I Corps senior enlisted leader and U.S. Army–Japan 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 Korea, Pacific, spearheaded operationally by I Corps. 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 Australia, Japan, the pabilities of the U.S. military as a reliable capabilities with those of other Services and Philippines, South Korea, and Thailand 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 Division 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, Alaska, 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.