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, and continuing modernization initiatives for the active Army, Army National Guard and Army Reserve.
The July 30- 31 FORSCOM Senior Leader Orientation (FSLO) included Army leaders and representatives from U.S. Army Forces Command's corps, divisions, First Army and other units, as well as FORSCOM Headquarters staff.
"The Nation will expect much from our Army in the coming years," Gen. Michael X. Garrett, commanding general of U.S. Army Forces Command, said in his Commander's Training Guidance. "It is the mission of FORSCOM to ensure that our forces are trained and ready to respond when the Nation calls. We will deliver on that mission by developing leaders, mastering the fundamentals, and modernizing our force all in stride, while continuing to support the Army's global commitments with ready forces."
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 readiness theme, Gen. Garrett shared his leadership insights with the attendees. "Leaders lead by example -- the audio and the video should match." He discussed the importance of being results-oriented, as well as focusing on deeds rather than words. He also noted that the best Army units are disciplined and physically fit.
"Leaders must remain involved and focused on training readiness: providing tough, realistic, mentally and physically challenging training that excites and motivates Soldiers and leaders alike," Gen. Garrett said.
Gen. Garrett discussed 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 command's 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."
"We have made a lot of progress, but we have more work to do." Gen. Garrett said in his July 2019 training guidance. "Highly trained squads and platoons are the foundation of ready units. Training progression begins by achieving proficiency at the individual, crew and squad level through progressive repetitions and sets, building toward platoon proficiency that is vital to achieving the lethality desired in our more complex collective training events.
"When properly planned," he said, "the successful completion of each successive training activity builds on the last and increases the capacity, motivation, and lethality of individuals and units for more complex and challenging higher-level collective training events."
The two-day leadership orientation covered key topics affecting FORSCOM units now and potentially in the future -- including: Army Total Force Policy; the ongoing transition to the Army Combat Fitness Test; key aspects of the military's annual budget; Army training initiatives such as Emergency Deployment Readiness Exercises; new talent-management programs and opportunities for Soldiers' careers; and ongoing efforts to balance Army readiness and modernize the force by 2022 and beyond,
"As we move toward 2022, Army senior leaders have told us that -resourcing priorities will begin to shift from building readiness to sustaining readiness and modernizing the force toward the Multi-Domain Operations-capable force by 2028," Gen. Garrett said. "We will work to balance and synchronize new equipment fielding to ensure that the readiness gains we have achieved are preserved. As modernization initiatives approach fielding, commanders need to evaluate the impact the new systems, munitions, and equipment will have on their ability to train using their current ranges and facilities."
The general thanked the attendees for taking time to better understand how Forces Command, the Army and their units support each other.
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