ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, IL -- A group of First Army senior military intelligence observer coach/trainers, officers and civilians gathered at First Army headquarters to discuss military intelligence and security readiness on March 1-2.
"Senior intelligence officers from First Army's nine brigades attended the event," said Ronnie Coney, First Army's deputy director for intelligence and security. "We also had representatives from the National Guard Bureau, Army Reserve Intelligence, Military Intelligence Readiness Command, and the 85th Support Command."
During the conference, attendees discussed how to further develop partnerships and support intelligence readiness among Army National Guard and Army Reserve units.
They also received updated information on intelligence and security procedures and processes from First Army, National Guard and Army Reserve intelligence and security personnel.
"This conference is a culminating event in presenting the concepts of First Army's Operation Bold Shift and gives the tools and resources so the OC/Ts can advise and assist their Reserve Component partners," said Coney. "This is the first intelligence conference under OBS."
Since 2015, First Army and its brigades have been advising, assisting and building partnerships with reserve-components under First Army's Operation Bold Shift initiative.
Under OBS, active-duty, Army National Guard and Army Reserve commanders integrate in premobilization training events, to help sustain maintains Army readiness standards and prepares all Army units for deployment as multicomponent, expeditionary forces. First Army, under the guidance of U.S. Forces Command, serves as the coordinating authority to implement this training.
First Army's intelligence officers and OC/Ts assist units in meeting Department of Army readiness requirements by incorporating intelligence readiness into training events such as the Army Reserve's Warrior exercises, combat support training exercises, and the Army National Guard's Warfighter exercises.
Coney said this conference will help First Army OC/Ts gain a more complete understanding of First Army's intelligence and security operational concepts and apply this knowledge to their brigade's mission.
Throughout the conference, OC/Ts had a chance to share concerns, challenges and knowledge with each other and First Army intelligence and security personnel.
Col. Timothy Bush, First Army Chief of Operations, Plans and Training, reminded the First Army OC/Ts this is a great opportunity to establish relationships and set standards to ensure unit readiness.
"As trainers, we need to establish a standard and reinforce that standard to our Reserve Component," said Bush.
First Army Chief of Staff Col. Dale Kuehl said the conference is valuable for First Army headquarters and its brigades to get more of an understanding of how to improve partnerships with reserve-component units and spread OBS concepts.
For Capt. Rolando Gutierrez, an intelligence officer and OC/T assigned to the 174th Infantry Brigade out of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, the conference was a good way to meet fellow OC/Ts, discuss observations, share challenges they have seen or experienced, and have a better understanding of First Army's OBS.
"All of the information that I am receiving today, I will pass on to my partner units and to all the military intelligence officers within my brigade," Gutierrez said.
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