Photo By Capt. Ryan DeBooy | Col. Charles Kean assumed command of the 1st Multi-Domain Task Force from Brig. Gen....... read more read more
Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA – In a change of command ceremony held at Watkins Field on June 26, 2024, Col. Charles Kean assumed command of the 1st Multi-Domain Task Force (MDTF) from Brig. Gen. Bernard Harrington, who relinquished command after leading the unit since June 24, 2022.
Lt. Gen. James Jarrard, deputy commander of U.S. Army Pacific, presided over the ceremony, emphasizing the critical role of the 1MDTF in the region and underscoring the significant contributions the unit has made in driving U.S. Army transformation efforts forward.
"This organization has gone above and beyond what the Joint Force has asked for or could have imagined," Jarrard said. "As Gen. Flynn often remarks, the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command theater is a joint theater with joint problems, requiring joint solutions. The 1st Multi-Domain Task Force has provided and continues to provide joint solutions to our nation's most critical region every day."
Jarrard continued, "You are the tip of the spear for our Army, innovating at the speed of war, and delivering integrated deterrence as directed by the Secretary of Defense. Landpower is the security architecture that binds the Indo-Pacific region together. Landpower is enduring; Landpower provides staying power; Landpower is joint power."
Building on this vision, Harrington elaborated on the unit’s excellence during his speech. "I have only one message," he said.
"These Soldiers, non-commissioned officers, warrant officers, and officers turn intent into action. They've taken a concept from a whiteboard and are building it into a combat-credible formation. They're integrating every combat-credible capability into the first-island chain and actively campaigning as we speak."
Harrington concluded his remarks by saying, "To these great Soldiers on the field, serving as a 1MDTF Soldier has been the honor of my lifetime, and I consider myself the luckiest man on earth to have served alongside each of you.”
Kean comes to Joint Base Lewis-McChord after serving as deputy commander of U.S. Army South and, previously, as commander of U.S. Army Pacific's 5th Battlefield Coordination Detachment.
“It’s great to call Joint Base Lewis-McChord home and to join Team JBLM—but I tell you what, it feels even better to be facing the Pacific again as a member of the United States Army Pacific in the 1st Multi-Domain Task Force,” said Kean at the beginning of his remarks.
“I do not take this responsibility lightly, and I am committed to pouring all my heart and effort into leading this team into the future.”
Before the ceremony, Lt. Col. Hiroki Kitamura, Japan Ground Self-Defense Forces Liaison Officer to I Corps, presented letters from Lt. Gen. Yamane Toshikazu, commander of the JGSDF Ground Component Command, and Lt. Gen. Hiroaki Sueyoshi, commander of the JGSDF Northern Army, to Harrington. The letters congratulated Harrington on completing two years in command, thanked him for his significant contributions to the Japan-U.S. Alliance and expressed wishes for good health and prosperity for him, his family and the task force.
Kitamura also presented a letter from Lt. Gen. Sueyoshi to Kean, congratulating him on his appointment as commander of 1MDTF. The letter recognized the importance of JGSDF and U.S. Army cooperation in a changing strategic environment, emphasized the strengthening Japan-U.S. Alliance through upcoming bilateral exercises and wished for continued good health for Kean, his family and the task force.
Under Harrington's leadership, the task force underwent rapid growth, more than quadrupling in size and expanding from under five hundred to over seventeen hundred personnel. As a result, the task force has conducted joint and multinational operations across six countries and has participated in more than 20 named exercises.
As the 1MDTF continued to grow and evolve, Harrington's leadership guided the unit through several significant milestones. Notably, the task force activated two new battalions: the 1-51 Indirect Fires Protection Capability Battalion and the 1163rd Task Force Sustainment Battalion. Additionally, the 5th Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment was also reassigned from the 17th Field Artillery Brigade, becoming the 1MDTF's Long-Range Fires Battalion (LRFB).
This transformation enabled the 1MDTF to achieve several notable accomplishments. The 5-3 LRFB's Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon Battery set a record for the system's longest overland movement, deploying over 3,000 miles to Cape Canaveral, Florida.
During exercise Balikatan 23, the 1MDTF established a Combined Information and Effects Fusion Cell (CIEFC) to enhance information sharing and coordination with the U.S. Joint Force and Northern Luzon Command, marking another significant step forward.
The CIEFC quickly demonstrated its value by providing real-time maritime domain awareness that informed U.S. and Filipino operations. At the invitation of Northern Luzon Command, the CIEFC continues to operate at Camp Aquino, increasing bilateral maritime domain awareness and supporting Filipino humanitarian and disaster relief efforts.
In a complementary effort, the 1MDTF’s 1st Multi-Domain Effects Battalion collaborated with the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) to test high-altitude and long-endurance capabilities, further enhancing maritime domain awareness and supporting Filipino humanitarian and disaster relief efforts.
Building on this momentum, the 1MDTF deployed its Mid-Range Capability (MRC) to the Philippines as part of exercise Salaknib 24, continuing a streak of firsts by forward deploying a combat-credible capability that significantly enhances integrated deterrence in the Indo-Pacific region.
The 1MDTF is an Indo-Pacific assigned, theater-level unit. MDTFs are maneuver elements that synchronize long-range precision fires and effects in all domains to neutralize adversary A2AD (anti-access and area denial) networks. The 1MDTF’s proven innovation, agility, and lethality has led the Army to direct five full MDTFs in strategically significant locations worldwide.
| Date Taken: | 06.26.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 06.27.2024 00:28 |
| Story ID: | 474963 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, WASHINGTON, US |
| Web Views: | 171 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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