Military Review English Edition November-December 2013 | Page 5

Mission Command in the Regionally
Aligned Division Headquarters
Brig. Gen. Wayne W. Grigsby Jr., U.S. Army; Col. Patrick Matlock, U.S. Army;
Lt. Col. Christopher R. Norrie, U.S. Army; and Maj. Karen Radka, U.S. Army
Brig. Gen. Wayne Grigsby Jr. serves in
ODCS G3/5/7 as the Army’s director
of training. He was the deputy commanding general (Operations) for 1st
Armored Division at Fort Bliss, Texas
from 2012 to 2013, and the director
of the Mission Command Center of
Excellence at Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
from 2011 to 2012.
Col. Patrick Matlock is the chief of
staff, 1st Armored Division, Fort Bliss,
Texas. He commanded the 170th
Infantry Brigade Combat Team in
Baumholder, Germany. The brigade
served in Regional Command-North,
Afghanistan, from 2011 to 2012.
Lt. Col. Christopher R. Norrie, currently
a student at the National War College,
was previously assigned as the G3
(Operations), 1st Armored Division.
Maj. Karen Radka is an FA59 (Strategist) and a planner in the 1st Armored Division, Fort Bliss, Texas.
PHOTO: Brig. Gen. Wayne W. Grigsby
Jr. speaks to the combined joint task
force staff after the morning update
brief during Exercise Eager Light in
Jordan, 12 November 2012. Exercise
Eager Light is an annual, bilateral
command post exercise conducted
between the United States and Jordan. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Pedro
Amador)

MILITARY REVIEW

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IFE AT THE corners of 4 map sheets” is how then-Lt. Gen. Vincent
Brooks, as the commanding general of Army Central Command (ARCENT), described the role of the regionally aligned force. The 1st Armored
Division, as the first regionally aligned force division headquarters, has
found that life at the intersection of those map sheets requires a change from
old habits and mindsets. Success as an aligned force requires embracing
mission command as a philosophy, establishing mission command systems
to keep hands on the forward problem, and adopting a forward-focused
mindset. Mission command enables the regionally aligned force to create
shared trust and understanding within the headquarters, build the relationships and teams necessary to support the geographic combatant commander,
and develop the flexibility necessary to provide mission-tailored command
posts to the combatant command.
In May 2012, the Army expanded the concept of regionally aligning units
from only brigade combat teams to division headquarters. Forces Command aligned the 1st Armored Division to support U.S. Central Command
(CENTCOM), making our team one of the first regionally aligned division
headquarters. The chief of staff of the Army, Gen. Ray Odierno, outlined
his intent for regionally aligned forces on 25 October 2012, indicating their
purpose: “to provide the combatant commander with up to a Joint Task Force
capable headquarters with scalable, tailorable capabilities to enable him to
shape the environment.” Our 1st Armored Division team viewed alignment
as a tremendous opportunity. Our commanding general at the time, Maj. Gen.
Dana J.H. Pittard, described the division’s role in this way, nested with the
chief of staff of the Army’s intent: “Our goal is to broadly collaborate our

• November-December 2013

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