Photo By Staff Sgt. Jonathan Shaw | Sgt. 1st Class Terry Dambrowski, the land, ammo, and schools manager for the 82nd...... read more read more
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FORT BRAGG, N.C. – The North Carolina Army National Guard's (NCARNG) Main Command Post-Operational Detachment (MCP-OD) is conducting a four-day individual duty training event, other wised known as a drill weekend, alongside their 82nd Airborne Division counterparts here Feb. 4-7, 2017.
The MCP-OD is a subordinate unit of the NCARNG’s 130th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, but it is aligned to the 82nd. It’s an augmentation force for the All American Division comprised of intelligence, logistic and other mission critical military occupational specialties.
The Army consists of three components: the Regular Army, commonly called the active component or active duty Army, and two reserve components, the Army National Guard and the Army Reserve. The Regular Army and Army Reserve are federal entities while the Army National Guard forces are state organizations until activated or mobilized for federal missions.
For nearly 50 years the Army has been using a multi-component unit (MCU) design to integrate elements of the three components in an effort to enhance its overall operational design, mission capability and combat effectiveness.
The MCP-OD is the Army’s latest addition to the MCU concept.
“The (82nd Airborne Division’s) MCP-OD is a new unit that was just stood up last year, and I’m very excited to be a part of it,” exclaimed Spc. Nikete Finley, a NCARNG soldier who recently transferred to the MCP-OD.
For Finley the new unit represented a unique opportunity to do something a majority of guardsmen don’t experience throughout their military careers.
“My (previous) unit in Raleigh gave me information about an opportunity to become airborne and the first chance I got, I jumped on it,” explained Finley, grinning.
It is a reserve component organization that is stood up to supplement a Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion (HHB) of an active-duty division command post. It provides expandability for the headquarters by providing increased capacity for the main command post and HHB. The MCP-OD will increase the capabilities for simultaneous execution of missions, extended operations, and/or support forward deployment of the HHB.
U.S. Army Maj. James McVeigh, the administrative officer of the MCP-OD, explained that since the MCP-OD Soldiers only work four days every other month, “We can’t help them with the day-to-day operations so our bread and butter is the warfighter. That’s what we’re designed for. That’s where we come in and support, if they deploy.”
This support is critical, as the Army’s force structure changes have reduced division-level staff manning.
This isn’t the typical NCARNG unit, instead of conducting a monthly drill weekend, the MCP-OD typically drills every other months between four and six days, depending on the unit’s mission and training requirements. When they do drill, they train side-by-side with their 82nd Division counterparts to ensure that if they’re deployed, will be in sync with the Division’s battle rhythm.
“We try to focus on the key aspects of the job through repetition, especially during their two week annual training,” said Sgt. 1st Class Terry Dambrowski, the land, ammo, and schools manager for the 82nd’s HHB. “That repetition and hands-on training is what really helps.”
Dambrowski is a five year veteran of the Missouri Army National Guard.
These organizations are at the forefront of the MCU concept. They have only been standing up across the Army for the past couple of years, but they’re already receiving high praise from senior ranking leaders.
| Date Taken: | 02.06.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 02.16.2017 15:13 |
| Story ID: | 223830 |
| Location: | FORT BRAGG, NC, US |
| Web Views: | 2,230 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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