U.S. Army story by Spc. Karleshia Gater, I Corps Public Affairs
JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash.—Allies and partners assembled at JBLM's American Lake Conference Center for the 2nd annual Indo-Pacific Motorized Forum on Jan. 25-26, 2024. Distinguished visitors and influential leaders focused on interoperability and each nation's many different capabilities in this two-day forum.
Another purpose for this event was for nations within the Stryker community to discuss lessons learned, the current problem sets they face, and how they are finding solutions to them.
"What I don't want us to do is to be bound by briefings and slides. I'd like to add some conversations here and I dont think it's much about us learning from you, it's about sharing our best practices together," said Lt. Gen. Xavier Brunson, the commanding general of America's First Corps. "I've mentioned that because everyone has something to say here today."
A large part of this forum is interoperability. Every ally and partnered nation with the U.S. Army is crucial to the effectiveness of this organization.
"I would say that the necessity of interoperability is more front and center for the American army now than it probably has been in our entire careers," said Col. Joseph Ewers, the deputy commanding general of operations for the 7th Infantry Division.
Leaders listening to the capabilities and lessons learned from our partnered nations can help deter future issues within their command while building resiliency and gaining problem-solving skills.
"The human component of interoperability is real," said Ewers. "It's about understanding cultures and values and being able to assess and believe that you are among like minded people, which is really the core of a partnership that you're willing to fight for."
Each nation could learn something from one another. They all do things differently but can always learn from each other and share the knowledge learned from the past year.
"I appreciate the collaboration and discussion because that's important." Command Sgt. Maj. Shawn Carns, the command Sgt. Maj. of America's First Corps said, closing out day one of the forum. "We ask questions of each other to learn from each other, to help each other get better because, possibly in a future conflict, we'll all be operating together. We've got to understand each other and how we can support each other."
The 7th Infantry Division hosted day two of this event. The day consisted of a four-stop visit where foreign attendees received a tour of 7th ID's motor pool and their Bayonet Academy and were also able to witness a platoon live fire. The last leg of the tour was the chance to experience virtual training using the Mission Control Center's Stryker Virtual Collective Trainers.
These events showed our allies and partners the scope and capabilities of our current force and displayed our dedication to interoperability.
"Make no mistake, our strategic competitive advantage is our allies and partners network. That is something that there's no counter-punch for. It is stronger, it is farther reaching, it is more durable and more survivable than any piece of equipment or any single formation. That's why something like this forum is so important."
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