United States Army Forces Command
United States Army Forces Command | |
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![]() FORSCOM's shoulder sleeve insignia | |
Active | 1973–present |
Country | ![]() |
Branch | ![]() |
Type | Army Command |
Role | Provide combat-ready army forces to regional combatant commands[1] |
Garrison/HQ | Fort Bragg |
Motto(s) | Freedom's Guardian |
Website | www |
Commanders | |
Current commander | GEN Robert B. Abrams |
Deputy commander | LTG Laura J. Richardson |
Notable commanders | Complete list of commanders |
Insignia | |
Distinctive unit insignia | ![]() |
United States Army Forces Command (FORSCOM) is the largest United States Army command and provider of expeditionary, regionally engaged, campaign-capable land forces to combatant commanders. Headquartered at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, FORSCOM consists of more than 750,000 Active Army, U.S. Army Reserve, and Army National Guard soldiers. FORSCOM provides enhanced land power gaining operational depth and versatility through a mix of fully integrated Active and Reserve Component forces operating in a joint, interagency, intergovernmental, and multinational (JIIM) environment. Its organizations are expeditionary, campaign focused, and tailorable to provide combatant commanders the required capabilities to be decisive across the range of military operations. FORSCOM was created on July 1, 1973, from the former Continental Army Command (CONARC).
Mission and vision
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The mission of the command: "Forces Command trains and prepares a combat ready, globally responsive Total Force in order to build and sustain readiness to meet Combatant Command requirements."
The vision of the command is: "Combat ready and globally responsive Total Army Forces that are well led, disciplined, trained, and expeditionary … ready now to deploy and win in a complex world."
The Army command provides Army forces to the joint war fight. FORSCOM prepares U.S. Army conventional forces to provide a sustained flow of trained and ready land power to combatant commanders in defense of the nation at home and abroad.
For the Army of 2020, FORSCOM provides enhanced land power gaining operational depth and versatility through a mix of fully integrated Active and Reserve Component forces operating in a joint, interagency, intergovernmental, and multinational environment. Organizations will be expeditionary, campaign focused, and tailorable to provide combatant commanders the required capabilities to be decisive across the range of military operations.
Overview
FORSCOM tailors the resources and training of its units to meet the specific and constantly changing requirements of combatant commanders and, when directed, of U.S. civil authorities. Those requirements range from preparing soldiers to fight on the battlefields of Afghanistan and Iraq, to providing relief to disaster victims. The command remains at the point of the effort to transform the Army into a more deployable and maneuverable lethal force. This shift to a modular force design increases the number of units available to support regional combatant commanders. It will expand the available force pool and mandate a standard set of force structures organized and equipped to be interchangeable.
The capabilities of the new brigade-level formations – armor, infantry, airborne, air assault and Stryker – ensure greater flexibility and enhance FORSCOM’s ability to deploy trained and ready forces quickly.
FORSCOM has major units located at 15 installations, including the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California and the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, Louisiana. They present training scenarios constantly updated to reflect changing battlefield conditions and to incorporate lessons learned. Soldiers are presented with complex, cross-cultural challenges by large numbers of role players who act as combatants and foreign citizens. NTC and JRTC have urban combat landscapes and cave and tunnel complexes to simulate current and potential wartime environments.
As directed by law, and in accordance with the recommendations of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission, Fort McPherson, Georgia, closed and FORSCOM relocated to Fort Bragg, North Carolina. A new FORSCOM/U.S. Army Reserve Command Headquarters facility completed construction at Fort Bragg, in June 2011. Forces Command hosted an Army "Casing of the Colors" ceremony on 24 June 2011 at Fort McPherson, and an "Uncasing of Colors" on 1 Aug. 2011 at Fort Bragg.
Lineage
- U.S. Army Ground Forces, 1942–1948
- U.S. Army Field Forces, 1948–1955
- Continental Army Command (CONARC), 1955–1973
- U.S. Army Forces Command, 1973–1987
- U.S. Forces Command (Specified Command), 1987–1993
- U.S. Army Forces Command, 1993–present
Active component
During the Cold War, Forces Command supervised a number of armies each responsible for areas of the continental United States: First Army, Fourth Army, Fifth Army, and Sixth Army, at various times. Their responsibilities varied over time, but from the 1980s to the mid-1990s covered Reserve Component training supervision. FORSCOM currently commands U.S. Army Reserve Command, and First Army.
FORSCOM also commands three Army corps: I Corps at Fort Lewis, Washington; III Corps at Fort Hood, Texas; and XVIII Airborne Corps at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Together the three corps include nine divisions, one cavalry regiment, 37 support brigades of various types, and a range of other corps combat, combat support and combat service support units.
First U.S. Army is responsible for training, mobilization and deployment support to Reserve Component and National Guard units in FORSCOM. They also execute FORSCOM missions within their geographic areas of responsibility. First U.S. Army at Rock Island Army Arsenal, Ill., reports to FORSCOM. It is responsible for the training, mobilization and deployment support for reserve component units in FORSCOM. It executes missions within the continental United States and Puerto Rico.
United States Army Reserve
A major subordinate command of Forces Command is the United States Army Reserve Command (USARC), also is headquartered (in the same building as FORSCOM)[2] at Fort Bragg, N.C. It commands all Army Reserve units in the continental United States, except those assigned to Special Operations Command. FORSCOM's Army Reserve strength stands at about 179,000 soldiers.
USARC units are part of the Federal force and make their primary contribution to FORSCOM combat power in combat support and combat service support specialties, such as medical, civil affairs, transportation, maintenance and supply. Many USARC units are designated to deploy early for contingency operations worldwide.
Army National Guard
The Army National Guard provides Forces Command a balanced force of eight National Guard combat divisions, 15 brigades, and extensive combat support and combat service support units.
The current FORSCOM Army National Guard strength is approximately 351,000 soldiers. Mobilizing the Army National Guard into active federal service would bring the total strength of FORSCOM to nearly two-thirds of the Army's combat ground forces.
Subordinate units
- United States Army Forces Command, Fort Bragg, (North Carolina)
- United States Army Reserve Command, Fort Bragg, (North Carolina)
- First United States Army, Rock Island Arsenal, (Illinois)
- First Army Division East, Fort Knox, (Kentucky)
- 4th Cavalry Brigade, Fort Knox, (Kentucky)
- 157th Infantry Brigade, Fort Jackson, (South Carolina)
- 174th Infantry Brigade, Fort Drum, (New York)
- 177th Armored Brigade, Camp Shelby, (Mississippi)
- 188th Infantry Brigade, Fort Stewart, (Georgia)
- First Army Division West, Fort Hood, (Texas)
- 5th Armored Brigade, Fort Bliss, (Texas)
- 120th Infantry Brigade, Fort Hood, (Texas)
- 181st Infantry Brigade, Fort McCoy, (Wisconsin)
- 189th Infantry Brigade, Fort Lewis, (Washington)
- First Army Division East, Fort Knox, (Kentucky)
- I Corps, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, (Washington)
- 7th Infantry Division, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, (Washington)
- 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division
- 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division
- 81st Stryker Brigade Combat Team (Washington Army National Guard)
- 2nd Infantry Division Artillery
- 16th Combat Aviation Brigade
- 17th Field Artillery Brigade
- 555th Engineer Brigade
- 201st Military Intelligence Brigade
- 593rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, (Washington)
- 7th Infantry Division, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, (Washington)
- III Corps, Fort Hood, (Texas)
- 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, (Kansas)
- 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, (Texas)
- 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team
- 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team
- 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team
- 1st Cavalry Division Artillery
- Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division
- 1st Cavalry Division Sustainment Brigade
- 1st Armored Division, Fort Bliss, (Texas)
- 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team
- 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team
- 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team
- 1st Armored Division Artillery
- Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Armored Division
- 1st Armored Division Sustainment Brigade
- 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, (Colorado)
- 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team
- 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team
- 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team
- 4th Infantry Division Artillery
- Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division
- 4th Infantry Division Sustainment Brigade
- 11th Signal Brigade, at Fort Hood, (Texas)
- 75th Field Artillery Brigade, (Fort Sill), (Oklahoma)
- 36th Engineer Brigade, Fort Hood, (Texas)
- 3rd Cavalry Regiment, Fort Hood, (Texas)
- 504th Military Intelligence Brigade, Fort Hood, (Texas)
- 89th Military Police Brigade, Fort Hood, (Texas)
- 1st Medical Brigade, Fort Hood, (Texas)
- 13th Sustainment Command, Fort Hood, (Texas)
- XVIII Airborne Corps, Fort Bragg, (North Carolina)
- 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, (Georgia)
- 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team
- 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team
- 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Georgia Army National Guard)
- Task Force 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, Fort Benning, (Georgia)
- 3rd Infantry Division Artillery
- Combat Aviation Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division
- 3rd Infantry Division Sustainment Brigade
- 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, (New York)
- 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, (North Carolina)
- 1st Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne)
- 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne)
- 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne)
- 82nd Airborne Division Artillery
- Combat Aviation Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division
- 82nd Airborne Division Sustainment Brigade
- 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, (Kentucky)
- 1st Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Air Assault)
- 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Air Assault)
- 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Air Assault)
- 101st Airborne Division Artillery
- Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division
- 101st Airborne Division Sustainment Brigade
- 18th Field Artillery Brigade, Fort Bragg, (North Carolina)
- 20th Engineer Brigade, Fort Bragg, (North Carolina)
- 16th Military Police Brigade, Fort Bragg, (North Carolina)
- 3rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), Fort Knox
- 7th Transportation Brigade, Fort Eustis, (Virginia)
- 525th Military Intelligence Brigade, Fort Bragg, (North Carolina)
- 35th Signal Brigade, Fort Gordon, (Georgia)
- 44th Medical Brigade, Fort Bragg, (North Carolina)
- 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, (Georgia)
- 20th Support Command (CBRNE), Aberdeen Proving Ground, (Maryland)
- 48th Chemical Brigade, at Fort Hood, (Texas)
- 52nd Ordnance Group (EOD), Fort Campbell, (Kentucky)
- 71st Ordnance Group (EOD), Fort Carson, (Colorado)
- 32nd Army Air & Missile Defense Command Fort Bliss, (Texas)
- 11th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, Fort Bliss, (Texas)
- 31st Air Defense Artillery Brigade, Fort Sill, (Oklahoma)
- 69th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, Fort Hood, (Texas)
- 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, Fort Bragg, (North Carolina)
- Fort Irwin National Training Center
- Joint Readiness Training Center
- 85th Civil Affairs Brigade
- Air Traffic Services Command
See also
Comparable organizations
- Air Combat Command (U.S. Air Force)
- United States Fleet Forces Command (U.S. Navy)
- United States Marine Corps Forces Command
References
- ^ https://www.forscom.army.mil/Pages/About
- ^ "FORSCOM Command Team Visits Fort Bragg, New Headquarters Site". army.mil. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
External links
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