Soldiers in action at home and abroad

U. S. Army Forces Command:

U.S. Army Forces Command (FORSCOM) celebrated an important birthday on July 1, 2003, marking three decades of service to the nation. It was in 1973, as the Army began to adopt the changes necessary to create a professional volunteer force, that the Army reorganized its major headquarters in Operation Steadfast. FORSCOM and U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) replaced the Continental Army Command (CONARC) and brought to the force novel approaches to training and readiness. Throughout the 30 years since, the terrific expertise and remarkable commitment to duty demonstrated by FORSCOM soldiers and units have enabled the Army to respond to the nation's need for military forces for the beginning of the third year of the global war on terrorism.

FORSCOM's 30th year was marked by the most intense and complex set of tasks ever accomplished by this headquarters. FORSCOM deployed more than 250,000 active and reserve component soldiers to support Operations Noble Eagle, Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom and numerous other missions, both stateside and overseas. The command simultaneously transformed forces and processes, and maintained trained and ready soldiers and units fully capable of executing a variety of potential contingency operations.

FORSCOM's success is due to its long experience as the Army's premier force provider and trainer. As the Army Service Component Command of U.S. Joint Forces Command (JFCOM), FORSCOM provides Army forces for combatant commanders while working closely with joint leaders to gather lessons learned about mobilization and training to transform the Army for future deployments. In support of the newly formed U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM), FORSCOM serves as Army North (AR-NORTH) and Joint Forces Land Component Command (JFLCC), prepared to respond to threats within the continental United States. Exercises with each combatant command continue to highlight FORSCOM's important role in ensuring the strategic responsiveness of Army forces at every level of the warfighting spectrum.

Readiness remains FORSCOM's constant imperative. The recent combat successes of major FORSCOM formations overseas and the alert execution of homeland defense duties at home validates the rigorous training practiced daily throughout FORSCOM. At this moment, FORSCOM soldiers are advancing the proud record of success achieved by earlier generations of American fighting men and women. In the tradition of the Army's 228 years of service, FORSCOM units stand "on point" for the nation in the Balkans, Kuwait, Iraq, Afghanistan, the Sinai, Central and South America and throughout the continental United States.

A significant share of soldiers fighting terrorism is from the reserve components. Having conducted the largest mobilization of Army Reserve and National Guard forces since the Korean War, FORSCOM units demonstrated the seamless partnership that exists between active and reserve components. Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, more than 180,000 reserve component soldiers mobilized for active federal service to join 115,000 active duty soldiers who were also deployed in operations supporting America's fight against terror.

Many of these soldiers deployed close to home. More than 25,000 soldiers mobilized for Operation Noble Eagle to fulfill force protection requirements. FOKSCOM troops protected military installations, airports, power plants, dams, bridges and rail and harbor facilities, and staffed emergency operations centers. Some soldiers provided expertise to assist civilian law enforcement agencies during national special security events such as Super Bowl XXXVII in San Diego, Calif. In the national capitol region, air defense artillery forces provided short-range air defense over critical areas, and in Cuba, about 3,000 troops accomplished the important mission of securing detention facilities at Guantanamo Bay. Elsewhere, more than 8,000 additional Army National Guard soldiers met Air Force security requirements while others supplied military support to civil authorities in response to natural disasters.

In addition to manpower, FORSCOM's know-how regarding homeland defense was called upon throughout the Department of Defense. In close coordination with Northern Command, FORSCOM worked to enhance various states' ability to respond to unconventional attacks. FORSCOM helped field, train and certify 32 civil support teams that provide chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or high-yield explosive consequence management capabilities. Collectively, the certified teams have performed about 900 operational missions since September 11, 2001.

Furthermore, FORSCOM experts conducted seven homeland defense mobile training team courses for audiences from Alaskan Command, Fifth U.S. Army, U.S. Pacific Command, U.S. Southern Command, Joint Task Force Civil Support, First U.S. Army, and Commander, Atlantic Fleet, producing 846 graduates. FORSCOM's homeland defense staff also conducted eight courses at the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA's) Mount Weather Emergency Operations Center in Virginia, graduating a total of 450 personnel from agencies across the federal government.

Safeguarding Americans at home also requires taking the fight to our nation's enemies. To wage Operation Enduring Freedom, FORSCOM deployed active and reserve component soldiers to Afghanistan to destroy terrorist allies of the former Taliban regime. Fighting and working under austere conditions, FORSCOM units continue to perform impressive feats of military prowess and physical endurance. FORSCOM units are now executing stability and support operations to ensure that secure conditions will allow the operation of a functioning society. A major mission to contribute to the safety of civilians and an important step towards returning independence and freedom to the Afghan people is the FORSCOM mission to train a new Afghan national army.

Simultaneous with its major role in America's war against terrorists in Afghanistan, FORSCOM mobilized nearly 150,000 Army National Guard and Army Reserve soldiers in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. By the onset of hostilities in mid-March, FORSCOM had prepared for transport 13,000 short tons by air, 545,000 metric tons of equipment by ship and deployed more than 67,000 soldiers to Kuwait. Then, under severe weather conditions and against fanatical enemy irregular forces, FORSCOM troops raced more than 250 miles through complex terrain and stiff enemy resistance to free the Iraqi people and remove their tyrannical government. Supporting soldiers from every branch and discipline in the Army-including supply, ordnance, maintenance, medical and transport-accompanied and sustained the combat units every mile of the way. And, as active hostilities subsided, Army forces continued to flow into Iraq to conduct stability and support operations. These operations continue today even as FORSCOM advances training and readiness on other fronts.

Although deeply involved in the mobilization and deployment of forces to wage the war against terrorism, FORSCOM supported the joint training and theater engagement strategies of the combatant commanders. FORSCOM will have participated in 44 Joint Chiefs of Staff exercises during fiscal year 2003 with units ranging in echelons from company to brigade. FORSCOM leaders understand that they must prepare for the future to retain our Army's decisive advantage over every enemy in a changing strategic environment. At all echelons, our soldiers and civilians are applying their professional knowledge to ensure that FORSCOM units will be able to dominate any opponent in increasingly varied and unique situations.

To ensure that the Army retains its dominance over any opponent across the full spectrum of combat operations, in October 1999 the former Chief of Staff of the Army, Gen. Eric K. Shinseki, initiated a Transformation Campaign Plan, which included the fielding of a force consisting of the Stryker brigade combat teams (SBCTs). These brigades provide immediate near-term technological solutions and inform the Army on the achievement of a final future force that will fully meet the challenges of the evolving strategic environment. This spring the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, stationed at Fort Lewis, Wash., completed reorganization, training and extensive testing as the Army's first SBCT.

At the National Training Center (NTC) in March and April, a field training exercise enabled the brigade to integrate heavy forces and to train against a world-class opposing force in a desert scenario so that commanders could assess the unit in a mid-to-high intensity operational environment. During the brigade's subsequent deployment exercise (DEPLOYEX) to the NTC and Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC), at Fort Polk, La., in May, FORSCOM leaders evaluated the early-entry ability of the SBCT by exercising both strategic and tactical transport. Hence the DEPLOYEX included sea, air and ground movement of the brigade from home station to evaluation sites and integrated transport into the exercise's tactical situations.

A final JRTC evaluation in May constituted a capstone training event to assess the SBCT's ability to conduct combat operations against conventional and unconventional foes in complex and urban terrain. During each event the brigade performed superbly. Opposing forces were impressed by the Stryker vehicles' speed, stealth and agility. Rapid, informed decisions became commonplace due to the robust situational awareness possessed by the SBCT's tactical commanders.

The Army is using its experience with this first SBCT to inform the fielding of subsequent Stryker brigades and is already applying lessons learned towards the design of the future force, which will erase the distinctions of today's light and heavy forces in favor of a full spectrum, rapidly deployable campaign quality force enabled by emerging technology. The modularity and scalability of FORSCOM's future force formations will provide an unprecedented degree of flexibility and adaptability to the joint force commander-providing the right force at the right time for decisive outcomes.

In addition to the major efforts under way in FORSCOM to deploy and fight in support of the nation's war against terrorism while also transforming the force, FORSCOM leaders have aggressively pursued the highest levels of training readiness. This year has witnessed several successes.

FORSCOM's command readiness program (CRP) provides a process through which active, Army National Guard and Army Reserve leaders meet to ensure their units keep pace with the significant demands placed on them by the evolving international security environment. Adjutant generals from all 50 states and the U.S. territories, Army Reserve commanders, National Guard leaders and FORSCOM staff principals meet annually to agree on measurable action plans to transform reserve component training and readiness. An important outcome of the CRPs is that commanders identify and evaluate legislative and policy changes needed to enhance readiness; these changes become part of an overall campaign to eliminate barriers to integration and readiness.

FORSCOM draws on balanced partnerships among active duty corps, numbered armies in the continental U.S. armies and reserve component chains of command to support the unique training requirements of reserve component units. The corps develop battle-focused training guidance and mutually supporting active and reserve component unit alignments while the continental U.S. armies provide training and readiness oversight and training support-all executed in close coordination with the reserve component chains of command. These partnerships reflect the best use of assets in training the reserve component force to support the nation's capabilities-based strategy and improve joint/combined warfighting capabilities.

Assessing readiness and training is important to FORSCOM leaders. The strategic readiness system (SRS) is a new predictive readiness measurement tool that provides Army leadership with accurate, objective and actionable readiness information to dramatically enhance resource management toward one end-strategic and operational readiness to defend the United States. SRS markedly improves how commanders measure readiness. It gathers timely information with precision and expands the scope of the data considered. FORSCOM is further developing this system to leverage leading indicators and predict trends-confronting emerging trends that affect readiness before they become problems, not only in terms of weapons platforms and training, but also the well-being of people.

FORSCOM leaders are committed to caring for soldiers and their families. They know that the most important component of readiness is individual physical, mental and spiritual health. Family readiness groups remain a linchpin of FORSCOM deployment readiness and receive command emphasis at both active and reserve component home stations and local communities. Recently, FORSCOM conducted a successful pilot program that integrates marital education material and synchronizes it with key family support agencies in a positive preventive platform to strengthen individual and couple well-being. Regular FORSCOM Army family action plan conferences resulted in the identification and resolution of issues, such as instate college tuition for soldiers and family members. FORSCOM well-being initiatives also include support of the eArmyU program that enables soldiers to complete college degree requirements, and promotion of procedures to resolve issues that arise between employers and reserve component soldiers and their families during mobilizations.

Safety is a command priority in every organization within FORSCOM. Every leader-in fact, every soldier and civilian-is empowered to intervene to stop at-risk behavior. The newly published FORSCOM risk reduction program applies a series of indicators to assist commanders in identifying at-risk soldiers. This year, the FORSCOM command sergeant major initiated the S.T.O.P.P. (stop, think, observe, plan, proceed) program, which is aimed at junior leaders, training them to recognize and stop unhealthy and destructive behaviors in their peers and younger soldiers.

Each quarter, all FORSCOM army, corps, division, and separate brigade commanders and sergeants major meet with the FORSCOM commanding general and command sergeant major to discuss safety and risk management. This open forum is an excellent opportunity for reemphasizing the critical importance of integrating safety into all operations. During the meeting, subordinate commanders present recent case studies of accidents and analyze where failures occurred. Commanders also receive the FORSCOM quarterly risk assessment for the upcoming quarter, which identifies the most dangerous risks for that period and establishes control measures and tools to reduce risks to protect soldiers.

As recent and ongoing operations have shown, the American soldier remains the nation's most lethal, enduring and responsive weapon to dominate enemy centers of gravity on the ground-where people live, work and govern. Every day FORSCOM leaders train and prepare to maintain their soldiers' excellence at combat task number one: closing with and destroying the enemy. FORSCOM units provide a full range of capabilities to our nation's leaders. They can execute a forcible entry from air or by land, conduct sustained operations over long distances and in complex terrain, and provide logistical and humanitarian support.

Wherever FORSCOM soldiers and units deploy, they accomplish their mission. In the coming year, as they have demonstrated so courageously in the recent past, FORSCOM's soldiers will continue to dominate every enemy at every point on the spectrum of operations, defending our nation wherever and whenever America calls.

Our soldiers are ... Freedom's Guardians!

By Gen. Larry R. Ellis

Commanding General,

U.S. Army Forces Command

GEN. LARRY R. ELLIS assumed command of U.S. Army forces Command on November 19, 2001, following his assignment as the deputy chief of staff for operations and plans, Department of the Army. With more than 32 years of Army service, Gen. Ellis has served in the United States, Vietnam, Germany, the Republic of Korea, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. His command assignments include 1st Armored Division, Germany; Multinational Division (North), Bosnia and Herzegovina; assistant division commander, 2nd Infantry Division, Korea; brigade commander, 3rd Infantry Division, Germany; battalion commander, 5th Infantry Division, Fort Polk, La.; company commander, 101st Airborne Division, Vietnam; and 82d Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C. His staff assignments include deputy chief of staff for operations and plans; assistant deputy chief of staff for personnel, Headquarters, Department of the Army; assistant chief of staff, C3/J3/G3, U.N. Command/Combined Forces Command/U.S. Forces Korea/ Eighth U.S. Army, Korea; deputy director for strategic planning and policy, Headquarters, U.S. Pacific Command, Hawaii; deputy director, military personnel management, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel, Headquarters, Department of the Army; force structure analyst and chief, manpower and force structure division, Program Analysis and Evaluation Directorate, Office of Chief of Staff, Headquarters, Department of the Army; staff officer, Headquarter, U.S. Army Europe, Germany; staff and faculty, U.S. Military Academy, West Point; battalion staff officer, 101st Airborne Division, Vietnam; and battalion operations officer, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C. Gen. Ellis holds a master's degree from Indiana University.

Copyright Association of the United States Army Oct 2003
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