SAVANNAH, Ga. – With increased demands placed on the Army's logistics headquarters responsible for supporting overseas training missions in the Middle East while simultaneously preparing stateside units that will deploy shortly, there is an unprecedented opportunity for Army National Guard sustainment units to play a key role and increase their proficiency at the same time.
That was the message delivered by representatives of U.S. Army Central (USARCENT) and 1st Theater Sustainment Command last month at the fall 2016 Army Guard's G-3 Readiness and Resourcing Symposium held at the Georgia Air National Guard's Air Dominance Center in Savannah.
"I come here with a message from the leadership of USARCENT and 1st Theater Sustainment Command. The Army National Guard has a huge sustainment capability that is waiting to be leveraged, and they would like to become our partners," Maj. Joel Huft, the chief exercise planner for the Fort Bragg, North Carolina-based 1st TSC, told a crowd of about 50 officers from across the nation on Sept. 19.
The meeting marked the first time representatives from the two major commands with responsibilities for the operations in the Middle East, Central Asia, and South Asia spoke at the semi-annual gathering of the top operational leaders of the 54 States and Territories that comprise the Army Guard. Within this symposium, a separate body meets known as the Plans, Operations, Readiness, Training Advisory Council, or PORTAC.
Seizing on a chance to develop a relationship with the operational organizations that provide oversight and control of Army operations throughout the U.S. Central Command's area, Col. Reginald Cook, the deputy chief of staff for operations and training at the Georgia Army National Guard and national chairman of the PORTAC, invited the speakers.
Cook told the council that it can be difficult for Guard sustainment units to perform "real world" missions until they are in the pre-deployment phase. However, if a unit does send a platoon-size element, and the higher-level command treats that training as a mobilization exercise (MOBEX), the entire staff could meet the necessary Mission Essential Tasks (MET) requirements taking advantage of training opportunities. Essentially, the training gets treated like a deployment because it exercises the entire staff to perform readiness training.
"We need to hear from the Army Service Component Commands (such as USARCENT). If an opportunity presents itself for our maintenance units to get real-world training, and the opportunity is properly forecasted to meet Guard training timelines, it's a win for all," Cook said. "And, it meets the strategic objectives of our most senior leaders."
For Col. Johnney Matthews, the deputy commanding officer of the 1st TSC, the ability to tap into the Army Guard's arsenal would help meet the ever-increasing sustainment requirements in the region. He said the outreach also fits in with the Total Army Force, a priority for the commanding general of 1st TSC, Maj. Gen. Paul C. Hurley Jr., to establish a partnership with all active, Guard, and Reserve units to build an effective and cohesive multi-component team.
"We work with deployed Army National Guard sustainment units on a daily basis," Matthews said. "We know exactly what they are capable of, and if they can help us, we think they will also maintain and improve on their own proficiency."
Spread evenly across the country, the Guard's sustainment community cannot be understated. In all, the Guard comprises 15 percent of the expeditionary sustainment commands, 33 percent of the sustainment brigades, 57 percent of the combat sustainment support battalions, and the only Army component with theater aviation sustainment maintenance groups.
Col. Charles Lawhorn, the senior National Guard advisor at USARCENT whose staff is a direct liaison to the various National Guard commands, said attending the PORTAC meeting was important on many levels. Lawhorn said based on the comments made after the presentation, his office will intensify efforts to swell the partnership opportunities with various Guard units.
"The USARCENT area is the most dynamic, and that hasn't changed in 15 years," he said. "I think there's a clear drumbeat to reach out and educate the many stakeholders on what's available."