8 - The Sparta Ambassador -September 2021
From Fort McCoy
Sparta Chamber of Commerce Newsletter Submission September 2021
FORT McCOY
Chief of Staff of the Army makes “ historic ” visit to Fort McCoy
U . S . Army Soldiers were seeing stars , and lots of them , while conducting annual training at Fort McCoy when Gen . James C . McConville , the 40th Chief of Staff of the Army , visited the post for the first time Aug . 11 . This was the first time in recent history that the Army ’ s top military leader visited Fort McCoy . McConville ’ s historic visit possibly emphasizes the importance of the post , the only Army installation in Wisconsin , and the essential role it plays in preparing the U . S . armed forces for large-scale combat operations in a multidomain operational environment .
Task Force McCoy established in support of Operation Allies Refuge
The Department of Defense , through U . S . Northern Command and in support of the Department of State , recently approved and is now temporarily housing vulnerable Afghans at military installations in the United States , including Fort McCoy . In mid-August , special immigrant visa applicants , their families and other individuals at risk arrived at Fort McCoy . This was is in addition to the small number of Afghans finalizing their processing at Fort Lee , Va . U . S . Northern Command is working to build additional capacity at Fort McCoy ; at Fort Lee ; Fort Bliss , Texas ; and potentially other military locations as required . Approximately 1,000 service members from multiple units of the U . S . Army and U . S . Army Reserve began to assemble at Fort McCoy to provide support to Operation Allies Refuge . U . S . Northern Command is the Department of Defense ’ s lead combatant command for this mission in the continental United States and is providing oversight in support of the Department of State . U . S . Army North , as U . S . Northern Command ’ s Joint Force Land Component Command , is the lead operational command for this mission . The task force at Fort McCoy — Task Force McCoy — provides the housing , medical , logistics , and transportation support . Brig . Gen . Chris Norrie is
serving as the Task Force McCoy Commander .