JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash.--Soldiers from the 36th Infantry Division, Texas Army National Guard, are making history as the first National Guard unit to provide intelligence analysis, translation and support from a CONUS-based Home Station-Intel Reach Operations Center (HS-IROC) to a forward deployed division task force supporting Operation Freedom's Sentinel.
The division's "Task Force Arrowhead," replaced the 7th Infantry Division headquarters as Train, Advise and Assist Command-South (TAAC-S) in southern Afghanistan last month.
Combatant Command (in this case, U.S. Central Command) and National limitations limit the number of Soldiers deployed forward into Afghanistan, but an intelligence-capability requirement still exists, so, the division established its own HS-IROC at Camp Mabry, Texas.
The path from concept to full-operational capability in less than 180 days has not been an easy one and required a coordinated Total Army Force effort. U.S. Army Forces Command (FORSCOM) has been refining the HS-IROC concept, and immediately began coordination with the Army National Guard and the 36th Infantry Division to mirror standing, U.S. Army Corps-level HS-IROC's at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., Fort Hood, Texas, and Fort Bragg, N.C. -- to build a similar capability at a National Guard facility.
After initial leadership briefs, teams from Headquarters, Department of the Army, FORSCOM, the Army National Guard and U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command representatives conducted site surveys to determine how this mission could be conducted to meet all of the supported commanders' intelligence needs.
As work on the Camp Mabry facility continues, the division is partnering with the experienced Soldiers of the 201st Expeditionary Military Intelligence Brigade in Washington State and provide live operational support from Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
The 201st Brigade, having recently completed an HS-IROC mission in support of 7th Infantry Division, has taken on the role of mentoring, training and facilitating the seamless transition to the 36th Infantry Division, ensuring mission continuity with no disruption to forward operations.
"The integration between the [36th Division] team and our Soldiers highlights the strengths and capability of the Total Army concept," said Lt. Col. Maria Borbon, commander, 109th Military Intelligence Battalion - a subordinate unit of the 201st tasked with facilitating the transition.
"The sharing of technical expertise and lessons learned between our two organizations has not only increased the knowledge base of our Soldiers, but also built a framework of partnership that will sustain during their upcoming mission."
"There could not have been a more cordial relationship and professional assistance shown to our Soldiers," said Col. Daniel Quick, chief of staff, 36th Infantry Division. "I believe it is an example of multi-component partnership at its best."
"The opportunity to work with the fine Soldiers of the 201st and 7th Infantry Division has been a first-rate experience," said Capt. Monique Allen, the officer-in-charge of the 36th Infantry Division's HS-IROC Soldiers. "They are skilled professionals that brought a lot of experience and insight to the mission transition. We learned a lot and enjoyed the opportunity to work with our active-duty counterparts."
These leaders say this action demonstrates the value of Total Force Partnership and the training and operational relationship between components under the Army's Associated Units Pilot -- a program that pairs units of the active Army, Army National Guard and Army Reserve to improve Army readiness.
Working as a Total Force isn't a new idea, but the Associated Units Pilot is an exciting step in incorporating lessons learned from 15 years of continuous conflict.
"The Partnership and Total Force effort between the 7th Infantry Division, the 201st (E-MIB) and the 36th Infantry Division has been absolutely superb," said Col. Anthony Hale, who leads the Intelligence Warfighting Function as the FORSCOM deputy chief of staff, G2. "Mission success was the only factor, and not which component Soldiers were from, or what (unit) patch was on their uniform."
Related Links:
Pilot program links Reserve components with active units for training
Total Army Force leaders plan three-year 'Associated Units' Pilot
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