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Maneuver Support Center of Excellence and Fort Leonard Wood senior leaders highlighted a few accomplishments and provided an update on several key topics during a town hall for installation residents Nov. 13 at Lincoln Hall Auditorium.
Maj. Gen. Christopher Beck, MSCoE and Fort Leonard Wood commanding general, started off the town hall by saying, “thanks,” to the team for their hard work and accomplishments since the last series of town halls, which took place May 28 through 30.
“You all are doing what the Army needs us to do. Whether you are a part of the garrison team, whether you are a part of our training base or anywhere in between, the reality is, you guys are knocking it out of the park every single day,” Beck said. “What we hear consistently from every senior leader is sheer amazement and gratitude for the work you all are doing for Fort Leonard Wood.”
The first accomplishment Beck mentioned was the first-ever Protection Senior Leader Forum the installation hosted in July.
“That forum was a huge lift for this installation,” said Beck, who noted that hundreds of senior leaders, to include the Army Chief of Staff, visited the post to learn about the Protection Warfighting Function. “The forum was a great opportunity for us to highlight where this team collectively is moving the Army forward.”
Another success for the installation is the increase to basic training, he said.
“We expect to see the growth of two (basic training) companies over the next three to five months,” Beck said. “We’re really excited to increase the basic training on Fort Leonard Wood because … we think you all train them very well.”
The last accomplishment Beck mentioned was the team’s focus on the training mission at Fort Leonard Wood and how it has changed due to the Army’s focus on large-scale combat operations.
“This team continues to improve the lethality focus of the training our Soldiers are doing,” he said. “You guys are continuing to evolve that training, continuing to make it that much more realistic and continuing to ensure the young men and women who leave here and go to their first unit of assignment are ready to support the Army they are going to be a part of.”
Moving onto the key topics, Beck provided updates on seven areas – family housing, Destructive Weather Mitigation Operations, Forney Airfield, Directorate of Family, Morale, Welfare and Recreation initiatives, spouse employment opportunities, Waynesville R-VI School investments and the General Leonard Wood Army Community Hospital replacement hospital timeline.
Family Housing
“We have about 1,800 family housing units on Fort Leonard Wood, and of those, 1,100 were built between 1948 and 1972,” Beck said. “Our partners and the installation have done a really good job at keeping those houses in really good shape, but it’s still a challenge.”
According to Beck, major renovations to existing houses and new builds are on the horizon for Fort Leonard Wood. Drawings for both renovations and new builds are at the Department of Army for review and site walk throughs for prospective contract bidders have taken place. All bids were due Nov. 1. Now, a decision will need to take place between Balfour Beatty Communities, Fort Leonard Wood’s housing partner, and installation leadership on the most effective way forward.
Construction is still planned for the first quarter of calendar year 2025.
Destructive Weather Mitigation Operations, also known as DWMO
Destructive Weather Mitigation Operations, or DWMO, is the installation’s plan if destructive weather, such as snow, ice, hail, tornadoes and flooding, hits. DWMO replaces the installation’s Snow and Ice Removal, or SNAIR, plan. Beck described DWMO as a broader category that SNAIR is a subset of. Delays, impacts and closures to operations are communicated through the installation’s Alert! System, social media and local radio stations.
“The installation is very, very good at leveraging social media to be sure that we are getting the information out,” Beck said. “Let’s be safe, let’s be careful, but let’s be informed.”
Read more about DWMO here.
Forney Airfield
Contour Airlines provides commercial air service from Fort Leonard Wood to Chicago and Dallas, daily, with about 11,000 passengers last year. The current parking adjacent to the commercial terminal building violates Department of Homeland Security and Federal Aviation Administration policy, and as a result, all passenger parking will be moved to the east side of Iowa Avenue, Beck said.
Beck also highlighted that on Friday, Nov. 15, Waynesville and St. Robert, along with leaders from Fort Leonard Wood, will break ground on a second terminal.
“That’s really exciting,” Beck said. “The second terminal will expand our capacity and is a great opportunity.”
Directorate of Family, Morale, Welfare, and Recreation Initiatives
Beck highlighted DFMWR’s tremendous work in getting the Piney Valley Golf Course back up and running after the recent flooding closed the course. The course will reopen Friday, Nov. 15, with 18 holes, though holes four and five will be modified. Patrons will receive a briefing on course conditions upon checking in. Regular rates and hours of operations apply.
“The MWR team is committed,” Beck said. “They work really, really, really hard to ensure you have resources.”
One of those resources Beck pointed out is the Lake of the Ozarks Recreation Area.
“LORA is a hidden gem,” Beck said, “with a lot of investment going on.”
Spousal Employment Opportunities
“One of the things we are really focused on is spousal employment,” Beck said.
He presented a slide with information about employment opportunities at DFMWR and organizations spouses can go to for assistance.
“There are a lot of opportunities and if you are not familiar with the Spouse Resource Center, follow up there, anyone there can help,” he said.
Waynesville R-VI School Investments
After displaying a slide that noted numerous planned updates to the 10 schools in the Waynesville R-VI School District, the school district that serves Fort Leonard Wood, Beck said the district has a master plan on how and when they are going to update the schools. That plan includes a cafeteria expansion in 2025 at the middle school, entrance and parking expansion in 2025 and 2026 at the 6th Grade Center, playground updates for six elementary schools and a projected rebuild for Pick Elementary in 2027 and 2028.
“The school district that is on and off post has continued to evolve and is one of the most impressive school districts I’ve ever seen,” Beck said.
General Leonard Wood Army Community Hospital Replacement Hospital Timeline
Beck did not provide an opening date for the new hospital but said there is a lot of planning happening to determine the first-patient day.
“There’s a lot of energy going into that right now,” Beck said. “And there are a lot of things that need to happen before now and then.”
In addition, Beck said when the opening gets closer, most outpatient clinics will stop seeing patients for three days to conduct movement operations.
“The plan right now is to minimize the shutdown of every one of the outpatient clinics,” he said. “It’s going to be very closely managed, it will be rehearsed, there will not be any surprises.”
Closing out the town hall, MSCoE and Fort Leonard Wood Command Sgt. Maj. Jorge Arzabala thanked everyone for attending.
“This is the dialogue that we need to continue to have to fully understand where the issues are,” Arzabala said. “Thank you for taking the time, and thank you for making this the installation of choice.”
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