ATLANTA - Army Reserve and First Army senior leaders met with respective command teams for a three-day conference in Atlanta to discuss the multi-year force reduction initiative known as Operation Bold Shift, Jan. 30.
Under Bold Shift, First Army's multi-component commands: Division East, based out of Fort Meade, Maryland, and Division West, based out of Fort Hood, Texas, will reorganize along with the Army Reserve's 85th Support Command, based in Arlington Heights, Illinois, and the 87th Support Command, based in Birmingham, Alabama. Supporting Army Total Force Policy implementation, the 85th and 87th Support Commands provide administrative control (ADCON) support to roughly 40 Army Reserve battalions within the 16 active component brigades under First Army's formation.
"Bold Shift is a restructuring and reshaping of First Army assets to support pre-mobilization basis of readiness (for Army Reserve and National Guard units). The command and the overall responsibility (prior to an Army Reserve) mobilization falls with the commander, (Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Talley), who is the supported commander, but the supporting element is First Army until we hit mobilization," said Maj. Gen. Peter Lennon, deputy commanding general for support, Army Reserve. "This allows First Army to support the Army Reserve (soldiers) better as they go through many of our training exercises culminating in training events at NTC (National Training Center), JRTC (Joint Readiness Training Center), Fort Hunter Liggett, Fort McCoy, or Fort Dix."
The restructuring of First Army will re-align Army Reserve units from the 87th Support Command, with ADCON responsibilities, to the 85th Support Command, which will place the 85th Support Command as the key enabler and integration point for Army Reserve forces OPCON (Operational Control) to First Army.
"This is a huge undertaking which will affect all of First Army and much of the Army Reserve," stated Brig. Gen. Frederick R. Maiocco Jr., commanding general, 85th Support Command. "Our imperatives for this operation include: Taking care of our people and ensuring the First Army training mission continues without interruption."
The conference, with principal officials and senior staff members from the support commands, additionally provided command teams an opportunity to discuss future expectations of the 85th and 87th Support Commands' operational requirements and to identify and discuss key concerns during their transition prior to their October 2015 assignment date from the 87th to the 85th Support Command.
Throughout the conference various concerns were voiced across the command teams. Command Sgt. Maj. T'Resay Drape-Jones, 3rd Battalion, 345th Regiment, 188th Infantry Brigade, First Army Division East, identified concerns for requirements of soldiers, budgetary and training issues, to name a few. One of the leading concerns for commanders was understanding what is taking place now and the impact for their units and soldiers.
Maj. Gen. Paul Benenati, deputy commanding general for support, First Army, provided insight to the transition process and explained the current actions taking place by the 85th Support Command, to ensure a smooth transition as they reach their stated assignment date.
"What we're doing (currently) is trying to maintain an orderly transition," said Maj. Gen. Paul Benenati, deputy commanding general for support, First Army. "So (85th Support Command) is starting to migrate some systems. The 85th is taking ADCON of units now because they have the administrative responsibilities for someone else's unit."
Lennon explained that while there's a lot of movement, it's routine processes that are just causing realignment of forces, and this leadership event should help give leaders a vision for a smooth transition. This will be an opportunity for building relationships and working through and understanding nuances.
"I think we're going to have forces that are going to be able to have a higher level of readiness in all levels," said Lennon. "We're all getting to the same process and building confidence that we're all moving in that direction ... we want to do it effectively, we want to do it with a great accountability, and we've got to do it as quickly as we can while maintaining that accountability."
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