263rd Army and Air Missile Defense Command conducts strategic vision workshop

Photo By Maj. William Duvall | U.S. Army National Guard officers and non-commissioned officers with the 263rd Army and Air Missile Defense Command (AAMDC), South Carolina National Guard, held a Strategic Vision Workshop, Jan. 31 – Feb. 2, 2020, at the Clarks Hill Training Site in Plum Branch, South Carolina. During this conference, leaders revised the vision of the 263rd AAMDC, establishing the focus for the unit’s training, mission, and objectives.  

ANDERSON, SOUTH CAROLINA, UNITED STATES

02.24.2020

Story by Capt. William Duvall 

263rd Army Air Missile Defense Command

PLUM BRANCH, S.C. - Seventeen U.S Army National Guard commissioned and non-commissioned officers assigned to the 263rd Army and Air Missile Defense Command (AAMDC), South Carolina National Guard, participated in a Strategic Vision Workshop, Jan. 31 – Feb. 2, 2020 at Clarks Hill Training Site in Plum Branch, South Carolina, working and revising the vision of the 263rd AAMDC, which will influence air defense in the United States for the next 5 - 10 years.

Few Soldiers since the unit’s re-designation as an AAMDC in 2000 remain in the unit, making it imperative for the leaders to deliberate on the future of their mission.

“The theater is ever changing and we need to change to fit it,” stated U.S. Army Col. Stephen Walker, 263rd AAMDC operations officer. “We [the AAMDC] have to figure out how we are going to continue to do it, how we are going to get in the fight, and then fight.”

The AAMDC is a prime supporter of the National Capital Region Mission (NCR), and in 2009, their unit was designated the formal Deputy Area Air Defense Commander for Air and Missile Defense (DAADC).

“It is a time for us to get together and deliberate about the ‘why’ of our vision,” remarked U.S. Army Col. Richard A. Wholey Jr., 263rd AAMDC chief of staff.

As a new staff working together, this is the first time key leaders have challenged themselves, asking and answering hard questions about the future of air defense. While redefining the vision, a main focus was to look at the “why” we currently do things.

“We needed to get together and find out what and why we do things and work on solving the problem,” added Walker. “

The group continued to build camaraderie by participating in a staff dinner, as talks continued into the evening.

Relying on their combined experiences, a new vision statement had been written, which will be released upon final approval. After developing a new vision, the staff assembled into four groups spending the next day restructuring the 263rd AAMDC lines of effort supporting the Army Air Missile Defense Strategy.

“We did good things this weekend, it has been a while since we have done something like this,” closed U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Frank Rice, 263rd AAMDC deputy commander. “It is evident that there was a lot of hard work completed over these few days.”

• Date Taken: 02.24.2020
• Date Posted: 02.25.2020 13:57
• Story ID: 363857
• Location: ANDERSON, SOUTH CAROLINA, US