Building Readiness And Providing Responsive Landpower

As we approach what promises to be a pivotal 2014, U.S. Army Forces Command (FORSCOM) remains focused on its overarching responsibility to build readiness in active, Army National Guard (ARNG) and U.S. Army Reserve (USAR) units while executing its role as the Army's force provider of conventional landpower capabilities to the combatant commands. Partnered with the other Army commands, the National Guard Bureau, U.S. Army Reserve Command, Army service component commands (ASCC) and direct reporting units, FORSCOM used the power of a dedicated, high-performing team to accomplish every 2013 mission in an environment marked by extraordinary complexity and fiscal uncertainty. These strong partnerships connect the operational Army to the institutional and industrial Army in order to improve readiness and increase fiscal stewardship. This is essential to drive readiness systems to support the Army's core operating process: force generation.

For four decades, FORSCOM has delivered formations for employment by theater commanders or combatant commanders in lean and healthy resource climates, and we will lead this effort into the next decade. Throughout this cyclical process, our enduring priority is to fully resource every deploying formation and those with missions requiring prepare-to-deploy orders. Our uncompromising readiness standard is to resource and train to the level necessary for the mission. Consistent with that immutable standard, during the past year FORSCOM prepared and deployed a corps headquarters, three division headquarters and a division tactical command post; 45 brigade-size active, ARNG and USAR formations; and almost 2,000 active, ARNG and USAR functional and multifunctional capabilities organized at the battalion level and below. The Army continues to provide the capabilities required by combatant commanders to meet the full range of landpower missions with our globally responsive, regionally engaged force.

Our success in deploying combatready units is a function of the rigorous, realistic and innovative training conducted both at home station/annual training sites and during postmobilization training. All brigade combat teams (BCT)-active and ARNG-deploying to Afghanistan, and select BCTs deploying for critical missions in the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) area of operations, conduct mission rehearsals at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif., or the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, La. Our combat training centers offer an optimally resourced training environment that is tailorable and scalable to commanders' training objectives, with robust integration of combined arms and joint, interagency, intergovernmental and multinational enablers. Several of our exercises this year exemplified the precision effects achieved through interoperable special operations and conventional forces, replicating our historic combat successes of the past decade. BCTs and supporting active component and reserve component capabilities undergoing this training face a highly capable opposing force-a near-peer competitor executing major combat operations across the full range of problem sets: anti-access capabilities, offensive cyber electromagnetic activities and weapons of mass destruction. This approach to collective training, coupled with the combat training centers' fully integrated capabilities, prepares our units to deploy and dominate across the globe in dynamic, complex and unpredictable environments.

FORSCOM commanders set conditions for success by using Mission Command to master combat fundamentals at home station and by adhering to doctrinal training and leader development principles. Effective unit training and leader development flourish where command climate is built on trust and discipline, efficient maintenance of vehicles and weapons, smart risk management, and living our Army values. This integrated approach delivers disciplined, trained and ready forces capable of skillfully executing unified land operations anywhere in the world.

This year proved formative in our preparation of decisive action-capable, regionally aligned units with an expeditionary mind-set, mission-tailored and responsive to combatant commander needs. These qualities proved effective in hundreds of security cooperation activities when allocated or regionally aligned to combatant commanders. Regionally aligned forces (RAF) complement the DoD global force management and allocation process and provide responsive, mission- ready Army units and capabilities to the geographic combatant commanders. RAF provide the means for FORSCOM, as the Secretary of the Army's service force provider for conventional forces, to align corps and division headquarters and brigade-size formations to geographic combatant commands' ASCC for planning, coordination and employment. Organizations aligned in this manner are trained and validated for unified land operations. They also conduct region-focused training and assume their regional alignment mission in support of their specific combatant commands. Units aligned to a specific combatant command are considered first to source requests for forces from the combatant command with whom they are aligned. This strategy enables FORSCOM units to be regionally focused and responsive to the combatant commanders, while retaining the agility our National Command Authority requires to respond to emerging operational requirements around the world.

This past year's experience with the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan., aligned to U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), exemplified the strength of regionally aligned forces in support of combatant commanders. This BCT will execute close to 100 security cooperation tasks and activities in 34 African nations in support of the commander of AFRICOM. These missions range from battalion-level support to Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa in the Republic of Djibouti; participation in major joint, combined and multilateral exercises such as Western Accord 2013 in Ghana; and platoonlevel training with Ugandan military police. Other AFRICOM requirements called for capabilities organized below the platoon level in locations throughout the African continent. Our leaders and units exemplified the Army's responsiveness to these vital national security missions and the agility to deliver precision effects across a broad range of missions.

Another example of how RAF enhance FORSCOM's support to the combatant commanders involved 1st Armored Division deploying its tactical command post to Jordan this year in support of CENTCOM's Exercise Eager Lion. This joint multinational exercise is designed to strengthen military-to-military relationships and enhance regional security and stability. The 1st Armored Division headquarters and other FORSCOM units and capabilities participating in Eager Lion focused on coalition Mission Command, integrated air and missile defense, humanitarian assistance, and disaster relief. This training demonstrates many of our Army's strengths and capabilities, while highlighting challenges associated with combined operations. One of the most significant challenges is information sharing between allies.

To facilitate information sharing, the 1st Armored Division HQ established a viable coalition network, employed systems for reach-back to Fort Bliss, Texas, and other continental U.S.-based capabilities for warfighting function support, and demonstrated the power of the regionally aligned force initiative. Alignment with CENTCOM enabled the division headquarters to prepare effectively for exercises and contingency operations through focused training on subjects such as language, culture, geography, and regional governments and militaries.

As our Army matures our RAF concept, FORSCOM will sustain responsive support to our combatant commanders. This year, the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas, assumes the European Response Force/NATO Response Force (ERF/NRF) mission. While responsive to operational contingencies, a battalion task force and a brigade command-and-control element will participate in two 60-day joint and combined exercises. These BCT elements will deploy to Europe and draw their major combat systems from the European activity set, specifically established to support the ERF/NRF, including M-1 tanks and M-2 infantry fighting vehicles.

FORSCOM units will remain responsive to requirements across U.S. European Command's area of responsibility, providing a brigade-size, multicomponent force to the Kosovo Force mission in the Balkans.

In response to the nation's strategic rebalance to the Pacific, FORSCOM organizations and units provide landpower capabilities in support of U.S. Pacific Command's (PACOM) theater security cooperation activities. I Corps, assigned to PACOM and headquartered at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., provides a combined/joint task force-capable headquarters. Following redeployment from Afghanistan, the corps participated in Talisman Saber 2013, a biennial combined Australian and U.S. training exercise focused on combined task force operations to improve combat readiness and interoperability with a Pacific ally. Talisman Saber provided the training venue to certify I Corps as a combined force land component command supporting the PACOM commander. Throughout this past year, 90 FORSCOM, ARNG and USAR units participated in 16 PACOM- sponsored joint, bilateral and combined exercises.

In U.S. Southern Command, we support the combatant commander's joint and combined exercise program and provide military police and other capabilities to the Guantanamo Bay detention camp. FORSCOM continues to deploy capabilities to Joint Task Force Bravo at Soto Cano Air Base, Honduras. The joint task force's mission includes multilateral exercises, counter-narco-terrorism, humanitarian assistance/disaster relief, and building partner nation capacities to promote regional cooperation and security in the Caribbean, Central America and South America.

The 48th BCT, Georgia ARNG, is our first reserve component unit aligned under the RAF concept. The 48th BCT, along with capabilities from other Georgia ARNG units, is supporting U.S. Southern Command's theater engagement plan while obtaining experience operating in the region. The lessons learned from this first ARNG RAF alignment will provide the baseline from which we can improve execution across the total force.

During the past year within the continental United States, FORSCOM provided vital capabilities in support of U.S. Northern Command's homeland defense and Defense Support of Civil Authorities mission. An example is 4th Infantry Division's support of firefighting efforts in the West. Headquartered at Fort Carson, Colo., the division provided aviation and other capabilities during the destructive Black Forest wildfire. This fiscal year, FORSCOM is enhancing the responsiveness of our support to U.S. Northern Command with a quick reaction force of three battalions and a brigade-size headquarters.

In recognition of the escalating cyber threat, FORSCOM completed substantive actions to facilitate Mission Command in units. At FORSCOM headquarters, we established a G-39 division, published guidance on the commander's program to manage cyber risk and resourced cybersecurity assistance teams to address technical challenges our units face from the rising cyber threat. Our combat training centers use 1st Information Operations Command's World Class Cyber Opposing Force to assess unit readiness against cyber attacks. Our combat training center experiences demonstrate the essential role of enhanced home station training, including a train-the-trainer cyber opposing force capability. Increased focus on well-resourced cyber and electromagnetic training activities at home station will continue to enhance Mission Command.

In fiscal year 2014, FORSCOM will enhance the Army's responsive warfighting capabilities. Our Mission Command alignment from corps to brigade level will increase commander- to-commander interface for training and readiness, mentoring, coaching, and leader development. It will enhance staff-to-staffeffectiveness by enabling sustained functional focus and expertise sharing. Corps commanders will serve a central role in leader development, administrative oversight, staffing, equipping, command supply discipline, and training integration and synchronization in preparing units for mission alignments. Concurrently, we will work across FORSCOM and supporting commands to achieve total force integrated training. We will gain efficiencies through centralized coordination of training facilities and enablers, and we will match component capabilities to unit training requirements. In doing so, we will focus on delivering improved combat readiness and leader development across all components. In a constrained resource environment, we will achieve integrated synergy and readiness within our resource capacity.

We will implement the Secretary of the Army's total force policy throughout the command, including support to the ARNG and USAR during predeployment collective training of tactical-level organizations. FORSCOM principally executes this training support through First Army, headquartered at Rock Island Arsenal, Ill.

The officers, NCOs and soldiers of First Army's two major subordinate commands-Division East, headquartered at Fort Meade, Md., and Division West, headquartered at Fort Hood, Texas-are on the ground with the ARNG and USAR during premobilization and support realistic and mission-focused postmobilization training. Last year, 47,000 ARNG and USAR soldiers mobilized, completed their unit training at one of five mobilization training centers, and deployed to support operations around the world. For fiscal year 2014, First Army is prepared to mobilize and train up to 38,000 soldiers, although the number could be lower depending on the combatant commanders' demand for landpower capabilities. With 71 percent of multifunctional support brigades and 74 percent of functional support brigades in the ARNG and USAR, we will continue to train and fight as America's Army.

This year, we will implement the Army force structure adjustments the Chief of Staffof the Army announced in June. Though slated for completion by 2017, we will posture our force to support an accelerated pace as directed. Accordingly, we will adjust our readiness processes and amend our training and resource strategy. The addition of a third maneuver battalion, increased engineer and cannon artillery, and changes to support and sustainment capabilities in BCTs, along with changes to echelons above BCT support and sustainment capabilities or structure, will affect how we train and the training facilities and enablers required.

Not since World War II has active, ARNG and USAR training achieved the level of integration we enjoy today. Nevertheless, we continue to improve. We are faced with recurring challenges that require us to adapt to changing fiscal, force structure and global environments while providing optimal readiness for our nation. FORSCOM's civilians and active, ARNG and USAR soldiers remain a formidable team that will meet every mission the nation requires with dominant capabilities and decisive leadership.

SGT Amanda Olmeda with the 1st Brigade Combat Team (BCT), 101st Airborne Division, provides security from an observation tower on Forward Operating Base Fenty, Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan. U.S. Army Forces Command is responsible for building Army readiness and provides forces to the combatant commands.

SPC Eric Palm, Squad Automatic Weapon gunner with the 2nd BCT, 1st Armored Division, defends his position after a cordon and search of Palmiyah Village, part of the training area at Fort Bliss, Texas.

Returning from a deployment in Afghanistan, a soldier from 3rd BCT ("Rakkasans"), 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), embraces his daughter during a welcome home ceremony at Fort Campbell Army Airfield, Ky.

An M1151 enhanced armament carrier from the 9th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas, moves out during a training exercise at the National Training Center, Fort Irwin, Calif. BCTs deploying to Afghanistan conduct mission rehearsals at the National Training Center or the Joint Readiness Training Center, Fort Polk, La.

Soldiers from the 2nd BCT, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), rappel at Fort Campbell's Sabalauski Air Assault School. The school offers a 10-day course that qualifies soldiers for several missions, including airassault helicopter operations, sling-load missions, and fast roping and rappelling.

SGT Nichole D. Sharp, a military police officer with the 3rd Infantry Division, and Hatos, a military working dog, conduct a security assessment in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan.

By GEN Daniel B. Allyn

Commanding General, U.S. Army Forces Command

GEN Daniel B. Allyn assumed command of U.S. Army Forces Command in May. Previously, he was commanding general, XVIII Airborne Corps and Fort Bragg, N.C. He was also chief of staff, Multinational Corps-Iraq, and commanding general of Combined Joint Task Force-1 and Regional Command East, Afghanistan. In addition, GEN Allyn has served in Korea, Grenada, the Sinai Peninsula, Panama and Saudi Arabia. He is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy; the Infantry Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, Fort Benning, Ga.; the U.S. Army Command and General StaffCollege, Fort Leavenworth, Kan.; and the U.S. Naval War College, Newport, R.I., where he earned a master's degree in national security and strategic studies.