FORT RUCKER, Ala. (Army News Service, Feb. 10, 2005) -- The U.S. Army Safety Center has transformed to the U.S. Army Combat Readiness Center. The CRC is a knowledge center that "connects the dots" on all information that pertains to the loss of a Soldier... our combat power!

Knowledge is power. This simple truism is echoed in our adoption of Composite Risk Management, because the more you know about the total hazards you face, the more effectively you can manage the risk. Real power comes from sharing actionable knowledge from the top to the bottom of your formation.

CRM recognizes that a loss is a loss -- no matter where it happens -- and every loss degrades combat power. During FY04, our Army lost a Soldier every 32 hours to an accident. FY04 was our worst year for accidental fatalities in the last 10. We are outpacing last year in almost every category of accident.

This clearly is a big challenge for our Army.

Former President Dwight D. Eisenhower said, "if you can't solve a problem, enlarge it."

In our case, enlarging the problem translates to viewing accidental and other losses in a larger context ... ALL Army losses. We are developing the capabilities to take a more holistic look at how and why we are losing Soldiers. To date, no single agency collects, analyzes, and reports such holistic data to allow commanders to apply CRM and reduce or prevent losses. In recognition of this void, the CSA and SECARMY expanded our mission and redesignated us as the Combat Readiness Center on 31 January 2005.

When we look at ALL losses -- accident, combat, medical, and criminal -- the true impact on our readiness emerges: We are losing a Soldier every nine hours. Not only do we lose a precious life and comrade, but we also lose combat power and are required to recruit and train a replacement. This adds to the challenge of an Army at War that is transforming.

This name change signifies our role in enhancing combat readiness and, to be frank, frees us from the negative connotation the word "safety" holds for young Soldiers-those who are at highest risk. We will retain all our core competencies in Safety, but our emphasis on CRM and readiness will increase. This strategy will be effective since all generations understand the importance of a fully functioning unit and strive toward that goal.

What does this mean to you? We are taking a more holistic look at loss and providing you with a greater awareness of its overall impact on readiness. We also are accelerating our reports to you on what we know after a loss occurs. We are gearing up as your knowledge broker and data warehouse. By collecting loss information from disparate sources to distill and pass on, and along with our data mining efforts, we will have the capabilities to report actionable knowledge back to you. Our goal is to be fast, holistic, digital, preventive, and predictive. Knowledge is power, but sharing this knowledge is what makes it actionable and powerful.

We will gather data on all losses, but our primary attention will be on accidental and selected combat situations where the specific cause or reason for the loss is unknown. The Combat Readiness Center will apply its own assets and leverage the capabilities of other relevant organizations to provide you with the trends, lessons learned, applications for TTPs, and tools for your use. Two items of note: We are not throwing the baby out with the bath water-Safety is still a strong component of what we do. We also are collaborating with other organizations to connect the dots, not own them or do their jobs.

Shortly, we will go hot on a new program of quick-turn SITREPs. These Preliminary Loss Reports (PLRs) will contain brief reports on losses and near real-time synopsis of what we know so you are aware of the issue quickly. Whenever possible, we will alert you to trends as well. This service is in its infancy, and I look forward to your feedback as we refine it. We have ambitious plans in the coming weeks and months to look at those things beyond fatalities that lead to lost workdays for both our Soldiers and DA civilians.

We continue to evolve to meet the needs of our transforming Army. When asked "What can you do to enhance readiness?," we want to be there with the knowledge and tools to help. Knowledge IS power ... combat power!

(Editor's note: Brig. Gen. Joe Smith commands what was formerly the Army Safety Center and now the Army Combat Readiness Center at Fort Rucker.)