By Sgt. Scott J. Evans
Mission Command Element-Atlantic Resolve Public Affairs Office
4th Infantry Division
POZNAN, Poland - Dr. Mark T. Esper, the Secretary of the Army, and his wife, Leah, visited the 4th Infantry Division's Mission Command Element headquarters in Poznan, Poland Feb 1.
Since being confirmed by the U.S Senate in November, Esper has made Army readiness one of his top priorities. His stop in Poznan was part of a tour through U.S. Army Europe to get a clearer understanding of the progress that has been made by rotational forces for the collective security of eastern Europe.
"This has been a great opportunity to gain perspective as to what the Army is doing here in Eastern Europe," Esper said. "Readiness is very important to this mission."
Esper received an operations and logistics brief provided by Brig. Gen. William L. Thigpen, the 4th Inf. Div. deputy commanding general, and members of the MCE staff. Thigpen gave a mission and force overview that highlighted the many successes and challenges that have been encountered while conducting missions in eastern Europe as part of Atlantic Resolve over the last three years.
Thigpen also briefed the Secretary with details of ongoing and scheduled collective training that is being conducted with various ally and partner nations.
European countries are often focused on their own defense, and one of U.S. Army Europe's main goals is to get them all to work together, Thigpen said.
During the visit, Mrs. Leah Esper met with the Division surgeon to discuss Soldier tele-health benefits and behavioral health challenges. She also had a discussion on family challenges that Soldiers face while assigned with Atlantic Resolve rotations with the Division chaplain.
The Espers also met with Soldiers who had been selected to receive coins for their dedication and hard work during their time with Atlantic Resolve. Later, they had lunch with MCE personnel to discuss Soldier issues.
Members of the 4ID MCE staff also spoke on the subject of individual and collective troop rotations within the Atlantic Resolve footprint and the challenges that commanders face regarding manning issues.
One of the briefed challenges comes in the form of cross-border mobility of equipment and services, where regulations and guidelines in each European country can significantly differ. If not handled on schedule, serious delays can occur.
You have to get ahead of services, and pull the scheduling of equipment movement to the left as much as possible, Thigpen said.
Within the coming weeks, the 4th Inf. Div. will relinquish responsibility of the Mission Command Element to the 1st Infantry Division from Fort Riley, Kansas. The MCE staff are looking to provide a thorough breakdown of lessons learned in regard to training, cooperation between NATO countries, and issues that arise from the continuous rotation of personnel necessary to meet mission requirements.
"My experience with Soldiers is that each individual's situation is different," Esper said. "It is my belief that we need to cut down on some of the rules in order to give commanders more control and flexibility."
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