Army Retired Gen. Larry Ellis, center, a member of the National Commission on the Future of the Army, discusses the needs of the 4th Infantry Division Mission Command Element in Germany and Europe at the MCE headquarters in Grafenwoehr, Germany, July 29, 2015, as Brig. Gen. Timothy J. Daugherty, right, deputy commanding general, 4th Inf. Div. and Fort Carson, looks on. The commission visited the installation as part of a trip to Germany to determine what the Army needs to remain effective down the road. (Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Jacob A. McDonald)
By Sgt. 1st Class Jacob A. McDonald
4th Infantry Division Public Affairs Office
GRAFENWOEHR, Germany — Members of the National Commission on the Future of the Army (NCFA) visited Grafenwoehr, Germany, July 29, 2015, to reach out to units on the ground conducting missions in Europe, including regionally aligned forces (RAF) under Operation Atlantic Resolve, and learn about where the Army is going.
The visit was part of a multiple-day trip around Germany where members of the NCFA visited various headquarters to conduct a comprehensive study of the roles and structure of the Army and policy assumptions related to the size and force mixture of the Army in light of the projected security environment.
“The world has changed,” said Retired Army Gen. Larry Ellis, a member of the commission, “It’s time to go back and review (the structure of the Army) at a global level to be ready for the future.”
While on the installation, the group visited the 4th Infantry Division Mission Command Element Headquarters, the 405th Army Forward Sustainment Brigade European Activity Set and the Joint Multinational Training Command.
The commission spoke with leaders from the 4th Inf. Div. and 21st Theater Sustainment Command about the RAF mission, the division’s current force commitment to three combatant commands and the division headquarters’ resourcing of the MCE. Discussion centered on whether the current division force structure is adequate to sustain the RAF mission.
Brig. Gen. Timothy Daugherty, deputy commanding general, 4th Inf. Div., who is currently heading the MCE, said the RAF is effective and provides a glimpse at the future of the Army.
“We are the entity bringing synergy from (U.S. Army Europe) and higher to the units on the ground,” Daugherty said. “It’s a unique mission set.”
A common theme throughout the visit was how to meet mission requirements and sustain operational tempo with fewer Soldiers as the Army continues to reduce its end strength to 450,000 Soldiers.
“As the Army gets smaller we have to squeeze every last bit of efficiency we can,” said Maj. Gen. Duane Gamble, commanding general, 21st TSC, who was escorting the group. “Doing less isn’t an option. We have to be smarter about what we are doing today.”
Anticipating the needs of the Army and the resources associated with those needs is part of the commission’s mandate, said Thomas Lamont, vice chair of the commission.
“We want to identify any issues and recommend how to overcome those issues,” Lamont said. “This has been a very valuable session for us.”
The group will continue to study the Army with visits to various active-duty and Army Reserve installations as well as meeting with state governors to discuss the role of the National Guard.
The commission was established by the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015 to examine the structure of the total Army — active, reserve and National Guard — from the standpoint of future threats and risk. They will submit a report containing a comprehensive study of the Army and their recommendations to the president and Congress by Feb. 1.