In the "New" Army, Airborne will Still Lead the Way: Moving at
ground-breaking speed, Army leaders are engineering the Brigade
Combat Teams at Fort Lewis, Wash., to be thrown into a fight
and survive without support from heavy forces. But despite its
versatility, the future fighting force may never leave the
staging area unless paratroopers open the door. Chief of Staff
Gen. Eric Shinseki's vision of blending the deployablity of
light forces with the staying power of heavy outfits is sure to
change the Army like never before. But students of ground
warfare say it will be some time before the Army outgrows the
need for airborne units. "My opinion of what the chief wants to
do is ... it's exactly on target," said retired Gen. Carl
Ernst, former commanding general for the Army's Infantry
Center. "Anything that will lighten the Army and raise its
technological advantage is a good thing. "We still have to have
the capability for a forcible-entry situation -- that is a
hostile environment where we are not invited."
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