February 16, 2017 –
More than 140 attendees among the 9th Mission Support Command (MSC) units filled the Specialist Anthony Bongo Hall at the Daniel K. Inouye US Army Reserve Complex, Feb. 13-18, for the 9th Mission Support Command's 2017 Commander's Conference.
The purpose of the conference was to aid commands in better understanding the 9th MSC's commanding general's top priorities, and to develop plans for incorporating those priorities into training during the next five years.
9th MSC Mission
Brig. Gen. Stephen Curda, Commander of the 9th MSC, Ft. Shafter, Hawaii, described the mission of the U.S. Army Pacific Command, as a force that protects and defends, in concert with other U.S. government agencies, the territory of the United States, its people, and its interests.
“With allies and partners, we will enhance the stability in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region, by promoting security cooperation, responding to contingencies, deterring aggression, and when necessary, fighting to win,” said Curda.
Total Army – Mission Command
Gen. Robert B. Brown, Commanding General, U.S. Army Pacific (USARPAC) opened the discussion on Monday, stressing the importance of readiness and integrating the 'Total Army' concept among all troops.
The Total Army philosophy encompasses Active Duty Army, Army Reserve, and National Guard troops as a Total Army force. According to Brown, part of the Total Army philosophy includes seeking out integrated training exercise opportunities to help troops develop the capabilities and mindset to become proficient at maneuvering into multiple domains and creating multiple dilemmas for adversaries.
Brown indicated that our military must be able to respond to greater complexity, as multi-lateral exercises have replaced bilateral exercises; and multi-domain battle capabilities offer much more powerful forces, to include air, land, sea, cyber, and space.
"We must be ready to fight--tonight," said the four-star. "Readiness is key."
Brown explained the importance of adopting a 'mission command' philosophy, in which Soldiers understand the mission, understand the commander's intent, and are empowered to take prudent risks. He also stressed the importance of inner-operability among joint services.
"You can't do multi-domain battle without mission command," said Brown. "Initiative and empowerment are our advantage--people are our key to success."
Common Operating Picture
Attendees welcomed the opportunity to develop a shared philosophy while networking with peers and leaders.
"The most important thing we've gained from this is a common operating picture of U.S. Army Reserve Command (USARC) initiatives, USARPAC initiatives, and Total Army initiatives, as well as training exercises," said Maj. Matthew Strickland, Operations Officer, 3rd Mission Support Group (MSG), Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. "And more importantly, how those exercises are evaluated, and how our units will be evaluated in the future."
Sgt. 1st Class Laurinda Nabors, Human Resources Non-commissioned Officer, Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 3rd MSG, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, gained tools to employ at her command.
"I am going to take back a better understanding of the Training Leader Development Guidance, the commander's priorities, the mission command objectives, and the training requirements that we need in order to stay compliant within the command," said Nabors. "We're going to ensure our Soldiers are ready to fight--tonight!"
Col. Vamin Cha, Commander, 658 Regional Support Group (RSG), South Korea expressed appreciation of the gathering of senior leaders.
“My take-away from the conference is having all the senior leadership come in and give their particular vision,” said Cha. “It is always good to see a broad overview of what is going on instead of just looking at your own little piece of the world. By knowing the big picture, you can help Soldiers understand. I think having the commanding general and his staff explain their concepts for the years ahead, and go through all the details as to what his visions are for the theater, makes our jobs easier in coming up with a plan to make sure we’re synched with his requirements.”
The 9th MSC, consists of more than 3,500 Army Reserve Soldiers and 160 civilians from Alaska, American Samoa, Japan, Korea, Guam and Saipan. The 9th MSC is headquartered at Ft. Shafter Flats, Honolulu, Hawaii.