Page 4 - The Dispatch September 2018

TEXAS MILITARY DEPARTMENT

FROM THE TOP

COMMENTARIES FROM TEXAS MILITARY DEPARTMENT LEADERS

TEXAS GUARD WELCOMES

NEW FUTURES COMMAND

COLONEL SCOTT M. MACLEOD
TEXAS MILITARY DEPARTMENT LIAISON TO ARMY FUTURES COMMAND

The Aug. 24 ribbon cutting ceremony in downtown addition to traditional types of military support, the
Austin signals the arrival of Army Futures Command Texas Military Department has offered to leverage our
(AFC), the new four-star headquarters tasked with established relationships in business, academia and
leading the Army’s force modernization enterprise. government to conduct engagements and help build
Since July, advance elements have been on the ground relationships with local centers of influence.
establishing an initial operating capability in the heart
of the Texas capital. To reach full operational capaci- Our influence extends through service members who
ty the Army is consolidating all modernization efforts have been a part of the tech and entrepreneurial
under a single command to ensure that modern, crit- communities developing in Texas over the past sev-
ical capabilities can be quickly delivered to Soldiers eral decades. Our personnel are enrolled in higher
and combat formations. To accomplish this AFC will education programs and hold prominent positions at
assess and integrate the future operational environ- companies already collaborating with the U.S. Depart-
ment, emerging threats and technologies to develop ment of Defense, placing them at the cutting edge of
and deliver concepts, requirements, future force de- Texas educational and practically applied technologi-
signs and support the delivery of modernization solu- cal innovations. These are our first steps towards es-
tions. tablishing a longstanding relationship of partnership
and support.
The selection of Austin by the U.S. Army enables the Forming partnerships that promote innovative think-
Texas National Guard to play an important role by ing is the way of the future. Collaborative approaches
leveraging our experience in how we train in peace, such as this build upon each other, fulfilling the as-
fight in war and respond to domestic operations as a sertion made by Under Secretary of the Army Ryan D.
multi-dimensional, citizen-service member force. In a McCarthy that, “we fight as a formation. Each affects
departure from the traditional concept of other com- the others.”
mands, AFC’s organizational structure was informed
by a range of studies, private sector examples and or- Texas leadership recognizes that personal and military
ganizational constructs. relationships act as catalysts for the advancement of
innovation and they are committed to supporting AFC
Establishing a new type of Army structure in an Amer- as it turns these strategies and ideas into actions.
ican city facilitates innovative collaboration between Teaming with AFC allows us to play an important role
the military and civilian sectors. Such partnerships in supporting the Army as it concentrates on the sin-
enable the Army to learn from and even model cul- gular focus of its modernization strategy, to make Sol-
tures common to innovation centers like Austin. In diers and units more lethal. - FROM THE TOP-

4 TheDISPATCH SEPTEMBER 2018