The Army we know today does not look anything like the Continental Army established June 14, 1775, nor will the Army of tomorrow look anything like it does today. The events of 9/11 marked the beginning of a new era, requiring not only the change of a nation, but also a complete transformation of the United States Army. The necessity for change within the United States Army covers a broad spectrum including: changes in doctrine and training to better equip soldiers for combat operations; improved healthcare for soldiers and their family members; changes in policy and procedures to better suit to the needs of the Army; and the development of new and improved fighting techniques and tactics. Although implementing change is always necessary for improvement, it is not always successful in meeting that goal, and an analysis of the results needs to be fair and judged appropriately.
In October 2010, the Army began taking full advantage of information technology and the distance-learning environment by implementing its own e-learning courseware, which the Army has dubbed, the Structured Self Development (SSD) courses. The SSD courses require that every soldier complete a significant amount of coursework before each resident phase of every level of the Noncommissioned Officer Education System (NCOES). Advocates believe that mandating the completion of these courses not only show’s soldiers that continuing education is important, but it help’s encourage soldiers to seek further self-development, far beyond what the Army demands. In his article titled NCOES Transforms to Meet Army’s Needs, William Ulibarri writes, “When leaders establish the expectation for their Soldiers to engage in post-secondary education or other types of education, Soldiers will recognize their Army values lifelong learning.” (Ulibarri 2) In addition to motivating soldiers to pursue higher learning, SSD