First US Army
"First In Deed"
First Army mobilizes, trains, validates, and deploys Reserve Component (RC) units IAW Combatant Commander, Department of the Army, and FORSCOM directives. As directed, provides training to Joint, Combined, and Active Army Forces. Soldiers train at one of 10 Mobilization Training Centers to support the War on Terror and other contingency operations
First Army is transforming along with the Army, to support Army Force Generation (ARFORGEN) and continue the mission to train, validate and deploy Reserve Component (RC) units. The Army is undergoing the most comprehensive transformation since World War II and in an era of persistent conflict the America’s RC forces have transitioned from a strategic reserve to operational forces that mobilize as part of the ARFORGEN cycle for routine periods of employment and potential contingency operations.
First Army’s legacy training support strategy, organizational design and infrastructure were based on the Army’s Training Support XXI mission, and were developed prior to the present realities of constant mobilization of RC forces. The training support was based on providing regional pre-mobilization training support to 16 Enhanced Separate Brigades and other Army National Guard and Reserve units. Today, the Army National Guard has modular brigade combat teams (BCT) and along with the Army Reserve they are transforming into an operational reserve requiring cyclical pre- and post-mobilization training support to prepare RC units for deployment.
First Army commands two divisions with 16 Training Support Brigades (TSB) consisting of 103 Active and Reserve Component Training Support Battalions (TSBn) operating at 10 Mobilization Training Centers (MTC). The brigades and battalions conduct post-mobilization training for all RC forces deploying in support of contingency operations and also train Service-members from sister services deploying to support traditional Army missions.
Fifth U.S. Army, Fort Sam Houston, Texas, assumed the DSCA responsibility nationwide and be known as U.S. Army North, or ARNORTH, under U.S. Northern Command. First Army had also conducted Homeland Defense in support of national objectives as well as providing Department of Defense support of civilian authorities, such as relief efforts after Hurricane Katrina.
The Army’s transformation necessitated restructuring the roles and missions of First Army and Fifth Army to support reserve component modularity and the Army Force Generation process known as ARFORGEN. First U.S. Army’s training mission expanded 16 January 2006 to include training, readiness oversight and mobilization for US Army Reserve and National Guard units throughout the continental United States and two US territories. The transition of the expanded geographic mission began in mid-December 2005 with the transfer of authority between First Army and Fifth Army for the Western United States. Previously, First Army trained, mobilized and deployed U.S. Army Reserve and National Guard units in the eastern United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
In its new role, First U.S. Army continued to report directly to FORSCOM, Fort McPherson, Ga., and had two subordinate multi-component headquarters -- one training division in the western United States and one training division in the East. When established, these two divisions supported Reserve Component training, readiness and mobilization. Additionally, each western state’s senior Army advisor to the Army National Guard; the 75th Training Support Division in Houston, Texas; and the 91st Training Support Division at Camp Parks, Calif.; were reassigned as part of First U.S. Army. The western divisions joined with the 78th Training Support Division in Edison, N.J.; the 85th Training Support Division in Arlington Heights, Ill.; and the 87th Training Support Division in Birmingham, Ala., already assigned to First Army. With the majority of First Army units assigned to locations other than the MTCs, many of First Army’s Soldiers had either been on temporary duty (TDY) or had a temporary change of station (TCS) – for as many as 270 days a year – for four consecutive years. This CONUS “deployment” while assigned to First Army is a significant quality of life issue and places stress on the Soldiers’ Families. Furthermore, many of the facilities where First Army's 12,000 Soldiers and civilians work are also temporary or outdated.
Because of the changing training environment, First Army has initiated a comprehensive organizational transformation to permanently reorganize and re-station our units and trainers at the MTCs where they currently train and operate. It is nested within the Army Campaign Plan to position First Army to meet the future challenges of mobilization training for persistent conflict and it is synchronized within the ARFORGEN process.
Organizational transformation began in early 2008 with the re-stationing of four TSBs and five TSBns to where they were already operating at Camp Atterbury, Fort Bliss, Fort Hood and Fort Dix. That immediately increased the Soldier’s quality of life, and also reduced TDY and TCS costs. Using existing facilities reduced the re-stationing costs and allowed for rapid unit movements. This portion of transformation will continue through 2012 as other units are moved to their training locations.
As part of transforming its infrastructure, First Army will consolidate training at fewer MTCs in order to focus its expertise and resources. These MTCs will concentrate efforts on specific mission sets required for the current fight while maintaining the ability and flexibility to support any mission that the Army or combatant commanders will require in the future. For example, aviation training will be focused at Fort Hood, Texas and detainee operations will be focused at Fort Bliss, Texas, but First Army will retain the flexibility to train these missions wherever and whenever needed.
The third portion of the transformation strategy is to transform the training support strategy. The units are arriving at the MTCs better prepared than they were before. The entire training process has improved and the units do not have to start from scratch, their Soldiers are experienced and many have deployed multiple times. First Army will continue to gather feedback from theater on the latest tactic, techniques and procedures using our network of liaison officers throughout theater. This information is used to adapt and adjust training for the deploying units.
As the operational tempo changes, First Army will return to training for full-spectrum operations. The MTCs will be capable of providing a combat training center–like experience for RC forces during their mission readiness exercises and command post exercises. It’s an ambitious plan, but one that benefits the Army by enhancing the post-mobilization training to a “CTC-like” experience. It also reduces operating costs because of brigade/battalion consolidation at fewer MTCs. More importantly, it benefits the Soldier and the Soldier’s family because they’ll have more time together and more predictability to their assignments and deployments.
The First Army transformation end-state will be well-resourced, mission-focused training executed at enduring MTCs, allowing divisions and modular/functional brigades and forces required by the combatant commanders to operate within ARFORGEN cycle while conserving considerable Army resources.
