Photo By Staff Sgt. Avery Cunningham | U.S. Army Col. Marty Lepak, G3/5/7 for 88th Readiness Division, speaks during a...... read more read more
The RAND corporation, a nonprofit think tank, found that the average number of deployed active-duty Soldiers was 117,000 during the Global War on Terrorism from March 2003 through December 2008. The total number of active-duty Soldiers was 487,000 at the end of 2002 and 557,000 in 2008. In addition to nearly a quarter of the active force being deployed, the Global War on Terrorism saw large numbers of National Guard and Reserve forces activating and deploying, which was the largest activation of their forces since World War II.
The Global War on Terrorism ended, but the Army still has a responsibility to defend the nation’s interests and maintain security with our allies and partners. The war showed that the Army must be ready to deploy and mobilize a large number of ready combat formations with advanced capabilities.
How does the Army answer the need for a large number of Soldiers, including reservists, to mobilize when called upon?
To answer that question, the Army has designated Mobilization Force Generation Installations (MFGI) to serve the role of preparing Soldiers for deployment and ensuring their readiness. However, the Army also recognizes that they need to be prepared if a need for significant numbers of troops arose again, and so the Army has designated inactive MFGIs, of which, Fort McCoy is a primary.
The designation as a primary inactive MFGI bestows a responsibility upon Fort McCoy. It must be prepared to tackle the mission when the time comes to produce “throughput,” and push thousands of Soldiers through medical, administrative, and training stations for mobilization and deployment to war.
Recognizing this, leaders from the Fort McCoy enterprise, which consists of the Fort McCoy Garrison, 88th Readiness Division, 86th Training Division, 641st Regional Support Group, and 181st Infantry Brigade (MFTB), First Army Division West, First Army, coordinated together to plan an exercise to ensure the MFGI has the capacity to meet throughput requirements during large scale mobilization operations (LSMO).
Already, Fort McCoy conducts mobilization exercise (MOBEX) events to synchronize and rehearse tactics, techniques, and procedures. However, MOBEX Level I and II events do not stress the MFGI operations and logistics to a magnitude that assesses LSMO performance. The first exercise is a tabletop exercise and the second only throughputs small units. The third exercise, MOBEX III, does test the throughput of larger units, but the enterprise isn’t slated for a MOBEX III for a few years. In response, the units took advantage of the yearly Combat Support Training Exercises at Fort McCoy to not only test throughput of large number of Soldiers, but also to provide readiness support and training to those units.
The exercise they conducted on Fort McCoy from July 28 to August 3, Mobilization Support Force – Exercise 24, was to assess capability, validate planning assumptions, and refine current LSMO contingency plans. In addition, the enterprise was creating, sourcing, enabling, and reinforcing training-packages for the rotational training units coming through. Units conducted ranges for M4 carbines, M17 pistols, and M249 light machine guns, along with radio communications training and drivers training. The Soldiers processed through Soldier Readiness Processing; medical and administrative, to improve their personal readiness for deployment. The training qualifies the reserve units on key Soldier tasks which is difficult for them to carry out at their home stations.
“Imagine if a football team only went out to practice once every few months. They wouldn’t have the repetitions in practice they need to win games,” said U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Stephen P. Case, who attaches to First Army from the 88th RD and steps into the role of deputy commanding general of mobilization during LSMO. “It’s the same here; we need the repetitions and at scale. We aim to do this every year at Fort McCoy, and endeavor to do it at other locations simultaneously as well. That will allow us to action the systems at scale and across the enterprise to see where we need to improve our readiness for a LSMO event.”
Following the end of the exercise, the Fort McCoy enterprise will use the captured data to improve future events, ensuring the enterprise is prepared for another exercise or a real-life mobilization. They will be able to iron-out issues discovered from processing hundreds of Soldiers from many different units in a short period of time. Under the MSF-EX model, Case says that his coalition of talented Soldiers will put to use the cross-cutting principles of simplicity, unity of effort, unity of command, and economy to find success as a task force team.
| Date Taken: | 08.05.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 09.24.2024 11:18 |
| Story ID: | 481610 |
| Location: | FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, US |
| Web Views: | 38 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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