FORT HUACHUCA, Ariz. — The U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence (USAICoE) hosted foreign defense attachés and their spouses Sept. 16, as part of the Department of the Army G2 Foreign Attaché orientation program.
The foreign attaché delegation was led by Brig. Gen. Aida Borras and consisted of attachés from 19 countries. The attachés were the most senior military members in their embassy serving as a representative of their country’s defense establishment. They play a critical role in our diplomatic ties and security cooperation activities.
The USAICoE Commanding General Maj. Gen. Rick Appelhans and his spouse, Shannon, welcomed the delegation to Fort Huachuca. This was the attachés first installation visit, and it was programmed to showcase the rich history of Fort Huachuca, the facilities, and capabilities of each major command. The tour also consisted of a separate schedule for their spouses, to highlight the unique features of the post and quality of life in Southern Arizona.
The visit kicked off with a meet and greet with USAICoE senior leaders and the 111th Military Intelligence Brigade Commander, Col. Patrick Schorpp. During the brigade’s presentation, Schorpp explained that “the most important mission we do is develop intelligence warfighters”. He emphasized the need for every intelligence Soldiers to be experts in the fundamentals and have a strong foundation of warrior tasks and battle drills.
The Brigade shared the various initiatives that its battalions implement to remain current on how formations fight, and how they are learning from the current environment.
After the attachés had lunch at the Weinstein Dining Facility, they toured the 305th Military Intelligence Advanced Individual Training (AIT) barracks. The Bravo Company drill sergeants briefed the attachés on a “day in the life” of an AIT Soldier and the Soldierization process.
Sgt. 1st Class Rachael Smith explained to the attachés that the Soldierization process starts at Basic Combat Training and continues during AIT. She emphasized the importance of mentoring Soldiers, not only on Army life, but the foundational skills needed to excel as an adult, such as finance classes, resiliency, and advanced education opportunities.
During the afternoon, the attachés visited the Network Enterprise and Technology Command (NETCOM) and received an informative brief on NETCOM’s global mission. NETCOM leads the Army’s global operations for the Army’s portion of the Department of Defense information network. The group then toured the 2-13th Aviation Regiment, where they learned about Unmanned Aerial Systems of the past, as well as the current and emerging capabilities.
The spouse’s visit was a separate, but tailored series of engagements. They participated in a windshield tour of Fort Huachuca learning about the housing areas, hospital, dental clinic, elementary and middles schools before stopping by the historic Buffalo Soldier monument. The spouses had lunch at Appelhans’ house, also known as Quarters 1, and then visited one of Electronic Proving Ground’s test facilities and the Archaeological Cultural Resource Center where curators showcased historic and prehistoric artifacts found on Fort Huachuca.
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