National Commission on the Future of the Army via The Fort Campbell Courier
July 23, 2015
Two commissioners from the National Commission on the Future of the Army spent Tuesday morning at Fort Campbell as part of their congressionally-mandated mission.
The NCFA, made up of eight commissioners appointed by Congress and the President, has been charged with examining the structure of the Army and issues related to its size and force mix. The Commission will make recommendations to the Congress and President on how to modify the Army’s structure based on anticipated mission requirements, acceptable levels of risk, and anticipated resources. The Commission will also specifically examine the transfer of all Army National Guard AH-64 Apache attack helicopters to the Regular Army. The Commission will issue its report no later than Feb. 1, 2016.
As part of its examination, NCFA Commissioners have made several site visits around to country to elicit the opinions and tap the expertise of Soldiers, stakeholders, and other interested parties. NCFA Chairman Gen. Carter Ham (USA, Ret.) and Commissioner Lt. Gen. Jack Stultz (USAR, Ret.) began their morning at Fort Campbell meeting with the Deputy Adjutant General of the Tennessee National Guard, Maj. Gen. Jeffrey H. Holmes, as well as the Commander of the 278th Armor Brigade Combat Team, Col. Darrell Darnbush.
“We were particularly interested in the partnerships the National Guard has built with its active duty neighbors and the overall ability to conduct multi-component training.” Ham said, “The importance of ensuring readiness of the Total Army Force in a fiscally constrained environment is critical to sustaining the relationships (among active and reserve components) formed through 14 years of combat.”
Cornerstone to the engagements on Fort Campbell was a meeting with the 101st Airborne Division (Commander, Maj. Gen. Gary J. Volesky, his brigade commanders, and command sergeants major. Last month, the 101st Airborne Division became the first division headquarters to convert to a multicomponent unit division headquarters.
“The multicomponent unit division headquarters is a transformative element that the Commission is examining.” Commissioner Stultz said. Its purpose is to fully-integrate Reserve and National Guard Soldiers into the active duty force structure. Stultz added, “This helps close gaps in the exercise of operational authority and establish a cohesive, mutually-supportive headquarters, which is a great example of an efficiency that could be used across the Army.”