TADSS Rides to the Rescue As Training Funds Disappear

, Commanding 50 ARMOR —

• Some units, such as the Chemical Company and water purification units, will be “passed back” or moved to Corps. The 4th ID has already implemented many of the changes, starting with the former Task Force XXI Brigade, the 1st Brigade Combat Team. Restructure of the remainder of the division will occur within the next year. During the transition, the command is committed to consider personal and professional concerns while fulfilling Army requirements. The new division’s modular design allows for quicker deployment and can be tailored to the full range of contingency operations, from full-spectrum conflict to operations other than war. The 4th ID has been designated as the Army’s First Digital Division (FDD), and is expected to be fully fielded by the year 2000. Although the new division design is not the final design for the future, senior Army officers feel it is the right organization for this point in the experimental process and still affords the division the ability to deploy. As the design goes through further experimentation, versions of this structure and the lessons learned will be applied Army-wide, to heavy and light forces.

Even with all of the experimentation, digital testing and redesign actions, the division still has honed and maintained its combat effectiveness and deployability:

• A combined task force of infantry from Fort Carson and armor from Fort Hood conducted an Intrinsic Action rotation to South West Asia last December.

• The division’s 2nd BCT, 4th BCT (Aviation Brigade), and 3rd BCT all executed successful rotations to the National Training Center.

• Armored units supported light/heavy rotations at the Joint Readiness Training Center.

• The 1st BCT conducted extensive Future Battle Command at Brigade and Below (FBCB2) Limited User Tests (LUT) to train units to a higher state of readiness and provide data to the Army’s testing community.

The 4th ID has picked up an additional contingency mission, but will continue Force XXI experimentation in conjunction with Combat Training Center rotations. We are proud of our past, prepared for our missions, and forging ahead. Ironhorse!