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KUWAIT - On May 4 of last year, Lt. Gen. William G. Webster, commander, Third Army, took command of Third Army during a change of Command Ceremony at Fort McPherson in Atlanta.
At the time, the commanding general became the leader of a “team of teams” with his marching orders that spearheaded the strategic guidance of Ready Tonight, Sustain the Fight, and Shape the Future within Third Army’s Area of Responsibility, which consists of 20 nations.
“We are glad to join a great team with great talent and potential. We will continue to build upon our strengths and meet all challenges to ensure that we remain ready to accomplish all our missions,” said Webster during the change of command ceremony. “We can accomplish anything if we stay focused on our missions, prepare Soldiers and families for what they must do, and build and maintain the strong bonds of teamwork.”
In December, priorities shifted for Third Army from the Drawdown in Iraq to the Buildup in Afghanistan. The command anticipated this change of priority and easily redirected their efforts to accomplish the mission.
As the United States builds up in Afghanistan and draws down troops in Iraq, The Third Army team continually pushes the largest movement of military of personnel and materiel since World War II; a massive logistical operation involving nearly three million pieces of equipment while increasing the number of troops in Afghanistan by nearly 30,000.
The operation has been dubbed “Nickel II” after the code name for Gen. George S. Patton's repositioning of an entire Army corps during the 1944 Battle of the Bulge.
“This is an enormous task, unprecedented in modern military history, but we have a well thought-out plan and the synergy and cooperation of our many teams involved will ensure we anticipate and are prepared to meet all requirements for U.S. Central Command and our Army,” said Webster.
“I'll just remind you that I'm -- as some of you know, I'm an operator and not a logistician, but I've been amazed at what these logisticians are doing,” said Webster during a Pentagon Press Conference in early Feb.
Since June of 2009 over 225,000 items of equipment have been processed from Iraq, including more than 80 percent of the required Mine Resistant Ambushed Protected vehicles to aid the warfighter in Afghanistan in completing their missions safely. The assessment is that Third Army and supporting units are on target to deliver the requested MRAP vehicles by the end of August.
Brig. Gen. John O’Connor, director of logistics, Third Army, views Third Army’s mission as an enduring one; where working together is the key to get things accomplished.
“The flow of much needed equipment to Afghanistan is our top priority, “said O’Connor. “The Third Army team is hard at work finding solutions to meet the force requirements in Afghanistan.”
Since the start of the fiscal year 2010, Third Army has redistributed more than $1.1 billion worth of Theater Provided Equipment from Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom and the consolidated Property Accountability of the logistical effort is more than $46 billion and asset visibility of 4.5 million items while redistributing at least two million parts exceeding $370 million to Theater customers.
Third Army and supporting units have led an effort to eliminate cash on the battlefield by utilizing Electronic Fund Transfers and partnering with local banks.
Since July 1, 2009, Third Army has moved more than 3,000 tons of ammunition and more than one million items including vehicles, repair parts, general supplies, barrier material, and packaged petroleum products, worth more than $100 million from Iraq to Afghanistan.
Third Army has partnered with Army Material Command’s Retrograde and Reset Task Force to provide rapid disposition and reset of all forces and materiel retrograding out of Iraq while balancing the flow of equipment and materiel throughout the CENTCOM area of operations.
In terms of cost, Third Army is bringing down the costs in Iraq by going through cost- benefit analyses and trying to find the redundancies and eliminate those wherever it makes sense.
These efforts have not only reset our Army, but reinforced the concept of teamwork when it comes to saving money, which is something the Third Army finance team appreciates.
“We are an integral part of a great team that established an effective Cost Culture throughout the theater,” said Col. Lester “JC” Campbell, deputy finance chief, Third Army. “This Cost Awareness Culture yielded Cost Savings and enabled Cost Avoidance, which ultimately enables commanders at every level to routinely make resource informed decisions.”
With the drawdown and buildup at the forefront of the mission, Third Army consistently demonstrated their tactical and technical proficiency to be prepared to conduct operations anytime, anywhere within its Area of Responsibility over the past year.
Third Army remains current on techniques, tactics and procedures to keep Soldiers ready, which is something the team, takes pride in.
“Meeting our warfighters’ requirements is our number one priority, right after that we must do our part in resetting our Army and ensuring our training requirements are also satisfied,” said Col. Kevin M. Batule, director of operations, Third Army. “We are supporting the troops at home station getting ready to deploy so that when they arrive they are fully trained and proficient on the equipment they will operate.”
Third Army conducts overseas training events such as Lucky Warrior, Lucky Strike and Bright Star, while prepping staff members for a multitude of scenarios.
Perhaps the biggest training focus over the last year for Third Army has been the Assault Command Post, which was headed by Col. Marlon Blocker, chief of operations, Third Army. Exercises for the ACP have been conducted across the AOR involving the set-up, loading, and implementation of training and procedures to prepare Third Army troops for the unknown.
“Anything that is happening, we are supervising the execution of it for the commander,” said Blocker. “That includes the Assault Command post, which is a small but very capable 34 person element that can deploy anywhere in the CENTCOM AOR within 96 hours aboard a single C-17 Globemaster.”
In April, the ACP team travelled to Saudi Arabia to take part in Earnest Leader where they conducted a successful three-week ACP training event.
Earnest Leader is a simulated command post exercise that uses the military decision making process to improve logistical capabilities, and to refine command and control and staff planning in a tactical operations center.
Brig Gen. Stephen M. Twitty, chief of staff, Third Army, sees the ACP as an integral part of the Third Army mission in the region, and believes getting leaders in successful positions to make sound decisions is paramount to making a difference in the region.
“We have the responsibility to be ready to deploy at a moment’s notice anywhere throughout the CENTCOM Theater,” said Twitty. “We have the command and control capability to do so, and that is what the assault command post is all about, being able to provide Lt. Gen. Webster, the commander, the flexibility to get into a hot spot somewhere and be able to command and control and bring in possible follow-on forces.”
Adding to the list of recent accomplishments, Third Army stood up Third Army’s Coordination and Support Element – Afghanistan. The eyes and ears of Third Army, led by Maj. Gen. Peter Vangjel, commander, ACSE-A, is positioned in Kabul and allows Third Army to quickly and effectively provide support to U.S. Forces -Afghanistan.
The ASCE-A team is primarily made up of logisticians, but also includes engineers, budget analysts, and operations personnel who support Third Army’s efforts in OEF.
Over the last year, Third Army planners and coordinators, along with a number of other military and government organizations, assisted in opening the Northern Distribution Network. The NDN Is a series of commercially-based logistical arrangements connecting Baltic and Caspian ports with Afghanistan via Russia, Central Asia, and the Caucasus.
The logistical effort in Afghanistan can’t be accomplished by Third Army alone, as “Patton’s Own” relies on other parts of the team to get the job done, including the 1st Theater Sustainment Command, which is based at Fort Bragg, N.C. and has a forward command post in Kuwait.
The 1st TSC, commanded by Maj. Gen. Jim E. Rogers, provides logistics support to select forces in support of combat operations across the full spectrum of the CENTCOM AOR while redeploying rotating forces and sustaining operational forces.
Webster gives much of the credit to Rogers’s warriors for the Army exceeding expectations and having over 60 percent of the required Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles and other equipment on the ground in Afghanistan in the first six months as part of the Nickel II mission.
“I'd like to give the 1st TSC acknowledgment for the great work that they're doing, but also these great heroes we've got on the ground that are doing this hard work, driving the trucks, guarding equipment, delivering and repairing equipment,” said Webster. “Major General Jim Rogers, from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, commands the 1st Theater Sustainment Command, for instance. He's got 6,000 troops out there doing those types of things that I just mentioned, and he and his Soldiers are making it happen every day. And that's the big difference for us.”
In March, two stories highlighted Third Army and the 1st TSC and AMC as the Associated Press’ Dennis Steele and the New York Times’ Stephen Farrell came to Kuwait and covered the challenges of drawing down troops and retrograding equipment at one end of the spectrum and building up the force in another part of the AOR.
In April, U.S. personnel flights in and out of Afghanistan were diverted to an alternative Airport Of Disembarkation in Kuwait following a pause in operations at the Manas Transit Center in Kyrgyzstan after a pause in operations there due to political unrest in that country.
Manas resumed operations days later and Third Army suffered no degradation of capability due to their ability to quickly anticipate the event and implement a contingency plan.
The command has succeeded in continuing security cooperation events over the last year to foster relationships with nations in the region while anticipating and shaping conditions for the future.
Third Army has conducted over 200 Theater Security Cooperation events in the past two years, fostering relationships with its 20 partner nations while managing to anticipate and shape conditions for the future.
This past year, exercises such as Steppe Eagle, Bright Star, and Lucky Warrior were lauded by our host-nation partners for strengthening ties between forces.
Col. Charles Eubanks, international military affairs chief, Third Army, believes that these events build strong ties with regional friends and enables Third Army to shape the future in the AOR.
“Third Army has made a difference for our partner nations in the CENTCOM area of responsibility, from rebuilding relationships with our allies in Egypt thru the Bright Star exercise, to the humanitarian assistance in Tajikistan, to exchanging lessons learned in support of Military Operations On Urban Terrain and Sniper tactics with the Lebanese special ops," said Eubanks, "I am just as proud of Third Army troopers who've executed our events.”
In early April 2009, the Third Army Surgeons Office organized a team of experts on H1N1 Virus to develop proactive response plans, establish isolation facilities, implement screening and testing procedures, institute active preventative medicine measures and educate commanders, servicemembers, civilians and their partners in the region on the potential threat.
The effort by the Third Army Surgeons’ Office allowed Third Army to stay in Kuwait, giving the Kuwaiti government the assurance that Third Army was able and willing to do all it could to neutralize the potential threat.
Now, with less than 500 days to go before standing up the command at Shaw, Third Army has plenty of work ahead of them to move an entire Army, families, and civilian employees to their new home.
For the current command, anticipating needs and being proactive are the cornerstones of Third Army operations, and this includes looking after Soldiers and their families.
Events over the last year, such as March’s Relocation Expo and the Shaw Tour, both hosted by Webster, have helped Third Army and their family members get a chance to tour the area and meet with local citizens in preparation for the upcoming Strategic Relocation to Shaw in 2011.
At these events, Webster thanked representatives of the Sumter community for coming to the expo and stressed the important role their community will play in the command's upcoming move.
"Thank you for coming here today," said Webster. "We view this move as a significant and positive change in all our lives, and we look forward to joining the growing military-civilian community at Shaw Air Force Base and in Sumter County."
The force behind the move will be Col. Bob Young, who has been serving with Third Army’s ACSE-A on the logistics side of the OEF effort. Young will be Third Army’s new Chief of Staff in charge of the Strategic Relocation, taking over for Col. Kevin Felix.
The future presents many challenges for the new command, but Third Army remains Ready Tonight to Sustain the Fight to Shape our Future while growing and evolving into a leader for tomorrow’s Army under the leadership of Webster and his command.
The commanding general takes a lot pride in the Third Army mission and is confident in the direction of his force, despite all the challenges of having his command spread out through the region.
“You know, we have Soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. I've got a command element in each place. We have a large headquarters here in Kuwait, which our Kuwaiti partners are letting us use and we have agreements on the use of this. And I also have headquarters back in Atlanta and Shaw Air Force Base. But here in theater, on any given day we're working in eight to 10 countries,” said Webster. “I’d like to say thanks to all of our partners and teammates who are helping us do this,” he added.
The Third Army team of teams, in cooperation with many nations and their militaries, are adaptive to the missions in the region and “Ready Tonight” to make an immediate impact where ever and whenever needed while anticipating and planning for future events in the region.
| Date Taken: | 06.14.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 06.14.2010 06:04 |
| Story ID: | 51335 |
| Location: | KUWAIT, KW |
| Web Views: | 412 |
| Downloads: | 266 |
This work, Lt. Gen. Webster's Third Army: A year in review, by SPC Brandon Babbitt, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
