On Friday 20th November the Forward Command of the reactivated United States Army V Corps was inaugurated at Poznań in Poland.
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Polish MoND Press Release, 20 November 2020: [auto-translation] Less than two weeks ago, President Andrzej Duda ratified the agreement on enhanced military cooperation between the United States and Poland. Today we are witnessing this agreement entering into force. We are witnessing the implementation of the provisions of this agreement. Our joint Polish-American activities serve the security of our Homeland, serve the security of the countries united by the North-Atlantic Alliance, said Mariusz Błaszczak, Minister of National Defence in Poznań.
On Friday, November 20, the head of the Ministry of National Defence participated in the inauguration of the activities of the Forward Command of the 5th Corps of US Army in Poland. The ceremony was also attended by the US Ambassador Georgette Mosbacher and the deputy commander of the 5th Corps, Maj. Gen. Terrence J. McKenrick.
The main task of the Forward Command of the 5th US Army Corps in Poland will be the coordination of activities and supervision of US ground forces deployed in Europe, operational planning, and cooperation and synchronisation of US forces with troops from other NATO countries.
“Cooperation within NATO is the best guarantee of security and stability. We can say that we have become one of the main allies of the US. Our cooperation is exemplary. We carry security, we not only use the security that other allies give us, but we ourselves guarantee security through our participation in the entire system created within NATO” emphasised the Minister.
The command will play a key role in the integration of American troops deployed in Poland and the synchronisation of their cooperation with the Polish Armed Forces. This is a real increase in the interoperability of Polish and American troops.
“Polish activity within NATO is extremely important for the development of security systems on NATO’s eastern flank. We are active when it comes to increasing the numbers of the Polish Army, as well as when it comes to modernising the equipment, “emphasised Minister Mariusz Błaszczak.
During the inauguration, the head of the Ministry of National Defence thanked for the increasingly better development of Polish-American relations. “This is undoubtedly our common success. It is a success that our relations are very close, that our soldiers can train together. Together we are stronger,” he added.
The commencement of the operation of the Forward Command of the V Corps on the territory of the Republic of Poland is the result of the efforts made so far to increase the American military presence in Poland.
The permanent presence of the US Army in Poland is crucial. American troops will be here permanently, not only occasionally. – Forward command of the V Corps is a contribution to security and stability in the region. We will increase our cooperation and we will act hand in hand with our allies from Poland – added the deputy commander of the 5th Corps, Maj. Gen. Terrence J. McKenrick.
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USAREUR Press Release, Wiesbaden, 19 November 2020: The V Corps Headquarters (Forward) will be officially established in Poznań, Poland, during a ceremony tomorrow.
V Corps troops began arriving in Poland last month. The headquarters will continue to build capacity throughout the next year and is expected to be fully operational in November 2021. The mission of V Corps will include command and control of assigned and rotational units in support of US Army Europe and US European Command. The Forward Headquarters will be critical to accomplishing these responsibilities. The Department of the Army reactivated V Corps at Fort Knox, Kentucky, in October 2020.
V Corps will be a major participant in upcoming US European Command exercises to include DEFENDER-Europe 21, planned to take place in the Balkan and Black Sea regions from May to June 2021.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, media availability is limited at the ceremony.
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USAREUR Press Release, 23 November 2020: US Army Europe, Africa now consolidated.
On Nov. 20, the US Army announced the consolidation of US Army Europe and US Army Africa into a single, four-star-led, Army Service Component Command.
The new organisation, known as US Army Europe and Africa, will improve the Army’s ability to meet African and European strategic and operational objectives. Consolidating the ASCCs enables increased agility and the ability to shift forces and assets from one theatre to another in order to support both US Africa and European Commands.
Recently promoted Gen. Christopher G. Cavoli will command the consolidated organisation.”This is not just a consolidation of a headquarters, it’s a consolidation of capabilities across theatres,” said Cavoli. “The European and African theatres are inextricably linked. Their close geography and economic ties mean that regional security issues span both continents. In today’s modern security environment we need to think across the entire hemisphere and not artificially divide problem sets – this consolidation allows that.”
US Army Africa is now the US Army Southern European Task Force – Africa, and their commander, Maj. Gen. Andrew M. Rohling, is dual hatted as the US Army Europe and Africa Deputy Commanding General for Africa.
“The consolidation is good for this command and for our African partners,” said Rohling. “While the structure has changed, our focus has not: we remain committed to working with our African partners on shared security interests.”
SETAF-AF will be responsible for all Army operations and assets in Africa and Italy, to eventually include the 173rd Airborne Brigade. Maintaining direct coordination with US Africa Command, SETAF-AF will focus on its mission as the nucleus of a joint task force for operations on the African continent.
The structure of US Army Europe and Africa has changed quite a bit in the last year. In February, the Department of the Army announced the re-activation of V Corps with a forward headquarters element in Europe. Once fully mission capable, V Corps will focus on Europe and assume many of the operational and tactical-level functions from US Army Europe and Africa – eventually including command and control of ATLANTIC RESOLVE rotational units as well as assigned units such as the 2nd Cavalry Regiment, 12th Combat Aviation Brigade and the 41st Field Artillery Brigade.
The consolidation is anticipated to be completed by the end of fiscal year 2022.
