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FORT SILL, Okla. -- Guests from around the world swarmed Snow Hall May 4-6 for the Fires Conference to sample the latest industry technology and discover how the Fires force is evolving.
"Change is important; change will always happen. What we're doing here at the Fires Center of Excellence is moving into the future," said Maj. Gen. John Rossi, FCoE and Fort Sill commanding general.
The Fires Conference 2015 "Leveling the Bubbles: Training and Educating the Future Fires Force," focused on three things: training, education and experience.
"All three of these have to be built on a Fires framework, not a branch framework," said Rossi.
The theme of the conference referred to what Soldiers draw upon for their expertise.
The commanding general said while the field artillery has a 100-year head start to its history compared to air defense artillery, the two branches must grow together.
"This is an opportunity and we're going to seize it. We're in motion on Fires. We just completed our first Fires Pre-Command Course with colonels, lieutenant colonels and sergeants major combining FA and ADA," said Rossi, who joked that they were all still alive. "They've got some new teammates they can move forward with in the Army."
The conference also introduced emerging concepts for employing Fires in the next 10 years, some of which are already in progress. These aligned with the direction the rest of the Army is moving, as indicated by one senior ranking general officer attending the conference.
Gen. David Perkins, commanding general of Training and Doctrine Command, was one of seven guest speakers for the conference. He said he receives a lot of input about the architecture of the Army, but added small answers may detract from the actual solution.
"I remind folks that right now we're in the process of asking big questions."
When discussing the Army's operating concept for the future, an example Perkins gave was, "What level of war are you going to design the United States Army for?"
He said while past Army operating concepts such as, "Air, Land, Battle," were effective, it cannot be used in the current fighting landscape because what the Army is now facing is unknown, unknowable and constantly changing.
He said the Army going forward is focused on the capabilities of the force versus the specificities of the enemy.
Other topics covered during the conference included, Preparing the Next Generation, Breaking the Mold: New Approaches for the Future, and FCoE: The Next Fires Platform.
Attendees viewed the latest products and services for the Army from 25 exhibitors, including local businesses BAE Systems and Northrop Grumman. For more photos visit www.flickr.com/fortsillcannoneer.
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