CHILLICOTHE, Ohio - The Ohio National Guard is getting ready to go through a transformation. This transformation, initiated by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld over five years ago, is producing sweeping changes over the entire Army and Army National Guard. The change here in Ohio, and locally in Chillicothe will result in the Ohio National Guard being more flexible and capable to do missions both at the federal and state level.
What does this mean for Company A? Well, the company will be nearly the same. It will still have carpenters, plumbers and electricians all performing Vertical Construction. However, the heavy equipment operator’s positions will all move to Portsmouth. The Portsmouth Unit (B Company) of the 216th will become a primarily heavy equipment unit dealing with Horizontal Construction. Some of the equipment that B Company will have will include Bulldozers, Cranes, Backhoes as well as military Semi’s to haul the equipment.
Company A will gain soldiers out of the transformation. This will bring another 15-20 jobs for Soldiers here in Chillicothe. The unit’s new focus will be on construction missions. Unit members who do not currently have any of the construction training will get a chance to go to school and learn their new job. This will allow them to complete missions such as the ones the humanitarian missions to Nicaragua and Panama where Company A was called upon to help build schools and medical clinics. Also, in Iraq, there the unit was called upon to help build force protection measures.
Unit Commander Capt. Donald Westfall said of the transformation process, “In this ever changing world in which we live in, we need to be prepared for the new visions for the future. The reason for this transformation is to make a more modular Army. Company sized elements that can be used by any larger Battalion or Division. If they need additional vertical construction assets they call on us. If they need horizontal construction then our sister battalion in Portsmouth will get to go.”
State Public Affairs Officer Capt. Marshall Jackson said, “The next few months while the guard is going through the transformation process will be exciting. The process will basically align units to deploy as Brigade Combat Teams so that entire unit can deploy together and not be sent as pieces and parts.”
If you have any questions about the transformation process, please contact the Ohio National Guard Public Affairs Office at 614-336-7000.
| Date Taken: | 10.04.2006 |
| Date Posted: | 03.31.2015 15:29 |
| Story ID: | 158694 |
| Location: | CHILLICOTHE, OH, US |
| Web Views: | 22 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Transforming the future, by SGT Brian Johnson, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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