ANSBACH, Germany - On April 22, Senior leaders across V Corps and subordinate commands participated in a Leader's Forum hosted by Lt. Gen. John S. Kolasheski, commanding general, V Corps.
The forum, held at the Von Steuben Community Center at Bismarck Kaserne in Ansbach, Germany, brought together leaders at various echelons within the V Corps command to discuss current operations in the European theater and how to improve interoperability within the formation of V Corps and with our NATO Allies in Europe.
Prior to the official start of the conference, attendees came together for an icebreaker dinner where leaders met each other for some team cohesion and enjoyed traditional German food from a local caterer. The forum officially opened the following morning with a command presentation highlighting the work that V Corps has accomplished to include some of the relationships that have been strengthened amongst NATO. This was the first time that all V Corps leaders were given the opportunity to meet in person due to the past COVID meeting restrictions.
"It is great to see so many leaders at this inaugural event and have the opportunity to look each other in the eye as we discuss issues that affect every level of this command," said Kolasheski during his opening remarks.
Kolasheski continued, "While we learned how to leverage virtual tools to collaborate during the COVID restrictions, nothing can take the place of face-to-face interaction. Warfighting is a human endeavor and you cannot fully remove the importance of direct dialogue and interaction."
The goal of the Corps' commanders' conference was to make sure the V Corps leaders had an opportunity to discuss relevant current operations like the situation in Ukraine, the Russian threat, force protection, future training and exercises.
The forum featured a call in from the United States Army Europe and Africa Commanding General Gen. Christopher G. Cavoli, where he provided his assessment and insight into the evolving security situation in Europe.
The event also included subject matter experts that conducted informational briefings on topics from logistics to life support, all part of the corps progression in improving safety, operations, and processes across the European theater. The briefs also provided leaders with the latest on ways the corps is building relationships with host nations and improving interoperability. During the briefs, the V Corps CG provided special emphasis on his priorities such as putting people first and force protection while encouraging input from other V Corps leaders.
Kolasheski concluded the forum by saying, "Successful teams don't rest on their laurels and aren't afraid to be self-critical. We're a learning organization and this event allowed us to pause and take stock of where we are in this campaign and most importantly chart our path forward. Winning is not just predicated on our having the right tools but it is built on trust, confidence, and an ability to communicate up and down the chain. This one-day conference gave me an opportunity to hear directly from leaders across the corps."
As V Corps builds its presence in Europe, synchronized operations across all assigned and rotational forces remain a priority. V Corps provides ready and capable forces and the needed level of command and control, focused on synchronizing U.S. Army, allied, and partner nation tactical formations operating in Europe.
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