Email   Print   Share By Lt. Gen. Don Campbell Jr., III Corps and Fort Hood Commanding General

Facebook Digg Delicious June 21, 2012 | Editorial

The past few weeks have been both challenging and extremely rewarding for III Corps and the many other great units that have participated in and supported the III Corps Warfighter Exercise. This exercise was designed to train III Corps while at the same time informing the Army on what is and is not working in terms of doctrine, force structure and digital systems integration.

This exercise also marks the first time in more than a decade that a corps-level unit has validated its ability to perform its mission command functions for unified land operations. With lots of time and effort by thousands of Soldiers and civilians here at the Great Place, as well as across our Army, the Warfighter has been a resounding success and a world-class training event that we can all be very proud of.

The corps has been planning and training for this event for the past 12 months. There are more than 5,500 Soldiers and civilians from 17 units from across the U.S participating in this computer-based simulation and driven exercise both here at Fort Hood and at Fort Leavenworth, Kan. Units participating include III Corps, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), from Fort Campbell, Ky., the Army National Guard‘s 28th “Keystone” Infantry Division from Pennsylvania and the 35th “Santa Fe” Inf. Div. from Kansas.

This Warfighter is designed to exercise III Corps’ mission command functions and systems. It also helped set the conditions for future operational environments and ensure readiness. One important aspect has been scenarios in which we have been able to interact and improve our functionality with other services and government agencies in order to accomplish the mission. As an open learning organization, we have already gained many valuable lessons during the first week and a half of this exercise. These lessons will not only be valuable to III Corps, but also to other units throughout the Army and the joint force moving forward.

The primary focus of III Corps has been, and will remain, being an adaptive, flexible and responsive force that meets the needs of the Army, the joint force and our nation. This exercise has clearly shown that III Corps is leading the Army as it transitions from the counterinsurgency construct of the past 10 years back to the more inclusive and comprehensive unified land operations. That being said, one of the most important parts of this exercise is examining and utilizing what we have learned in both Iraq and Afghanistan to make our Army better for the future and fulfill our ultimate purpose of fighting and winning our nation’s wars.

Once again, I am extremely proud of the dedication and professionalism I have seen from all our participating units and Soldiers. This premier training event would not have been possible without their hard work and many long hours. This exercise is just one example of how III Corps and all our great Soldiers, Families and community members lead the way and make a difference in all that they do on a daily basis. I am very pleased we have had the opportunity to showcase the Great Place as a world-class training base along with all the phenomenal Soldiers and leaders that make it so special here.

This Warfighter has been instrumental in developing enduring systems for our new and future members of the corps. I am assured we will have a strong and seasoned team as we move forward both here at the headquarters and across all our formations.

Phantom Warriors!

Army Strong!