Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Veterans Community Alliance of Louisville’s Resource Guide

 

Robert P. Givens has built a solid career in the area of national security. As president of RPG Consulting, he uses his leadership and problem solving skills to coach clients on strategic planning and alternative futures. A Kentucky resident and veteran, Robert P. Givens is also a member of the Veterans Community Alliance of Louisville.

One of the services offered by the Veterans Community Alliance of Louisville (VCAL) is an extensive community resource guide made to assist veterans and their families. By providing an integrated support network of community members, businesses and services, initiatives, and organizations, VCAL hopes to make Louisville a welcoming place for veterans, ensuring they return to an optimal quality of life.

The community resource guide provides lists and contact information of organizations that provide services such as benefits assistance, employment, legal assistance, and housing. This effort also educates Louisville citizens on how best to help veterans, and gives veterans a better handle on their daily needs upon returning home and throughout their lives.

Thursday, June 2, 2016

The Importance of Airpower in Germany’s WWII Defeat


Currently responsible for business and strategic planning with RPG Consulting, Robert P. Givens previously served in the U.S. Air Force as general officer of Air Combat Command at Langley Air Force Base. Robert P. Givens is an avid reader of nonfiction and particularly enjoys historical works focused on the American War of Independence and modern airpower.

Air attack capabilities came to the fore in World War Two, when Allied air campaigns played a vital role in the defeat of the Germans in the West European Theater. In 1945, just following the end of World War Two, the United States Strategic Bombing Survey (USSBS) sought to better understand this role by taking an in-depth look at the effects of RAF and U.S. bombing in the Nazi regime’s defeat.

The conclusion was that at sea, airpower worked in tandem with naval forces to disrupt U-boats, which posed the largest threat to the Allies’ transport of needed supplies and forces. Bombing also set the stage for successful ground incursions through achieving destruction of strategic targets well inside enemy territory.

From February, 1942 on, bombing sorties focused on draining the enemy’s civil population of its morale. This directive went well beyond the normal targeting of submarine building yards, aircraft facilities, and transportation links, and included the targeting of large civilian areas. Whatever the human costs, the RAF & USAAF’s Combined Bomber Offensive did ultimately attain its aim of decimating German industrial capacities and ending a protracted war.

Thursday, April 21, 2016

The First Gulf War's Battle of Khafji


Robert P. Givens serves as president of RPG Consulting, LLC, a firm he founded. Formerly a pilot and brigadier general in the US Air Force, Robert P. Givens flew an A-10 during the First Gulf War, during which he kept an entire Iraqi armored battalion at bay during the Battle of Khafji.

Occurring on the border of Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, the Battle of Khafji was the only major Iraqi organized offensive of the war. Details are not clear, but the attack seemed designed to draw American and allied forces into combat, tying up troops meant for deployment farther west. Saddam Hussein may have wanted to weaken the coalition and keep some of his troops in Kuwait.

The main part of the battle lasted only 48 hours. Allied intelligence observed the combat preparations of the Iraqis and prepared defensive obstacles to slow their momentum. Rather than commit large ground forces, Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf relied on air strikes to stop the Iraqis' advance.

Although some Iraqi ground units reached Khafji, their reinforcements turned back under pressure from air attacks. After two days, the battle ground to a halt as Saudi and Qatari units occupied the town. The successful allied operations indicated that sizable air strikes could neutralize ground troops who lacked air support.

Monday, January 11, 2016

Louisville Cardinals 2015 Winning Football Season in the ACC


As the founder of RPG Consulting, LLC, Robert P. Givens oversees business development and draws upon his military background and training in the Harvard University Senior Executive Fellowship program to provide coaching and instruction services to clientele. Away from his professional endeavors, Robert P. Givens enjoys watching college football, and his favorite team is the University of Louisville Cardinals.

In 2014, the University of Louisville Cardinals entered the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), which presented a new and more challenging schedule. The Cardinals responded to the higher level of competition and finished the year with a record of 9-4. Through the 2015 season, the university maintained a winning season yet again with a record of 7-5, ranking third in the ACC and becoming bowl game eligible.

At quarterback, Lamar Jackson led the team in passing with 1,613 yards and 10 touchdowns. He also tallied the most rushing yards with 734 and scored nine times on his feet. Jamari Staples outperformed all other receivers with 610 yards and three scores.