The Army announced today the implementation of a new "Associated Units" pilot program that establishes formal relationships between identified units across the active-duty Army, Reserve and National Guard that would allow those units to train together before deployment.
"Much of America's Army's capacity is resident in the Reserve Components and we must rely more heavily on them to meet the demands of a complex global environment," Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley said in a statement, adding: "The Associated Units pilot allows us to leverage the capabilities and capacities of the Active Component, Army Reserve and the Army National Guard as One Army."
Army Reserve chief Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Talley said in the same statement that the new pilot program "facilitates readiness and strategic depth across components. These units will train, build readiness, and ultimately fight as One Army."
Georgia-based units will be the first ones to set up the pilot effort, beginning this summer, according to the statement.
Task Force 1-28 Infantry, an active-duty Army infantry battalion stationed at Ft. Benning, GA, will be associated with the 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, a Georgia Army National Guard unit. Additionally, the 48th Infantry Brigade will be associated with the active-duty 3rd Infantry Division, stationed at Ft. Stewart.
Army National Guard Director Lt. Gen. Timothy Kadavy said the soldiers of Task Force 1-28 and the soldiers of the Georgia Army National Guard's 48th Infantry Brigade would wear the 3rd Infantry Division's patch.
"This brigade will train and, if called to do so, deploy and fight with the 3rd Infantry Division as an Associated Unit," Kadavy said. "These units will develop relationships and standards in home station so they may fight together in combat without having to meet on the battlefield and figure these things out."
In addition to the Georgia-based units, the following additional units will be associated under the Associated Units pilot this summer, according to the statement:
* The 1st Battalion, 143 Infantry Regiment from the Texas Army National Guard will be associated to the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team stationed in Vicenza, Italy;
* The 1st Battalion, 151 Infantry Regiment from the Indiana Army National Guard will be associated to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division stationed in Schofield Barracks, Hawaii;
* The Hawaii-based 100th Battalion, 442 Infantry Regiment, U.S. Army Reserve, will be associated with the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division stationed in Schofield Barracks, Hawaii;
* The 81st Armored Brigade Combat Team, Washington Army National Guard, will be associated with the 7th Infantry Division stationed in Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington;
* The 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, stationed in Fort Polk, Louisiana, will be associated with the Texas Army National Guard's 36th Infantry Division;
* The 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team from the Vermont Army National Guard will be associated with the 10th Mountain Division, stationed in Fort Drum, New York;
* The North Carolina-based 824th Quartermaster Company, U.S. Army Reserve, will be associated with the 82nd Sustainment Brigade, stationed in Fort Bragg, North Carolina;
* The 249th Transportation Company, Texas Army National Guard, and the 1245th Transportation Company, Oklahoma Army National Guard, will be associated with the 1st Cavalry Division Sustainment Brigade, stationed in Fort Hood, Texas;
* The 840th Engineer Company, Texas Army National Guard, will be associated with the 36th Engineer Brigade, stationed in Fort Hood, Texas;
* The 1176th Transportation Company, Tennessee Army National Guard and the 2123rd Transportation Company, Kentucky Army National Guard, will be associated with the 101st Sustainment Brigade, stationed in Fort Campbell, Kentucky; and
* The 5th Engineer Battalion, stationed in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, will be associated with the 35th Engineer Brigade from the Missouri Army National Guard.