WASHINGTON –
Globally, and across the total force in fiscal year 2013, the Army could engage in nearly 6,000 different activities in more than 160 countries, and involving as many as 60,000 Soldiers and Army civilians as part of its "regionally-aligned forces" concept.
Brig. Gen. Kimberly C. Field, with Army G-3/5/7, spoke May 30 during a media roundtable at the Pentagon to provide an update on the Army's regionally-aligned forces, or RAF, concept.
The general said regionally-aligned forces can include Army capabilities in direct support of combatant commanders, or COCOMs, every day. They also include personnel and units assigned to a theater, U.S. Pacific Command and U.S. European Command have the bulk of these.
Regionally-aligned forces also include those units in an "allocated" status, given to a combatant commander for a specific mission, for a specific period of time and under his direct control, Field said.
"Regionally-aligned forces are also the other capabilities that support the combatant commander, but are Army-service retained," Field said. "These are individuals and small teams providing reach-back support or on regular temporary duty missions to a region, or conducting contingency planning for the combatant commander."
As the Army draws down from the Middle East, Field said the service will likely increase its efforts with RAF.
"We are working hard to respond to the increasing complexity of the global security environment," she said. "By deliberately aligning forces regionally, the Army meets the enduring needs of COCOMs in a way that ensures responsiveness, consistent availability and a higher level of training and expertise."
In April, the Army provided regionally-aligned forces to U.S. Africa Command to support the East Africa Response Force there. Stationed in Djibouti, 129 members of the 2-1 Infantry Division are ready to respond as needed to the security of U.S. facilities in Africa, Field said.
"It really was a directive from the Secretary of Defense to look forward, look at these areas that might have a Benghazi-like situation that could happen again, and to pre-position forces to do that," Field said. "They arrived in April. They train and they stay ready to be able to respond to these crises."
The Army total force, including the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard, specifically the State Partnership Program, will provide some 4,500 personnel to the continent in order to conduct 660 activities in 34 countries in support of the combatant command in fiscal year 2013. Most of these forces are based in the continental U.S. until they are needed.
Field said aligned forces in Africa have already been involved in providing training support to Nigeriens who are part of the African-led International Support Mission to Mali, for instance.
"We've deployed trainers to Niger, and are working with the Department of State, and we did that on fairly short notice," she said. "And then there are the smaller things.
"There are 37 smaller familiarization exercises, one of which is training Ugandan military police for route security," she continued.
The Army is also discussing with the Department of State the idea of providing training support for the United Nations Mission in Darfur.