistan, commanders were at pains to keep units together and on track for missions overseas so they overlooked "multiple offenses" to meet the demands of forces in the war zone. Now that deployment tempos have slowed, it's time to get back to basics, Hertling said.

"We are an Army whose systems need to be polished -- they've rusted significantly," Hertling said. "We really have to knock some of the rust off and reframe our fundamentals."

And with budgets tight, new missions cropping up and a potential downsizing on the horizon, accountability to the "fundamentals of the profession" is critical, Hertling explained.
 
"It is a small percentage of the force" with discipline problems, he said. "But when you're really truly looking at building a smaller, more professional Army, those are the things you have to address."