SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- The Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command (SDDC) conducted a Training and Mission Support Summit (TMSS) here April 2-5, in an effort to better integrate the command's active and Reserve component forces.

"The reserve forces provide capabilities to the active component brigades that are not organic to their units, so by matching our capabilities to their mission requirements, we are able to achieve mission success," said Maj. Christopher Elder, SDDC Mission Support Officer.

The purpose of the event was to integrate SDDC's Total Force in order to provide predictable, recurring and sustainable capabilities by producing an annual plan to get SDDC "left of boom" in the synchronization and integration of its Reserve component forces, including the Deployment Support Command (DSC) and individual mobilization augmentees (IMAs). This integration planning reinforces global mission readiness and generates training repetition opportunities with the command's active component units and capabilities.

Before planning future training and mission allocations, the TMSS planners conducted a review of this year's requirements to ensure current allocations match requirements.

"A mid-year review is essentially an azimuth check," said Elder. "We get back together to go over what has actually happened to this point, and what the rest of the year looks like, focusing on any changes to the original plan and talking through any second and third order effects of these changes."

Armed with past and the current year's statistics, the group worked to establish the SDDC commander's mission support priorities and integrate the DSC commander's training priorities.

Throughout the week, the team identified fiscal year 2020 active component brigade mission-support requirements and reviewed requests for forces and DSC external evaluation requirements, and then, they allocated forces in support of these movements.

"Getting 'left of boom' on requirements by integrating and synchronizing with the Future Plans section 18 months out allows our Reserve component counterparts the predictability and transparency to plan appropriately for these future mission requirements," said Elder.

The planning conducted this week will ensure SDDC is appropriately resourced to support fiscal year 2020 operations including OPERATION SENTINEL, OPERATION INHERENT RESOLVE, numerous brigade-sized moves in support of Indo-Pacific Command, Joint Chiefs of Staff exercises, combat training center rotations and other requests.

The team briefed Col. Lillard Evans, SDDC's deputy commander, on their proposed training and mission support allocation plan for the next fiscal year. Evans provided senior-leader feedback and direction to ensure the proposed Total Force Integration plan will directly facilitate matching Reserve component capabilities to SDDC's mission requirements and sustain unit readiness and mission command capability in the DSC through performance of real world port missions.

Evans was pleased with the work conducted during the summit, noting that with an overall objective to build, evaluate, and sustain unit readiness and mission command capability, the participants had done a "fantastic job" planning the integration of SDDC's Total Force.

The process is not over. The unit representatives were tasked to return to their home units and work with their respective commanders to iron out final details prior to a commander review board where they will brief SDDC's commanding general to get his approval.

Once approved, the TFI plan will be published and distributed to SDDC's subordinate units for action.