CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE MAREZ, Iraq – Maj. Mohammad, executive officer of 1st Battalion, 9th Brigade, 3rd Iraqi Army Division, expresses his gratitude to Lt. Col. Robert Reynolds, commander, 6th Squadron, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, during a ceremony marking the transfer of Joint Security Station Heider to the Iraqi Army, April 1, 2011. Manned by U.S. and Iraqi forces since 2004, IA leaders now plan to base command and control units at JSS Heider to continue border security operations in Iraq.

(U.S. Army photo by Spc. Terence Ewings, 4th AAB PAO, 1st Cav. Div., USD-N)

Airman 1st Class Kyle Mathews, 621st Contingency Response Squadron Aerial Port team member, marshals a forklift as it loads cargo onto a Halvorsen 40K loader during a Joint Readiness Training exercise at Alexandria International Airport, LA. April 17, 2016. JRTC is a multinational exercise focused on pre-deployment and airdrop capabilities. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Joshua King)

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, Iraq – Soldiers from 3rd Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, take the Functional Academic Skills Training at the Deployed Digital Training Center, Aug. 20, 2011. The brigade is deployed to Contingency Operating Base Adder, Iraq and has the first operational DDTC in the U.S. Army. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Omar Estrada, 3rd AAB PAO, 1st Cav. Div.)

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, Iraq – Soldiers from 3rd Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, take the Functional Academic Skills Training at the Deployed Digital Training Center, Aug. 20, 2011. The brigade is deployed to Contingency Operating Base Adder, Iraq and has the first operational DDTC in the U.S. Army. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Omar Estrada, 3rd AAB PAO, 1st Cav. Div.)

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE WARHORSE, Iraq – Soldiers from 2nd Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, carry a Soldier with simulated third-degree burns to a landing zone during combat lifesaver training at the Teal Medical Clinic on Contingency Operating Base Warhorse, Iraq, July 13, 2011. More than 25 Soldiers completed the four-day combat lifesaver course.

(U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Quentin Johnson, 2nd AAB PAO, 1st Cav. Div., USD – N)

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE WARRIOR, Iraq – Lt. Col. Marcel Schneider, 15th Brigade Sustainment Transition Team, 1st Advise and Assist Task Force, 1st Infantry Division, presents a plaque to Staff Brig. Gen. Abdulla Amir, 15th Brigade, 12th Iraqi Army Division, during a farewell ceremony at the 15th Bde. headquarters in Kirkuk province, Iraq, April 4, 2011. Schneider presented the plaque as a token of appreciation for the relationship Amir and his soldiers shared with Soldiers of 1st AATF recently.

(U.S. Army photo by Spc. Andrew Ingram, USD-N PAO)

Maj. Eric Burke (left), a contracting officer for the 903rd Contingency Contracting Battalion, and Sgt. Major Bentura Fernandez, the senior enlisted advisor for the 409th Contracting Support Brigade, talk with Kevin Volk, a U.S. Army Europe co-exercise director, and Lynn Davis, a U.S. Army Europe public affairs officer, during Exercise Rapid Trident 2011 in Yavoriv, Ukraine. Burke and Bentura were on site to discuss contract requirements for the exercise such as fuel for planes, dining facility and food support and various other needs. (Photo by Col. Debra Daniels, 409th CSB)

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, Iraq – Sergeant Aaron Manis, casualty noncommissioned officer in charge, 101st Human Resources Company, 4th Infantry Division, works at his desk at Contingency Operating Base Speicher, Iraq, Sept. 7, 2011. The Huntington, W.V., native successfully returned to active duty after being injured during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2006.

(U.S. Army photo by Spc. Crystal Hudson, 29th MPAD, USD – N PAO)

Doing the heavy lifting.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING LOCATION K1, Iraq – A recovery vehicle from 101st Brigade Support Battalion, 1st Advise and Assist Task Force, 1st Infantry Division, lifts and loads a pickup truck during the first stages of a base transfer mission at Contingency Operating Location K1, Kirkuk province, Iraq, July 22, 2011. U.S. forces vacated and signed over COL K1 to Iraqi Security Forces, who plan to use the center to continue training Iraqi Security Forces members.

(U.S. Army photo by Sgt. David Strayer, 109th MPAD, USD – N)

Meeting the players.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, Iraq – Master Sgt. William O’Connor, noncommissioned officer in charge, Joint Operations Center, 4th Infantry Division and U.S. Division-North, shakes hands with Daniel Graham, a tight end with the Denver Broncos, during the Super Sunday Tour at Contingency Operating Base Speicher, Iraq, Feb. 5, 2011. O’Connor said he appreciated the professional football players and cheerleaders visiting Soldiers deployed in support of Operation New Dawn. Graham said he enjoyed meeting the COB Speicher Soldiers and wished he could do more to show his appreciation for their efforts to keep the people of the U.S. safe.

(U.S. Army photo by Spc. Andrew Ingram, USD-N PAO)

U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Adam Keller, a ramp coordinator for the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group, checks in-bound cargo against a manifest aboard a 747 cargo plane at Léopold Sédar Senghor International Airport in Dakar, Senegal, Nov. 2, 2014. The cargo, which includes humanitarian aid and troop-support equipment, will be off-loaded by Kentucky Air National Guardsmen and staged in a nearby cargo yard before being airlifted to Liberia aboard U.S. Air Force C-130s in support of Operation United Assistance, the U.S. Agency for International Development-led, whole-of-government effort to contain the Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Maj. Dale Greer)

Paratroopers of the 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, conduct live-fire, urban operations training on Fort Bragg, Sept. 9, 2013. The White Falcons, currently part of the Global Response Force, conducted a two-week intensive training cycle designed to reinforce combat skills for the nation’s airborne assault-capable, contingency unit.

(U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Jason Hull)

Paratroopers of the 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, arm a brazier charge, an improvised explosive tool used to blow through concertina wire, during live fire training on Fort Bragg, Sept. 9, 2013. The White Falcons, currently part of the Global Response Force, conducted a two-week intensive training cycle designed to reinforce combat skills for the nation’s airborne assault-capable, contingency unit.

(U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Jason Hull)

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Spc. Joseph Rogers, an infantryman assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, arms a brazier charge, an improvised explosive tool used to blow through concertina wire obstacles, during live fire training on Fort Bragg, N.C., Sept. 9. The White Falcons, currently part of the Global Response Force, conducted a two-week intensive training cycle designed to reinforce combat skills for the nation’s airborne assault-capable, contingency unit.

(U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Jason Hull, 2/82 PAO NCOIC)

Virginia National Guard Soldiers from the Virginia Beach-based 1940th and 1945th Contingency Contracting Teams participate in a six-day, joint, multi-state, contracting exercise Nov. 15, 2013, at Camp Pendleton, Va. The exercise, Vital Pledge, also includes Air and Army Guard personnel in Maine, Minnesota and South Dakota, as well as civilians from the Defense Logistics Agency. In addition to improving the Soldiers’ and Airmen’s familiarity with contracting systems and equipment, the exercise served to help prepare the four Soldiers of the 1945 CCT for their upcoming deployment to Afghanistan in early 2014. (Photo by Master Sgt. A.J. Coyne, Virginia Guard Public Affairs)

In case of emergency situations, or serious incidents that prevent immediate escape, all

ALMAZ stations are fully equipped for contingencies.

ORLANDO, Fla. - In today’s complex and high tempo operational environment, America’s Army Reserve to rapidly deploy highly trained units to any corner of the world with the personnel and equipment they have on hand. With multiple contingencies and numerous potential threats capable of employing cutting-edge tactics with modern military equipment, the Army Reserve looks to its premiere sustainers such the 143d Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) to lead, train and equip its 10,000-Soldier command.

In taking the first, major step toward achieving this vital mission, the 143d ESC conducted a Mission Training Brief Feb. 2-3, 2018, at the command’s headquarters in Orlando, Fla.

“An MTB promotes cohesion through collaboration,” said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Walter L. Flinn, commander, 332nd Transportation Terminal Battalion. “It offers a forum for commanders to share their successes and shortcomings while seeking and offering guidance among their fellow leaders.”

Led by U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Deborah L. Kotulich, commanding general, 143d ESC, the MTB featured dozens of senior leaders from the company to the ESC level whose wealth of knowledge and experience offered solutions to a myriad of logistical challenges.

“The expectation of having several months to bring your Soldiers up to speed at a pre-mobilization station is coming to an end,” Kotulich announced to dozens of battalion and brigade commanders and command sergeants majors huddled in the conference room. “We must assume that we will mobilize at a moment’s notice, and it’s our responsibility that we physically and mentally prepare every Soldier for the rigors of combat through realistic training.”

Kotulich expects every downtrace unit to spend less time in classrooms and more time in the field. This focus on individual and collective readiness stems from the U.S. Army Reserve Command’s Ready Force X initiative.

“Ready Force X is the Army Reserve’s answer to the [U.S.] Army’s demand for properly equipped and highly trained Soldiers who can rapidly deploy into combat,” said U.S. Army Col. Wanda Williams, commander, 641st Regional Sustainment Group. “Almost half of the 143d ESC’s downtrace units must meet the strict criteria established by Ready Force X’s “Fight Fast” mentality. This MTB offers precious time for commanders to obtain timely information needed to properly execute the numerous requirements to maintain a constantly high state of readiness.”

While Kotulich entrusts her fellow officers to formulate plans and carry out the Army Reserve’s “Fight Fast” initiative, she relies on her command sergeants major to refine the tasks required to carry out their commanding general’s intent.

“There are 43 individual training requirements that every unit must complete before reporting to a pre-mobilization site,” said U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Carlos O. Lopes, command sergeant major, 143d ESC. “As NCOs, we are responsible for providing effective training that ensures every Soldier has mastered these fundamental skills that directly determine one’s survivability on the battlefield.”

“NCOs can only do this if they understand their commanders’ intent,” added Command Sgt. Maj. Kenyatta S. Stamps, command sergeant major, 787th Combat Support and Sustainment Battalion. “The MTB allows us to hear those intentions firsthand and develop effective techniques and tactics to achieve them.”

These techniques and tactics encompass a variety of tasks that enhance speed, agility and sustained readiness at the individual, team and unit level. From warrior drills to medical readiness, commanders must meticulously manage finite time and resources to crystallize the Army Reserve’s strategic vision and implement the 143d ESC’s operational mission.

“Ready Force X is about leadership, energy and execution,” said Flinn. “Commanders must own the responsibility for readiness. Establishing an open dialog among senior leaders remains paramount to understanding not only what we do but how we do it.”

With more than half of the 143d ESC falls under the Ready Force X umbrella, every unit and Soldier must face the challenges if they are to reap the awards of transforming America’s Army Reserve into the most lethal and capable federal reserve force in U.S. history.

“America demands highly trained and proficient Soldiers, and the Army Reserve is blessed to have motivated men and women ready to endure the hardships inherent in armed conflict,” said Williams. “That’s why I tell my Soldiers, ‘Don’t worry about the names. Just be ready. Be ready now!”

U.S. Army photo by Sgt. John L. Carkeet IV, 143d ESC

Maj. Gen. Barbara Faulkenberry, vice commander of 18th Air Force, discusses Exercise Gateway Relief with Col. Mark Heiniger (right), commander of the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group, and Army Capt. Charles Green (left), commander of the 689th Rapid Port Opening Element from Fort Eustis, Va., on the flight line of MidAmerica St. Louis Airport in Mascoutah, Ill., on Aug. 7, 2013. The 123rd and 689th have teamed up through Aug. 9 to operate a Joint Task Force-Port Opening, which combines an Air Force Aerial Port of Debarkation with an Army trucking and distribution unit. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Maj. Dale Greer/Released)

A paratrooper assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, conducts live fire training on Fort Bragg, Sept. 9, 2013. The White Falcons, currently part of the Global Response Force, conducted a two-week intensive training cycle designed to reinforce combat skills for the nation’s airborne assault-capable, contingency unit.

(U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Jason Hull)

A qualified ISR soldier.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING LOCATION K1, Iraq – Lt. Col. Samuel Calkins, commander, 1st Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 1st Advise and Assist Task Force, 1st Infantry Division, from Ft. Riley, Kan., congratulates Distinguished Honor Graduate Sgt. Ali Ibrahim Mosul of the Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Battalion, 12th IA Division, for earning the highest grade point average at the inaugural training class of the ISR Academy, during a graduation ceremony at the 12th IA Div. Headquarters Jan. 5. Soldiers of Company A, 1st BSTB, 1st AATF, 1st Inf. Div. served as cadre for the military intelligence training academy teaching Iraqi soldiers to collect and analyze military intelligence. “All of the instructors we had were amazing,” said Mosul. “They made it easy by breaking everything down for us and making sure we all understood before moving on.”

(U.S. Army photo by Pvt. Alyxandra McChesney, 1st AATF PAO, 1st Inf. Div., USD-N)

A U.S. Air Force aerial porter from the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group offloads humanitarian cargo from a U.S. Air Force C-130 Hercules aircraft at Léopold Sédar Senghor International Airport in Dakar, Senegal, Oct. 28, 2014. More than 70 Kentucky Air Guardsmen are operating an Aerial Port of Debarkation in Senegal to funnel humanitarian supplies and military support into West Africa as part of Operation United Assistance, the U.S. Agency for International Development-led, whole-of-government effort to contain the Ebola virus outbreak. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Maj. Dale Greer)

Transportation and Traffic Management Program Contingency Engineers during the operation of the Ciclavia Pico-Union meets Mid-City Open Streets Bike Route followed by Venice Blvd. and Normandie Avenue crossing point intersection traffic signal red, green lights and pedestrian crosswalk crossing don't walk orange hand lights - white walking lights located at Pico Union Area in Los Angeles, California 90006.

Master Sgt. Michael Thornton, Personnel Contingency Operations team chief, rakes leaves in a garden during a community service project at a retirement home for Cope Taufan, Tasek Gelugor, Malaysia, June 13, 2014. The community service event provides opportunities for Malaysian and U.S. forces to give back to the community that is hosting Cope Taufan 2014.(U.S. Air Force Photo by Tech. Sgt Andrew Jackson / Released)

‘I Am Every Woman.’

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE WARRIOR, Iraq – First Lt. Tawiana Jenkins, Administration officer, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Advise and Assist Task Force, 1st Infantry Division, performs the song “I’m Every Woman” during a Women’s History Month Observance at Contingency Operating Site Warrior, Iraq, March 26, 2011. During the ceremony, female Soldiers deployed to northern Iraq in support of Operation New Dawn showcased their talents and remembered the sacrifices and accomplishments of the women who paved the way for equal rights and treatment.

(U.S. Army photo by Spc. Andrew Ingram, USD-N PAO)

Airmen from the 621st Contingency Response Wing (CRW) based at Travis Air Force Base, CA, deploy to Central African Republic (CAR) for humanitarian support, on December 13, 2013. AFRICOM is beginning to transport African troops from Burundi to CAR using US Air Force C-17 aircraft operating out of Entebbe as part of a larger effort of African nations supporting the African crisis in CAR. C-17s will to fly about a dozen missions from Entebbe over a week time frame, transporting a Burundian light infantry battalion of about 850 men and equipment from Bujumbura to Bangui in CAR. The C-17’s are staged at Entebbe airport as a convenient mid-way point with the proper facilities to service the aircraft and support aircrews. (Released - U.S. Air Force Photograph/Heide Couch)

Tribute Volley.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE WARHORSE, Iraq – Soldiers from 2nd Advise and Assist Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, fire a 21-gun salute during a Memorial Day ceremony in memory of troops who died in service to the country, at Contingency Operating Base Warhorse, Iraq, May 30, 2011. “Warrior” Brigade Soldiers paid tribute to five of its own Soldiers who were killed during Operation New Dawn: 1st Lt. Michael Runyan, Sgt. Jamal Rhett, Staff Sgt. Phillip Jenkins, Pfc. James McClamrock and Sgt. David Luff. “The only appropriate response to such a costly expression of love is to remember, honor, and emulate it by serving with equal commitment,” said Chaplain (Maj.) Kenneth Lebon, 2nd AAB Chaplain.

(U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Ricardo Branch, 2nd AAB PAO, 25th Inf. Div., USD-N)

installation architecture

The sun sets behind Soldiers from the 239th Multi-Role Bridge Company, from Granite City, Ill., working to clear debris from the Qayyarah Bridge, before being able to remove the temporary bridge that has served the Qayyarah people for nearly four years, June 20.

2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Public Affairs

Photo by Spc. Dustin Gautney

Date: 06.20.2010

Location: CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE MAREZ, IQ

Related Photos: dvidshub.net/r/jfweo6

Master Sgt. Eric Gast, a loadmaster from the Tennessee Air Guard, guides a forklift from the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group onto a C-17 aircraft at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Ky., Aug. 29, 2017 in preparation for Hurricane Harvey rescue efforts in Texas. More than 40 Airmen from the Kentucky and Mississippi Air National Guard are heading to George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, where they will rapidly establish airfield, aeromedical evacuation and cargo operations. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Phil Speck)

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CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE WARRIOR, Iraq – New members of the Kirkuk expanded Combined Security Force march in formation for their official graduation from training and entry into the eCSF at the Kirkuk Training Center, Iraq, July 18, 2011. The most recent company of graduates is the last addition to the expanded CSF, which became a full-strength battalion of Iraqi Army, Iraqi Police, and Kurdish Regional Guard soldiers.

(U.S. Army photo by Sgt. David Strayer, 109th MPAD, USD – N)

Minister of Internal Affairs Morris Dukuly speaking during a UNEP and the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB), UNMIL/HCSO and UNOCHA organized work-shop. The first Beyond Response: Better Preparedness for Environmental Emergencies Training held today September 9, 2013 in Monrovia, Liberia. UNMIL photo/ Emmanuel

Two U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster IIIs offloads passengers and cargo under blackout conditions at an intermediate staging base established at Mackall Army Airfield, N.C. during Joint Operational Access Exercise 12-02, June 5, 2012. JOAX is a two-week exercise to prepare Air Force and Army service members to respond to worldwide crises and contingencies.

Blocking and punching.CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE, Marez— An Iraqi Police instructor, trained by U.S. Soldiers and civilian police advisors, teaches IP recruits blocking and punching maneuvers during a self-defense class, part of a four-week basic recruit training course at the Mosul Police Services Academy Nov. 4. Soldiers from Task Force Shield, 4th Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, attached to U.S. Division-North in support of Operation New Dawn, assessed and mentored IP instructors as they trained a new class of recruits.(U.S. Army photo by Spc. Terence Ewings, 4th AAB PAO, 1st Cav. Div., USD-N)

Creed of the Noncommissioned Officer.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHERS, Iraq – Sgt. Gregory Lefevre, a military intelligence noncommissioned officer, Company B, Division Special Troops Battalion, 4th Infantry Division, leads his peers in the reciting of the Creed of the Noncommissioned Officer during the DSTB NCO Induction Ceremony at Contingency Operating Base Speicher, Iraq, Jan. 17, 2011. Lefevre, recently selected as the DSTB NCO of the Quarter, took center stage to lead the group of junior leaders completing a chapter in the history of DSTB, deployed in support of Operation New Dawn as part of U.S. Division-North.

(U.S. Army photo by Sgt. David Strayer, 109th MPAD, USD-N PAO)

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Jose Chavez, left, an aerial porter with the 146th Contingency Response Flight, 146th Airlift Wing, California National Guard, helps to load a C-17 aircraft assigned to the 172nd Airlift Wing, Mississippi National Guard, with personnel and cargo following exercise Air Defender 2023 (AD23) at Wunstorf Air Base, Wunstorf, Germany, June 27, 2023. Exercise AD 23 integrated U.S. and allied air power to defend shared values while leveraging and strengthening vital partnerships to deter aggression worldwide. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Michelle Ulber)

Chairman lands in Mosul.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE MAREZ, Iraq – Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, left, and Gen. Lloyd Austin, commander of U.S. Forces – Iraq, land at Contingency Operating Site Marez, Iraq, Aug. 1, 2011. Mullen and Austin met with senior U.S. Division – North leadership to discuss security in northern Iraq during a tour of the Ninewa Combined Coordination Center.

(U.S. Army photo by Capt. Philip Crabtree, 4th AAB PAO, 1st Cav. Div., USD – N)

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE WARRIOR, Iraq – Spc. Brad Demers, a medic with Company C, 101st Brigade Support Battalion, 1st Advise and Assist Task Force, 1st Infantry Division, checks the vitals of a Soldier during sick call at Contingency Operating Site Warrior, Iraq, Aug. 22, 2011. Demers, a Southbridge, Mass., native, plans to use his Army medical training to transition to a career as a doctor.

(U.S. Army photo by Spc. Crystal Hudson, 29th MPAD, USD-N PAO)

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE MAREZ, Iraq – Soldiers assigned to 1st Battalion, 10th Brigade, 3rd Iraqi Army Division, add rocks to their firing position for cover and concealment during defense training at Ghuzlani Warrior Training Center, Iraq, June 20, 2011. Iraqi soldiers defended their positions from attacking “enemy” forces during the training exercise as part of Tadreeb al Shamil, Arabic for All Inclusive Training.

(U.S. Army photo by Spc. Angel Turner, 4th AAB PAO, 1st Cav. Div., USD-N)

Thea Vidale entertains COB Speicher Soldiers.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, Iraq – Thea Vidale, a comedian touring with the Lone Wolf Entertainment Comedy Tour 2011, performs her standup routine for Soldiers and civilian contractors at the U.S. Division-North Comprehensive Soldier Fitness Center on Contingency Operating Base Speicher, Iraq, Feb. 11, 2011. Vidale joined fellow comedians Olivia Arrington and Lars Callieou for the two-week tour through Iraq and Kuwait to entertain deployed service members.

(U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Shawn Miller, 109th MPAD, USD-N PAO)

JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. -- Airmen from the 818th Contingency Response Group, 621st Contingency Response Wing, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. perform sling load training with a CH-53E Super Stallion transport helicopter assigned to Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 772 at JBMDL Feb 9, 2014. Sling load training enables both air and ground units the opportunity to practice moving large or urgent cargo into areas where aircraft cannot reach, such as aid supplies inside disaster areas. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Parker Gyokeres)

Introductions.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE MAREZ, Iraq – Command Sergeant Major John Jones, senior enlisted leader, 1st Advise and Assist Task Force, 1st Infantry Division, greets Sergeant Major of the Army Raymond F. Chandler III, during Chandler’s visit to Contingency Operating Sites Marez and Diamondback, in Ninewa province, Iraq, June 23, 2011. As a part of his first tour to Iraq since his appointment as the Army’s senior enlisted leader, Chandler met with U.S. Division – North enlisted leadership and spent time interacting with Soldiers. He also visited the Ghuzlani Warrior Training Center and a combined check point east of Mosul to witness Soldiers of 4th Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, advise and assist Iraqi Security Forces as part of their mission to support Operation New Dawn.

(U.S. Army photo by Spc. Andrew Ingram, USD-N PAO)

U.S. Air Force logistics personnel, assigned to the 621st Contingency Response Wing from Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, load support equipment and rolling stock cargo onto a contracted Boeing 747 airliner at McEntire Joint National Guard Base, South Carolina, July 9, 2018. The South Carolina Air National Guard’s 169th Fighter Wing is deploying nearly 300 Airmen and approximately a dozen F-16 Block 52 Fighting Falcon fighter jets to the 407th Air Expeditionary Group in Southwest Asia in support of an Air Expeditionary Force rotation. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Senior Airman Megan Floyd)

U.S. Coast Guard 17th District Commander Rear Adm. Matthew T. Bell, Jr., and the Canadian Coast Guard Western Region Assistant Commissioner Roger Girouard sit together while signing the newly revised Dixon Entrance Annex to the national Canada-United States Joint Marine Pollution Contingency Plan, Feb. 19, 2020 in Juneau, Alaska.

The updated annex includes basic content and format changes in accordance with new national guidelines, clearer pollution notification and response protocols, and refreshed references to U.S. Customs Service procedures for transboundary movement of personnel and resources.

U.S. Coast Guard photo by Chief Petty Officer Matthew Schofield.

Members from the 5th Quartermaster Theater Aerial Delivery Company, 435th Air Ground Operations Wing's Contingency Response Group and 21st Theater Sustainment Command face Leslie Cruise, a World War II veteran, and the grave of Pvt. Richard Vargas during a wreath laying ceremony at Lorraine American National Cemetery and Memorial, St. Avold, France, June 2, 2014. Cruise went to France several times prior to this visit looking for his friend’s grave in order to say thank you to Vargas for saving his life.(U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Hailey Haux)

Soldiers from the U.S. Army’s 688th Rapid Port Opening Element drive a Load Handling System vehicle to the forward operating node at Amedee Army Airfield, Calif., to unload cargo March 9, 2016. The 688th RPOE is working in conjunction with the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group and a team from the Defense Logistics Agency to operate Joint Task Force-Port Opening Sangala during a week-long exercise called Operation Lumberjack. The objective of the JTF-PO is to establish an aerial port of debarkation, provide initial distribution capability and set up warehousing for distribution beyond the forward node. (Kentucky Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Phil Speck)

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE WARRIOR, Iraq – Captain Kevin Sill, left, a battalion engineer with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Advise and Assist Task Force, 1st Infantry Division, and Col. Salah, commander of the newly expanded Combined Security Force battalion, supervise Operation Lion’s Den, the expansion of the battalion’s operating area, at Contingency Operating Site Warrior, Kirkuk province, Iraq, July 12, 2011. Soldiers of Company A provided security while the eCSF moved concrete barriers on an uninhabited portion of COS Warrior to occupy their new headquarters in Kirkuk.

(U.S. Army photo by Sgt. David Strayer, 109th MPAD, USD – N)

Airmen from the 621st Contingency Response Wing (CRW) based at Travis Air Force Base, CA, deploy to Central African Republic (CAR) for humanitarian support, on December 13, 2013. AFRICOM is beginning to transport African troops from Burundi to CAR using US Air Force C-17 aircraft operating out of Entebbe as part of a larger effort of African nations supporting the African crisis in CAR. C-17s will to fly about a dozen missions from Entebbe over a week time frame, transporting a Burundian light infantry battalion of about 850 men and equipment from Bujumbura to Bangui in CAR. The C-17’s are staged at Entebbe airport as a convenient mid-way point with the proper facilities to service the aircraft and support aircrews. (Released - U.S. Air Force Photograph/Heide Couch)

Soldiers of U.S. Army Africa Contingency Command Post go over a battle task for a scenario with a South African National Defense Force soldier during a CCP exercise in preparation for Shared Accord 13, a joint peace keeping and humanitarian exercise. The intent for the CCP exercise was to familiarize the SANDF with the Combined Joint Task Force Headquarters capabilities so U.S. and South African soldiers will have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities as a CJTF during SA13. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Terysa M. King)

To learn more about U.S. Army Africa visit our official website at www.usaraf.army.mil

Join the U.S. Army Africa conversation on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ArmyAfrica

Col Trey Jordan, Commander and District Engineer, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District, awarded Brenda Parsons the Commander's Award For Civilian Service at her recent retirement. Retiring from government service after 30 years, Parsons provided administrative assistance in the emergency management branch for the District. For many years, her detail-oriented excel spreadsheet kept the district clearly informed on all personnel deployed to support overseas contingency operations. In addition, she deployed for lengthy service in both Iraq and Afghanistan. (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers photo by David Gray)