ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, Ill. - Helping to reduce the post-mobilization time for Army National Guard units was the focus of two working groups that met here Tuesday in First Army headquarters.
The Maneuver Readiness Advisory Council (MRAC) and the Maneuver Support Readiness Advisory Council (MS-RAC) were the second in a series of five working groups that aim to meet this goal.
Maj. Gen. Charles Whittington, First Army deputy commanding general for operations, said the working groups are an extension of an initiative by Lt. Gen. Timothy Kadavy, Army National Guard director.
"The MRAC and MS-RAC are part of Lt. Gen. Kadavy's initiative to create committees that look at different functional areas in order to understand how each of these impact having Guard forces ready and available, and the corresponding tasks that have to be accomplished in order for that to occur," Whittington said. "As an example, commanders from maneuver formations will look at the challenges to rapidly train, mobilize, and prepare those forces. "What these committees will end up doing will be providing a window to First Army into some of those challenges, with an ultimate goal of examining the things and activities that have to happen in the pre-mobilization phrase in order to harvest time for the post-mobilization.
While this involves tackling complex questions with many moving parts, Whittington notes that the working groups are designed t
arrive at an answer.
"These committees are taking some of these larger obstacles and breaking them down to manageable pieces so we can understand and be able to achieve that desired outcome," he said. "In order to meet Army requirements, the National Guard will be called on more, particularly armored brigade combat teams and Stryker brigade combat teams. What these committees are challenged to do is to provide Lt. Gen. Kadavy a window from a field commander's perspective on what the challenges are in providing ready forces."
Maj. Gen. Rick Nash, Minnesota Adjutant General, said the working groups will help meet Kadavy's intent.
"It's valuable to do it here at First Army and to get input from the First Army staff, and to have Maj. Gen. Whittington here to talk about the issues and how First Army can best support the training strategy," Nash said. "It's valuable to make sure we're all working together to decrease post-mobilization days."
Meanwhile, Maj. Gen. Kenneth Reiner, Wyoming Adjutant General, added, "Without a doubt, this will help with readiness. Anytime you can get together and sit down with different echelons of our Army and synchronize and start planning and saying, 'Here's the problem, how are we going to work together and find the solution,' it's benefit-added. We have a great partnership with First Army, and our goal is the same across the force: To increase our readiness and get out the door quicker."
Social Sharing