I senior enlisted leader and U.S. Army– senior enlisted leader test-drive Japanese Type 90 tank at Camp Higashi-Chitose, Japan, on study tour during Yama Sakura 65 (U.S. Army/Chalon Hutson)

I Corps U.S. Pacific Command’s Newest Asset

By Robert B. Brown and Jason N. Adler

We will of necessity rebalance toward the Asia-Pacific region. Our relationships with Asian allies and key partners are critical to the future stability and growth of the region.1

n January 2012, the United States power of Asia, necessitated an adjust- Japan, and Hawaii. That surface view redefined its global security priorities ment of national strategic goals. On belies the strategic, operational, and I with the words above. The chang- the surface, little may appear changed tactical changes that have occurred as ing global environment, signified in a region mostly covered with blue the Army’s direction has shifted to the by the rising political and economic water. Army forces are still in , Pacific, spearheaded operationally by . The U.S. military learned a great deal from the past 12 years of war in Iraq Lieutenant General Robert B. Brown, USA, is Commanding General, U.S. Army Combined Arms Center and Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. He commanded I Corps from July 2012 to February 2014. Major Jason and Afghanistan. Among these lessons N. Adler, USA, is a member of I Corps Commanding General’s Initiatives Group. was the necessity of joint operations and

114 Features / I Corps: U.S. Pacific Command’s Newest Asset JFQ 77, 2nd Quarter 2015 coordination with unified action partners. ships and two of every three ships carry- first step in the Army’s ability to prevent Joint Publication 3-0, Joint Operations, ing energy assets are traveling through conflcit and shape the region. Exercises summarizes the need for joint operations: USPACOM. The area is home to four build confidence, trust, and interoper- of the world’s most populous countries, ability between the U.S. military and To succeed, we will need adaptive and seven of the world’s largest armies, and our Pacific partners through a consistent thinking professionals who understand five of the seven U.S. Mutual Defense regional partnership program. They the capabilities their Service brings to Agreements.5 Security cooperation prevent conflict by demonstrating the ca- joint operations: how to integrate those with our allies in , Japan, the pabilities of the U.S. military as a reliable capabilities with those of other Services and , , and partner, engaged and focused on creating inter-organizational partners to optimize is regionally important, and the overall a stable security environment. Military- the strength of unified action: and how to security situation in the region has to-military engagements shape the region organize, employ, and sustain joint forces global effects on trade and economic by increasing our Pacific partners’ ability to provide national leaders with multiple prosperity. These facts alone make a to provide security and are a visible dem- options for addressing various security compelling case for the military interest onstration of combined strength. The threats.2 in the Pacific region. shared experiences ensure that partner The Marine Corps, Navy, and nations understand each other’s capabili- In addition to working with joint Air Force have—and will continue to ties and systems and have trust in one partners, the U.S. military must col- have—huge roles in achieving the goals another before conducting combined laborate with its unified action partners stated in the 2010 National Security operations during a crisis. as it attempts to plan, coordinate, syn- Strategy. The expeditionary capability of chronize, and integrate the activities of the Marine Corps and Navy to project U.S. Army Evolving in the Pacific governmental and nongovernmental en- power in littoral areas and promote se- Designating the U.S. Army Pacific tities with military operations to achieve curity in waterways is unmatched. Army (USARPAC) commander as a four-star unity of effort.3 forces also provide valuable combat and general was a major strategic shift in The I Corps assignment to U.S. support capabilities necessary to achieve the command structure of the Pacific Pacific Command (USPACOM) un- regional goals. Rather than set the Army Army. This change allowed USPACOM derscores the Army’s commitment to and Marine Corps into a competition to designate the USARPAC as the the Pacific region. The addition of an in the Pacific, regionally aligned Army Theater Joint Force Land Component assigned Army corps provides a tailorable, corps and subordinate units add vital and Command (JFLCC) for the Pacific scalable, and agile mission command complementary capabilities to the joint region. The new mission command node as well as unique capability sets force. Cooperation and collaboration are architecture added a more robust that add to USPACOM capabilities to necessary to increase the interoperability theater capability for sustainment, com- prevent, shape, and win in the region. between Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and munications, and medical support to I Corps increases the options avail- Air Force forces. Increased security of this respond to the range of military opera- able to USPACOM at the tactical and vital portion of the world is well worth tions in the Pacific. operational levels. After outlining the the effort. The elevation of USARPAC to a four- importance of the Pacific region, this Twenty-one of the 27 Pacific nations star command created an opportunity for article focuses on the efforts of I Corps with militaries chose army officers, not I Corps to expand its role in the region. as the Army’s only corps assigned to a admirals or air force officers, as their I Corps is the first operational-level geographic combatant commander and defense chiefs. That choice suggests a headquarters assigned to a geographic within the larger Army efforts to rebal- security mindset that the United States combatant commander in the regionally ance strategically, operationally, and must recognize as it seeks to deepen rela- aligned forces concept. This headquarters tactically. tionships and enhance regional security. has completed an operational capabilities Even across language barriers, our com- assessment, which certifies it to serve Global Importance mon profession as army officers serves as a joint task force headquarters under The Indo-Pacific region spans half the as a bridge to mutual understanding and USPACOM.6 globe and directly influences the U.S. respect. Partnership skills developed over At the tactical level, the Army rede- economy and security. The world’s the past 12 years with the armies of Iraq, fined command and support relationships three largest economies reside in the Afghanistan, and fellow coalition forces between U.S. Army Forces Command USPACOM area of responsibility will enable the Soldiers of I Corps to (USFORCOM) and USARPAC units. (AOR), and the area’s global economic develop relationships with our partner The 7th Infantry and 593rd importance is significant.4 Eight trillion armies in the Pacific. Expeditionary Sustainment Command dollars of annual two-way trade moves Relationships developed between now command nine of the Joint Base through the region. At any moment, countries during military-to-military en- Lewis-McChord–based brigades, all of one of every two of the world’s cargo gagements and exercises are an important which are aligned to the Pacific, thus

JFQ 77, 2nd Quarter 2015 Brown and Adler 115 Staff briefs I Corps commander during combined arms rehearsal meeting for U.S.–South Korean annual joint/combined command post exercise Ulchi Freedom Guardian (DOD/Daniel Schroeder) enabling I Corps to maintain a mission of particular note as they challenged that stretched the same approximate focus on the Pacific. As the operational the corps headquarters to execute distance as Iraq to Afghanistan. Of par- arm of USARPAC, I Corps now has operations as a Combined Force Land ticular note, over 400 paratroopers in five operational control of the 25th Infantry Component Command (CFLCC), tra- C-17s flew 15 hours straight from Joint Division, a coordinating relationship with ditional U.S. Army corps, and JFLCC. Base Elmendorf-Richardson, , and U.S. Army Alaska and U.S. Army Japan, In July 2013, I Corps participated conducted a joint forcible entry operation and operational control of the Alaska- in Exercise Talisman Saber with our north of Rockhampton, Australia. This based brigades for missions outside of Australian counterparts in the 1st strategic airdrop demonstrated the abil- Alaska. Australian Division and U.S. Third ity of a joint and multinational force to Strategic, operational, and tacti- Fleet, with its Seventh Fleet as the higher project power from the U.S. mainland to cal changes to the mission command headquarters. I Corps deployed its early anywhere in the Pacific region. structure in the Pacific allow I Corps to entry command post (EECP) scaled Shortly after Talisman Saber, I Corps provide an operational planning capabil- and tailored to serve as the CFLCC, participated in Exercise Ulchi Freedom ity, reduce headquarters redundancy, and and it was during this exercise that the Guardian in August 2013. I Corps provide sound three-star level solutions headquarters executed its joint task force deployed a smaller EECP scaled and to USARPAC and USPACOM. certification. Admiral Samuel Locklear, tailored for service as a traditional U.S. commander of USPACOM, noted that I Army corps under the Third Republic of A Multi-Echelon Headquarters Corps was a “tailorable, agile, operational Korea Army. I Corps faced a decisive ac- An Army corps headquarters provides headquarters ready for deployment across tion scenario complex in its requirements a scalable, tailorable, and agile mission the spectrum of operations.”7 for combined and joint major combat command node that has the capability During this exercise, I Corps pro- operations, which ensured that the corps to respond to crises of varying size and vided mission command to two U.S. is capable of effectively and efficiently duration. The headquarters can tailor National Guard Divisions, the Australian operating at the highest end of the range and scale itself to the appropriate size 1st Division, the 3rd Marine Expeditionary of military operations. and capability set based on the situation. Brigade, and the (Airborne) Always learning and growing, I Corps To illustrate that point, elements of I of the 25th Infantry Division. These units participated in Exercise Yama Sakura Corps participated in six major exercises were operating in Phases II, III, and IV 65 in December 2013 alongside our in 2013. Three of the six exercises are across a noncontiguous area of operations partners, the Japan Ground Self-Defense

116 Features / I Corps: U.S. Pacific Command’s Newest Asset JFQ 77, 2nd Quarter 2015 U.S. Army Pacific chief of staff welcomed 39 senior leaders participating in U.S. Army War College International Fellows program to Fort Shafter, Hawaii (U.S. Army/Kyle J. Richardson)

Force. In this exercise, the corps de- Unique Capabilities Perhaps more importantly, Army ployed a robust EECP scaled to 400 of The regional alignment of an Army assets such as aviation, engineer, civil the corps staff and 50 Reserve and joint corps and subordinate units gives a affairs, military police, surveillance, logis- augmentees, and integrated the I Corps tremendous amount of flexibility to tics, communications, and medical will (Forward)/U.S. Army Japan commander the USPACOM commander to be able provide critical expertise and capabilities as a deputy commanding general. The to support the entire range of military during contingency operations. The ad- corps tailored itself to operate as a JFLCC operations. Regionally aligned forces dition of these U.S. Army resources to alongside Japan’s Ground Self-Defense execute theater security cooperation elements already resident in the Pacific Force Northern Army. This unique activities, bilateral and multilateral mili- will allow USPACOM to respond to bilateral environment, coupled with the tary exercises, and operations support. any contingency for an extended dura- exercise’s unified action complexity, put They provide the combatant com- tion with the numbers and types of tools a premium on building a cohesive team, mander with forces that can respond to needed for success. creating shared understanding, and devel- crises and have the necessary language oping mutual trust. capability and regional expertise. Pacific Pathways Through exercises such as Talisman The realignment of command and USARPAC developed a new concept Saber, Ulchi Freedom Guardian, and support relationships between I Corps, called Pacific Pathways that supports Yama Sakura 65, I Corps has proved itself 25th Infantry Division, U.S. Army Alaska, both regional operational contingencies as a headquarters that offers operational and U.S. Army Japan brings an amaz- and tactical training needs. Army forces solutions to USARPAC and USPACOM ing amount of capability to the Pacific. operating in the region will be able to commanders. Significantly, a corps In addition to the two organic Stryker collaborate with Pacific partner military headquarters, certified as a joint task brigades, I Corps now has four additional forces for training and be responsive to force and with recent operational-level brigade combat teams at its disposal for developing crises. Pacific Pathways sup- experience in Afghanistan, provides these contingency operations. These maneu- ports the current engagement strategy commanders with a headquarters capable ver brigade combat teams bring more of “assure, promote, enhance, open, of conducting mission command in any depth to the already robust amount of sustain,” and puts the most highly situation and in various command capaci- land combat power resident in the U.S. trained units closest to potential crisis.8 ties within the Pacific region. Marine Forces Pacific. The I Corps role in executing Pacific Pathways is to provide training and

JFQ 77, 2nd Quarter 2015 Brown and Adler 117 Indonesian National Armed Forces and U.S. Army Soldiers receive tactical briefing during field training exercise Garuda Shield 2014 (U.S. Army/Matthew Veasley) readiness authority over units execut- Under the Pacific Pathways concept, capable of executing at the operational ing Pathways, to resource solutions for a brigade will spend 2 to 3 months and strategic levels is the goal of the I USARPAC, and to mission command in the USPACOM AOR following a Corps plan. These leaders must have the units executing Pathways. combat training center rotation. Once the language and the regional expertise In July 2014, a single Joint Base the Pathways mission begins, the 25th to understand the geopolitical context Lewis-McChord Stryker brigade combat Infantry Division will assume mission of the operating environment, and team conducted a Pathways proof of command of the brigade for the duration they must integrate with unified action principle. The unit chosen to execute of the three exercises and for any contin- partners in government, nongovern- the first Pacific Pathways mission was gency operations. After it has completed mental agencies, and our Pacific military one of the seven brigades of the Army its Pathways missions, this highly trained partners. Contingency Force. Its selection was a unit will then be available to USPACOM It is to that end that I Corps created deliberate decision to dedicate a unit at to respond to emerging contingency op- a biannual Senior Leader Development the highest state of readiness toward the erations in the Pacific.10 Training program for our military senior rebalance to the Pacific. The brigade task- leaders and leaders from our Pacific part- organized to accomplish the objectives of Leader Development ner nations. The most recent 2-day event the major exercises, facilitated continued I Corps recognizes that a major chal- focused on organizational leadership and military-to-military engagements in lenge to operating in such a vast region humanitarian assistance/disaster relief. the Pacific region, and provided rapidly is the development of long-term, mean- Partner agencies included the Army, deployable options for USPACOM in ingful relationships with our Pacific Navy, Air Force, Army National Guard, response to emerging situations. The task security partners. Annual exercises Reserve, Coast Guard, U.S. Agency force elements were a mission command and the Pacific Pathways initiative are for International Development, and headquarters (battalion or brigade), tacti- examples of efforts to prevent and shape the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force. cal force, aviation, support, and enabling in the Pacific, and they are opportuni- Executives from Microsoft, Northrop elements.9 ties to build and maintain critical rela- Grumman, Boeing, Amazon, and the tionships. The development of leaders American Red Cross also contributed to

118 Features / I Corps: U.S. Pacific Command’s Newest Asset JFQ 77, 2nd Quarter 2015 4 the training experience. This diverse audi- to provide security force assistance and U.S. Pacific Command, “USPACOM Facts,” available at . and built cross-organizational relation- ners. Considering that the USPACOM 5 U.S. Army Pacific (USARPAC), “U.S. ships as they grappled with the issues, AOR makes up nearly one-half of the Army Land Power in the Pacific,” available at developed a better understanding of entire world, it is necessary that all . 6 JP 3-0, IV-7. shared experiences. their respective capabilities. The effec- 7 Admiral Samuel Locklear, “Talisman Saber Efforts to build tactical expertise in tive mixture of the Army, Marine Corps, After Action Review,” speech, Northampton, the Pacific region have not stopped with Navy, Air Force, and capabilities in Australia, July 27, 2013. leader development training. I Corps USPACOM is truly an amazing and 8 USARPAC Information Paper, “Pacific and I Marine Expeditionary Force are unmatched effort to achieve national Pathways—An Army in Motion,” November 22, 2013, 7. also planning to co-host the Land Power strategic goals in the region. 9 Ibid., 4. in the Asia-Pacific workshop, which As part of the rebalance to the Pacific, 10 Ibid., 5. will examine the role of ground power the Army has made strategic, operational, in America’s rebalance to the Pacific. and tactical adjustments to the regional Through presentations, panel discus- mission command architecture. The sions, and breakout groups, senior Army elevation of USARPAC to four-star and Marine Corps leaders will develop status, regional alignment of I Corps a shared understanding of the role for to the Pacific, and realignment of the land power in the region. The workshop subordinate command structure signify will specifically focus on the Asia-Pacific the Army’s commitment to the region. security environment, capability require- The additional Army functional and mul- ments, and the challenges to rebalance. tifunctional brigades lend depth to the In addition, the Joint Base Lewis- capabilities long resident in the Pacific. McChord Language and Culture Center Finally, the certification of I Corps is a valuable resource for I Corps lead- as a joint task force capable of ex- ers to assist them in understanding the ecuting mission command as an Army human domain of the Pacific region. It corps, Combined or Joint Force Land provides language, regional expertise, Component Command, or joint task and culture training designed to equip force gives the combatant commander Soldiers with mission-critical language more options when responding to crises and cultural information. Commanders in the Pacific. Rather than set the Services prepare themselves and their units for into a competition, the additional Army intercultural interactions by selecting capabilities are complementary to those from a full range of language and culture already in the region and enhance the training. Training tailored to specific mis- military’s ability to accomplish the secu- sion requirements includes facilitated or rity priorities laid out by the President in self-paced cross-cultural communication January 2012. JFQ classes, language familiarization courses, culture-specific training, and area orienta- tion briefings. I Corps leaders recognize Notes the operational benefits stemming from 1 language and culture training as a way to Sustaining U.S. Global Leadership: Priori- ties for 21st Century Defense (, DC: enhance their unit’s ability to communi- Department of Defense, January 2012), avail- cate across cultures. They also appreciate able at . operations within the Pacific region as a 2 Joint Publication (JP) 3-0, Joint Opera- means to build lasting relationships with tions (Washington, DC: The Joint Staff, August 11, 2011), 1, available at . security. 3 JP 1-02, Department of Defense Diction- ary of Military and Associated Terms (Washing- Conclusion ton, DC: The Joint Staff, November 8, 2010, Through the joint warfighting capa- as amended through December 15, 2014), 276, available at . partners, the U.S. military is postured

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