Military Review English Edition January-February 2017 | Page 110

Background
USARCENT has functioned as the Army service
component command for U.S. Central Command
(USCENTCOM) since 1982.4 Its main headquarters is at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, but a
forward headquarters is also maintained in Kuwait.
USARCENT’s mission is to provide the USCENTCOM
combatant commander with land-power options and
strategic depth, and to set conditions for improved regional security and stability. The command’s efforts help
ensure regional access and develop relationships with
nations in the region.5
During our assignment, USARCENT was coordinating land operations for America’s assistance to Iraq’s
fight against IS. At the time, the command was operating as a joint force land component commander, and
later as a coalition forces land component commander.
It later formed the nucleus of Combined Joint Task
Force–Operation Inherent Resolve, which is currently
responsible for leading the coalition against IS.6
Since World War II, Army historians and MHDs
have deployed in proximity to wartime commands
and operations in order to have the best access to
leaders and documents. MHDs are separately numbered modified-table-of-organization-and-equipment units that consist of an officer and one or two
additional soldiers. They are typically employed at
the theater army, Army service component command, corps, and division levels to “carry out directed
collection of historical material during combat and
contingency operations for later use in writing the
official history. They are trained and equipped to
gather historical documents and materials, conduct
oral interviews, photograph actions and events, and
advise supported units on planning and conducting
historical operations.”7
One lesson of previous military history operations
is that they cannot be conducted remotely. Thus, our
mission necessitated traveling to Kuwait. During our
trip, most of USARCENT’s principal staff were in
Kuwait. This made Kuwait the right place to be because it was where decisions were made and key documents were generated (even though many documents
were digitally stored at Shaw Air Force Base).
For our mission, we reported to USARCENT’s
deputy chief of staff, and we were supported by
the secretary of the general staff. Our physical and
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organizational location, close to the command’s senior
leadership, was ideal because it helped with gaining
access to the staff, resources, and support. Many Army
historians know from experience that other arrangements, such as being under the public affairs office,
typically reduce the effectiveness of history programs.

Historical Collection versus
Records Management
Before continuing, it should be understood that
Army historians do not collect official records, but instead copies. Although CMH is responsible for, “collecting, maintaining, and making historical source materials and publications available to the Army,” it is not an
official records repository, and the documents it holds
are considered copies.8 The same applies to the documents gathered by command historians and MHDs.
ATP 1-20 clearly states, “Historians are not records
managers and do not perform these duties. Historical
documents and materials do not constitute command
or unit official records, although they may include
copies of records.”9 These copies are used to write
official histories, such as the CMH’s U.S. Army in World
War II series (known as “The Green Books”). Today,
the Army’s Records Management and Declassification
Agency is responsible for records management, as
governed by Army Regulation 25-400-2, Army Records
Information Management System.10
Unfortunately, the Army’s operational records management system is broken. The copies of official records
collected by Army historians and MHDs often constitute the only preserved copies of wartime operational
records. Soldiers and veterans use these records to
write official histories, capture lessons learned, and help
substantiate claims for benefits.
The breakdown of the Army’s records management program first became apparent in the aftermath
of the Gulf War (1990–1991), when researchers
investigating unusual illnesses affecting returning soldiers could not locate basic documents listing where
units were located on the battlefield. This breakdown
stems from the disestablishment of the adjutant
general’s office in 1986 and the transfer of proponency for records management to the Headquarters,
Department of the Army, Assistant Chief of Staff for
Information Management and Information Systems
Command (ACSIM). Traditionally, the adjutant
January-February 2017  MILITARY REVIEW