GRAFENWOEHR, Germany - Members of the National Commission on the Future of the Army visited Grafenwoehr, Germany, July 29 to reach out to units on the ground conducting missions in Europe, including regionally aligned forces under Operation Atlantic Resolve, and learn about where the Army is going.
The visit was part of a multiple-day trip around Germany where members of the NCFA visited various headquarters to conduct a comprehensive study of the roles and structure of the Army and policy assumptions related to the size and force mixture of the Army in light of the projected security environment.
"The world has changed," said Gen. (retired) Larry Ellis, a member of the commission, "It's time to go back and review [the structure of the Army] at a global level to be ready for the future."
While on the installation, the group visited the 4th Infantry Division Mission Command Element Headquarters, the 405th Army Forward Sustainment Brigade European Activity Set and the 7th Army Joint Multinational Training Command.
The commission spoke with leaders from the 4th Infantry Division and 21st Theater Sustainment Command about the regionally aligned forces mission, the division's current force commitment to three combatant commands and the division headquarters' resourcing of the MCE. Discussion centered on whether the current division force structure is adequate to sustain the RAF mission.
Brig. Gen. Timothy Daugherty, deputy commanding general, 4th Infantry Division, who is currently heading the MCE, said the regionally aligned force is very effective and gives us a glimpse at the future of the Army.
"We are the entity bringing synergy from [U.S. Army Europe] and higher to the units on the ground," Daugherty said. "It's a unique mission set."
A common theme throughout the visit was how to meet mission requirements and sustain operational tempo with fewer Soldiers as the Army continues to reduce its end strength to 450, 000.
"As the Army gets smaller we have to squeeze every last bit of efficiency we can," said Maj. Gen. Duane Gamble, commanding general, 21st TSC, who was escorting the group. "Doing less isn't an option. We have to be smarter about doing what we are doing today."
Anticipating the needs of the Army and the resources associated with them is part of the commission's mandate, said Thomas Lamont, vice chair of the commission.
"We want to identify any issues and recommend how to overcome those issues," Lamont added. "This has been a very valuable session for us."
The group will continue to study the Army with visits to various active duty and Army Reserve installations as well as meetings with state governors to discuss the role of the National Guard.
The commission was established by the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015 to examine the structure of the total Army - active, reserve and National Guard - from the standpoint of future threats and risk. They will submit a report containing a comprehensive study of the Army and their recommendations to the president and congress by Feb. 1.
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