“This has been a great opportunity to gain perspective as to what the Army is doing … in Eastern Europe.”
— Secretary of the Army Dr. Mark T. Esper
Brig. Gen William L. Thigpen, right, deputy commanding general, 4th Infantry Division and Fort Carson, leads Secretary of the Army Dr. Mark T. Esper on a tour of 4th Inf. Div. Mission Command Element facilities in Poznan, Poland, Feb. 1, 2018. (Photo by Sgt. Scott J. Evans)
By Sgt. Scott J. Evans
Mission Command Element-Atlantic Resolve Public Affairs Office, 4th Infantry Division
POZNAN, Poland — Secretary of the Army Dr. Mark T. Esper visited the 4th Infantry Division Mission Command Element headquarters Feb. 1, 2018, to get a clearer understanding of the progress that has been made by rotational forces for the collective security of Eastern Europe.
The stop was part of a tour through U.S. Army Europe locations. Since being confirmed by the U.S. Senate in November, Esper has made Army readiness one of his top priorities.
“This has been a great opportunity to gain perspective as to what the Army is doing here in Eastern Europe,” the secretary said. “Readiness is very important to this mission.”
Esper received an operations and logistics brief provided by Brig. Gen. William L. Thigpen, deputy commanding general, 4th Inf. Div. and Fort Carson, and members of the MCE staff. Thigpen gave a mission and force overview that highlighted the many successes and challenges encountered while conducting missions in Eastern Europe as part of Atlantic Resolve over the last three years.
Secretary of the Army Dr. Mark T. Esper, center, receives a briefing on Atlantic Resolve operations and logistics from Brig. Gen. William L. Thigpen, right, deputy commanding general, 4th Infantry Division and Fort Carson, and Mission Command Element staff in Poznan, Poland, Feb. 1, 2018. (Photo by Sgt. Scott J. Evans)
Thigpen also briefed the secretary with details of ongoing and scheduled collective training being conducted with various allies and partner nations.
European countries are often focused on their own defense, and one of U.S. Army Europe’s main goals is to get them all to work together, Thigpen said.
The secretary was joined by his wife, Leah Esper, who met with the division surgeon to discuss Soldier health benefits and behavioral health challenges. She also had a discussion on Family challenges Soldiers face while assigned with Atlantic Resolve rotations with the division chaplain.
The Espers also met with Soldiers selected to receive coins for their dedication and hard work during their time with Atlantic Resolve and they had lunch with MCE personnel to discuss Soldier issues.
MCE staff spoke about individual and collective troop rotations within the Atlantic Resolve footprint and the challenges that commanders face regarding manning issues.
Another challenge comes in the form of cross-border mobility of equipment and services, where regulations and guidelines in each European country can differ significantly and cause delays if movements are not scheduled within those guidelines.
“You have to get ahead of services, and pull the scheduling of equipment movement to the left as much as possible,” Thigpen said.
Within the coming weeks, the 4th Inf. Div. will relinquish responsibility of the Mission Command Element to the 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kansas. The MCE staff is looking to provide a thorough breakdown of lessons learned in regard to training, cooperation between NATO countries and issues that arise from the continuous rotation of personnel necessary to meet mission requirements, Thigpen noted.