FORT BRAGG, N.C. -- U.S Army senior leaders -- commanders, staff and senior noncommissioned officers -- gathered at U.S. Army Forces Command Headquarters on Fort Bragg, N.C., to enhance a shared understanding of FORSCOM's roles, priorities and key initiatives to assist Total Army units in building and sustaining readiness in the regular Army, Army National Guard and Army Reserve.
The July 31 -- Aug. 1 FORSCOM Senior Leader Orientation (FSLO) focused on being "Ready Now" and included about 40 Army leaders and representatives from U.S. Army Forces Command's corps, divisions, First Army and other units as well as FORSCOM Headquarters staff.
"My #1 priority for FORSCOM remains "Maximize Unit Readiness," said Gen. Robert "Abe" Abrams. "Our theme for the Fiscal Year 2018 FORSCOM Command Training Guidance is "Ready Now."
The command's training guidance articulates the focus, conditions and resources to train and prepare a combat ready, globally responsive Total Force to meet the requirements of the military's Combatant Commanders.
Emphasizing the "Ready Now" theme, Gen. Abrams emphasized the vital need for Sustainable Readiness. "It is no longer good enough to focus solely on the next assigned unit mission. We have to be 'Ready Now' to mitigate risks which accompany uncertainty in our environment, and be prepared to fight and win our Nation's Wars when called upon."
The overarching philosophy is for leaders to build or sustain readiness at all times, whether at home station or deployed, according to the command's training guidance.
Gen. Abrams highlighted the Army command's "Freedom Six" priorities: (1) Maximize Unit Readiness; (2) Operationalize Army Total Force Policy (ATFP); (3)Master the Fundamentals; (4) Strengthen Leader Development; (5) Care for Soldiers, Civilians and Families; and (6) Inform the Future Force. He also emphasized the command's vital mission and vision given the ever-changing world situation.
The mission is "FORSCOM trains and prepares a combat ready, globally responsive Total Force in order to build and sustain readiness to meet Combatant Command requirements."
The vision for the command is: "Combat ready and globally responsive Total Army Forces that are well led, disciplined, trained, and expeditionary…that will win in a complex world."
The two-day orientation covered key topics affecting FORSCOM units now and potentially in the future -- including Army Total Force Policy, aspects of the military's annual budget, ongoing efforts to "Inform the Future Force" with U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, Army training initiatives such as Emergency Deployment Readiness Exercises, and Army safety precautions while training.
"I expect Commanders to understand the new dynamic environment to sustain units that are 'Ready Now,'" Abrams said. "We are making impressive measurable progress towards Decisive Action Training Environment (DATE) readiness, he said in this year's training guidance. "We must be 'Ready Now' to win against a near-peer enemy. That requires adaptive leaders who can react to uncertain conditions and make sound decisions. We must continue to raise the bar. Our Nation and our Soldiers require our very best efforts."
FORSCOM made significant strides in restoring warfighting fundamentals, Abrams said. "From the physical fitness of our individual Soldiers to our ability, to employ fires and maneuver within the Decisive Action Training Environment, FORSCOM continues to build its combat readiness. Commanders continue to strive for mastery-level proficiency of our essential tasks through multiple repetitions and multiple iterations of training events."
The general thanked the attendees for making time to better understand how Forces Command, the Army and their units support each other. "This is a huge investment on your part," Abrams told the attendees at the start of the two-day orientation, "and we want to maximize it" for your leader development.
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