Exercising MJO +:
THE DLE CONCEPT
By Mr . Justin Parker ( USA ), LANDCOM
If Allied Land Command is ever called upon by the NATO Command Structure to command forces in the event of a major crisis , the Headquarters must be mobile and deployable .
In October of 2017 , LANDCOM took steps toward achieving a deployable state by rehearsing the Deployable Land Element concept in Izmir , Turkey . The purpose of the exercise was to conduct a mock deployment to a combat zone where LANDCOM would assume force command . The DEPLOYEX aimed to simulate this process and reveal areas in which LANDCOM must improve in order to be properly mobile in crisis .
Sending a soldier to war is no simple task and requires a significant amount of planning and organization . Identifying the key leaders and as well as the soldiers that have the requisite skills to deploy alone takes a week . As with any mission , staffing contingencies need to be created in order to fill necessary posts should anyone become unavailable . Next , Senior National Representatives and Assistant Chiefs of
Staff are notified of their expected duties . For any deployment , each individual nation is responsible for ensuring that their soldiers are in fact deployable . This includes medical , dental , hearing , vaccinations , equipping , personal administration as well as pre-deployment training .
Early in the morning , a Crisis Establish- ment team staged vehicles and equipment at the General Vecihi Akin Garrison . After completing a roll call and pack line , the soldiers loaded up the vehicles and set out for Cigli Air Force Base in northern Izmir . After arriving at the airbase , LANDCOM forces staged and prepped to board a Turkish military carrier plane . Led by Deputy Chief of Staff Operations BGEN Janos Somogyi and Deputy Chief of Staff Support BGEN Valentin Krastev , the team proceeded to load their gear onto the aircraft pallet and take their seats within the plane .
Although boarding a plane seems simple on the surface , the logistical requirements to arrange the entire event are tremendous . Securing a military plane , coordinating a date , and organizing soldiers to mobilize is no small feat . In practice , LANDCOM identified some valuable lessons that will certainly be applicable moving forward .
LAND POWER17