ALLIED LAND COMMAND
Commander ’ s Message
Lieutenant General Darryl A . Williams Commander
As we begin 2018 , I wanted to highlight a few of the great things that this command and the NATO land community has accomplished over the past few months , and then talk about some of the changes that are coming for LANDCOM in the near future .
Combat Ready
In November of last year , we successfully executed an exercise that validated this commands ability to conduct one of its primary missions of providing a core headquarters responsible for the conduct of NATO land operations . In the nearly month-long exercise , this HQ demonstrated our ability to command and control ( C2 ) five GRF ( L ) s in a major joint operations plus ( MJO +), NATO Article 5 ( Collective Defence ) simulated environment . Having watched all the NATO member nations participate in this exercise , I can say without a doubt that we will excel if this command is ever asked to deploy and provide C2 for NATO land operations . All of the months of preparation by the entire staff paid huge dividends during execution , and their hard work and dedication was noticed by all levels of command within NATO . I would also like to thank the Corps and augmentees that participated from all across NATO . Congratulations on a job extremely well done !
Deployable Land Element
In October , we tested and rehearsed the Deployable Land Element ( DLE ) concept . The DLE concept will utilize a portion of this commands personnel as a rapidly deployable team that could stand up a command and control node for NATO land forces . This node would serve as the foundation for follow-on forces provided by either NATO member nations or from within the NATO Command Structure . This mobilization exercise utilized NATO and national pre-deployment procedures and identified lessons learned for our HQ to work on to ensure we have personnel ready to deploy in the future . This was a relatively small exercise that paid big dividends by informing this command and NATO key leaders of deployment options as we collectively look to design the future force structure .
Terrain Walk
Members of the land community began the year by developing a new standard for planning . Representatives from the GRF ( L ) s and U . S . Army Europe joined LANDCOM planners for a terrain walk to better understand the context , geography , history and conduct of war on key terrain within Europe . The terrain walk was a powerful event that brought together key stakeholders involved in NATO planning efforts . Those who participated came away with a better appreciation for the art and science of military planning for modern warfare . Getting planners out on the ground and seeing the terrain in the winter months will improve our ability to develop realistic contingency plans .
What ’ s Next
The NATO Command Structure ( NCS ) is going through an adaptation process to better align its command structures to the realities of today and the foreseeable future . Prior to this process , LANDCOM provided NATO with domain readiness , interoperability , standardization , and competency . This responsibility will remain unchanged . The most significant potential change for LANDCOM is its role at the theater level as it will assume the role of the Theater Land Component ( TLC ). This provides SACEUR with additional options in the interim for fighting in a Multi-Joint Operations plus ( MJO +) environment similar to how we exercised during Trident Javelin . This is a holistic process that will continue to evolve but regardless of the eventual outcome , the future looks bright for LAND- COM . This command will continue to excel at any mission it is given , now and into the future .
For the Soldier !