FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. — Maneuver Support Center of Excellence and Fort Leonard Wood leaders hosted a series of town halls May 28 to 30 at Abrams Theater to share information and answer questions from service members and Department of Defense civilians.
MSCoE and Fort Leonard Wood Command Sgt. Maj. Jorge Arzabala opened the town hall May 30 by thanking people for attending.
“The whole purpose of this town hall is to share information and ensure common understanding of what is going on across the installation,” Arzabala said, before introducing Maj. Gen. Christopher Beck, MSCoE and Fort Leonard Wood commanding general.
Beck said MSCoE has two purposes.
“To boil it down, our No. 1 purpose here is to train, and No. 2 is to drive change,” Beck said. “You all are knocking it out of the park. We have had several senior leaders visit, and they walk away with the same impression every time — ‘Wow, I did not know Fort Leonard Wood did all of that for our Army and joint forces.’ We appreciate everything you are doing to make this happen every single day.”
Beck said some significant installation and infrastructure impacts are on the horizon.
“In a little over a year, we will have one of the newest hospitals in the Army,” Beck said. “Also, the community has signed a lease to build a new terminal at Forney Airfield…whether it is you flying out or family and friends flying in, we think there is a huge opportunity there.”
Beck then turned his attention to housing, explaining that new projects and storm damage fixes are ongoing.
“We are looking at major renovations, new builds and combinations of the two,” he said.
Another important topic Beck highlighted was the upcoming Protection and Maneuver Support Forum, set to take place on post in July.
“We are excited because the team collectively has pushed the Army’s understanding of the protection warfighting function so far; it’s amazing,” Beck said, noting the forum will be focused on military warfighting capabilities and will highlight to Army senior leaders the work Fort Leonard Wood has been doing.
Arzabala took the floor to talk about training Soldiers. One of the items he highlighted was the Expert Infantryman and Expert Soldier skill badges, what he collectively called “E2B.”
“It is the way we are moving forward in the Army,” Arzabala said, noting opportunities to train for and achieve badge certifications will next take place on the installation in the spring of 2025, with the goal, “to make sure you have the opportunity to leave better than you arrived.”
Turning his attention to the MSCoE and Fort Leonard Wood standards book, Arzabala asked service members to pull out their copies of the book.
The book, which was published in November 2023, is intended for all service members and Department of Defense civilians on the installation, including those assigned to tenant units and those at Fort Leonard Wood temporarily. Its purpose, Arzabala said, is not to provide additional standards but to summarize TRADOC and Army regulatory requirements and expectations.
“It is about us maintaining our standards and discipline,” Arzabala said.
Fort Leonard Wood service members are required to carry a copy of the book — electronically, if they choose — with them while in duty unform, the exception being the Army Physical Fitness Uniform.
Arzabala reminded the group that they are “sensors” for each other. He pointed out the greeting of the day isn’t just a regulation, “it is our duty to check on each other,” to help build a cohesive team and prevent harmful behaviors.
In addition to the town hall being a vital source to share information, Beck also reminded the attendees about the weekly Arrive Strong community fair that takes place at 11 a.m. Thursdays in the USO, and he invited everyone to attend, no matter how long they have lived in the area.
“The Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation team has worked extensively to create activities and provide resources to make this a great place to live,” Beck said. “We want to be sure if you are assigned here, you enjoy your time here.”
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