FORT LIBERTY, N.C. (August 1, 2024) – For any organization to function and thrive there must be a clear plan with direction. For the new senior Army leaders within U.S. Army Forces Command, that plan and direction was provided during the FORSCOM Senior Leader Orientation held at Fort Liberty, N.C., July 31 to Aug. 1.
Each person in the room brings decades of experience with them to the table, according to Gen. Andrew Poppas, the FORSCOM commanding general. This is experience which was cultivated and developed together, he said. He explained there is no other organization that so uniquely comes together, grows together and serves together. He emphasized the friendships and relationships that have been built, the shared history, and how those relationship will be called upon.
“The experience that brought you into the room,” said Poppas. “I need you to share it while in this room. I need you to share that perspective, share that experience.”
Warfighting is the number one priority for the Chief of Staff of the Army. FORSCOM exists to build warfighting capability. Defining what readiness looks like is a difficult task as the battlefield continues to evolve and change, as shown with the conflict in the Ukraine.
“Warfighting is changing before our eyes,” Poppas said. “The proliferation of unmanned aerial systems and how to incorporate them. I think we are behind right now. You don’t see them in your formations, but the Combat Training Centers are incorporating that – both offense and defense. It’s happening on the battlefield today and we’re not there yet.”
To win the first fight, Poppas explained, means the Soldiers at the squad, platoon and company levels must be masters of the fundamentals, the basics. However, the fight does not stop there. Leaders must plan for the follow-on fight. Being able to work simultaneously, not sequentially is essential to win on today’s battlefield.
“Winning the future fight is different now than it was two years ago,” Poppas explained. “How do we build those warfighting commanders? How do we incorporate the new capabilities that we have in the formations?”
Using recently incorporated new tanks, Bradley Fighting Vehicles, and UAS systems as an example, Poppas went on to explain that getting this new equipment into the hands of Soldiers and allowing them time to train on it is more difficult now than ever. The demands on Army formations are higher now than ever and not expected to go down.
“We need all COMPOS to win,” Poppas stated, referring to the vital roles of the Army National Guard and Army Reserve. “The first fight, the future fight, everything we are doing. You have to look no further than Ukraine in 2022. We have to fight together.”
For the active duty, National Guard and Army Reserve to fight together they need the opportunity to work together. Changing how these organizations train is underway to tie in the Guard and Reserve with the divisions and corps. Building efficiency and interoperability between the COMPOS is crucial to winning on the modern battlefield.
“Winning trust and empowering our leaders. This is the human dimension to what we do,” Poppas said.
COVID changed the way Soldiers interacted with each other and their leaders. However, getting back to face-to-face interactions is vital. The morning formations and human interactions are how leaders learn about their Soldiers. Knowing and understanding the Soldiers within the ranks builds trust, confidence and discipline. That trust and discipline must be developed in training and prior to deployments.
“Its about the human dimensions,” he said. “It’s about understanding the goals and the challenges, the short comings, and compensating for those. Where we have to work is keeping the team together. Because it’s about being present, it’s about being engaged, it’s about building the formations.”
“You’re going to continue to build these relationships,” Poppas continued. “The communication between commanders, DCGs throughout all the COMPOS. Information comes with the relationships and the sharing, the opportunity to have these touch points and come together.”
Poppas stressed the importance of senior leaders reaching out to junior Soldiers and imparting their knowledge and experience, saying that mentorship is critical to building strong leaders and building relationships.
The second day of the FSLO kicked started with a morning physical fitness competition of “Trash Can Football” to get the blood pumping and build essential comradery. During this physical training session, Gen. Poppas reiterated to FORCOSM leaders the importance of being present and setting the standard, a message he shared earlier with the group during the first day of the conference.
“At the division level,” said Poppas. “You are out on the street … and the worst the weather the more visible you have to be. You’ve got to be out there to set the example physically. It’s a demanding job.”
During the two-day symposium, the topic of readiness played a large part in each discussion. Being able to communicate readiness and have that message received and understood are vital. The Combat Training Centers -- the Joint Readiness Training Center and the National Training Center -- are changing tactics and their way of training. Enhancing readiness by changing the way training is approached.
Command Sgt. Maj. TJ Holland, FORSCOM Command Sergeant Major, described how Russia considered modern concepts of readiness and lethality, but somewhat returned to the historic Soviet concepts of mass over maneuver and quantity over quality on the Ukraine battlefield. As the nature of warfare evolves, so must the tactics used in combat, the way Soldiers are trained, and the methods they are assessed by to ensure the effectiveness of warfighting formations.
The Chief of Staff of the Army, Gen. Randy George, joined the FSLO during the second day. He spoke on several topics from recruiting, modernization and budget to upcoming deployments. He emphasized the importance of talking about what we are doing and why we are doing it. The second focus area Gen. George addressed was the need to change how Soldiers are trained at home station. Removing the barriers to a real-world style of training, such as training with unmanned aerial systems.
“We want you focused on lethality and building cohesive teams,” said George. “You should ask the question every time you are doing something: is this going to make us more lethal? Is this going to help us build stronger teams.”
Gen. George concluded his time with the new FORSCOM leaders by stressing the need to share lessons learned.
“We have to get people talking and sharing our lessons, but doing it in a way that is professional,” Gen. George explained. “That’s what professionals do. I think this is critically important to us. This is the foundation.”
– Freedom’s Guardian –
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