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United States Army Forces Command

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United States Army Forces Command
FORSCOM Shoulder Sleeve Insignia
Active1973–present
Country United States
Branch United States Army
TypeArmy Command
RoleProvide combat-ready army forces to Geographic Combatant Commands[1]
Garrison/HQFort Liberty
Motto(s)Freedom's Guardian
WebsiteArmy Forces Command
Commanders
Commanding GeneralGEN Andrew P. Poppas
Deputy Commanding GeneralLTG Stephen G. Smith
Command Sergeant MajorCSM Todd Sims
Notable
commanders		Complete list of commanders[2]
Insignia
Distinctive unit insignia

The United States Army Forces Command (FORSCOM) is the largest United States Army command. It provides expeditionary, regionally engaged, campaign-capable land forces to combatant commanders. Headquartered at Fort Liberty, North Carolina, FORSCOM consists of more than 750,000 active Army, U.S. Army Reserve, and Army National Guard soldiers. FORSCOM was created on 1 July 1973 from the former Continental Army Command (CONARC), who in turn supplanted Army Field Forces and Army Ground Forces.

Mission and vision

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The mission is: "Forces Command trains and prepares a combat-ready, globally responsive Total Force to build and sustain readiness to meet Combatant Command requirements."

The vision is to "[produce] combat-ready and globally responsive Total Army Forces that are well led, disciplined, trained, and expeditionary…ready now to deploy and win in large-scale combat Operations against near-peer threats."

Overview

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The Command is focused on transforming the Army into a more deployable and manoeuvrable force. This shift to a modular force design increases the number of units available to support regional combatant commanders.

The capabilities of the new brigade-level formations – armour, infantry, airborne, air assault and Stryker – ensure greater flexibility and enhance FORSCOM's ability to deploy trained and ready forces quickly.

FORSCOM has major units located at 15 installations, including the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California and the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Johnson, Louisiana.

Following the recommendations of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission, the Command moved from Fort McPherson, Georgia to a new headquarters facility at Fort Liberty, North Carolina, in June 2011. The Command hosted a "Casing of the Colors" ceremony on 24 June 2011 at Fort McPherson, and an "Uncasing of Colors" on 1 Aug. 2011 at Fort Bragg.

Lineage

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  • U.S. Army Ground Forces, 1942–1948
  • U.S. Army Field Forces, 1948–1955
  • Continental Army Command (CONARC), 1955–1973
  • U.S. Army Forces Command, 1973–1987
  • U.S. Forces Command (Specified Command), 1987–1993
  • U.S. Army Forces Command, 1993–present

Active component

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During the Cold War, Forces Command supervised a number of armies each responsible for areas of the continental United States: First Army, Fourth Army, Fifth Army, and Sixth Army, at various times. Their responsibilities varied over time, but from the 1980s to the mid-1990s covered Reserve Component training supervision. FORSCOM currently commands U.S. Army Reserve Command, and First Army.

FORSCOM also commands three Army corps: III Armored Corps at Fort Cavazos, Texas; V Corps at Fort Knox, Kentucky; and XVIII Airborne Corps at Fort Liberty, North Carolina. Together the three corps include nine divisions, one cavalry regiment, 37 support brigades of various types, and a range of other corps combat, combat support and combat service support units.

First U.S. Army is responsible for training, mobilization and deployment support to Reserve Component and National Guard units in FORSCOM. They also execute FORSCOM missions within their geographic areas of responsibility. First U.S. Army at Rock Island Army Arsenal, Ill., reports to FORSCOM. It is responsible for the training, mobilization and deployment support for reserve component units in FORSCOM. It executes missions within the continental United States and Puerto Rico.

United States Army Reserve

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A major subordinate command is the United States Army Reserve Command (USARC), also headquartered in the same building as FORSCOM at Fort Liberty, N.C.[3] It commands all United States Army Reserve units in the continental United States, except those assigned to Special Operations Command. The Army Reserve strength stands at about 179,000 soldiers.

Army National Guard

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The Army National Guard provides Forces Command a balanced force of eight National Guard combat divisions, 15 brigades, and extensive combat support and combat service support units.

The current FORSCOM Army National Guard strength is approximately 351,000 soldiers. Mobilizing the Army National Guard into active federal service would bring the total strength of FORSCOM to nearly two-thirds of the Army's combat ground forces.

Subordinate units

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Commanders

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Main article: Commanding General, United States Army Forces Command

The current Commanding General is GEN Andrew P. Poppas, who assumed the role in July 2022. The Deputy Commanding General is LTG Paul T. Calvert (since December 2021) and the Command Sergeant Major CSM Todd Sims.

See also

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U.S. Armed Forces operations commands

References

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  1. ^ "About - FORSCOM". Archived from the original on 21 March 2019. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
  2. ^ Lt. Gen. Michael Garrett Nominated to Lead FORSCOM
  3. ^ "FORSCOM Command Team Visits Fort Bragg, New Headquarters Site". army.mil. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
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