Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Hernandez | U.S. Army Reserve Brig. Gen. Thad J. Collard, deputy commanding general of Army...... read more read more
SAN ANTONIO - The commanding general of Army Reserve Medical Command joined approximately 300 U.S. Army medical Soldiers from Active, Guard and Reserve components and an estimated half a dozen medical service members from NATO partner nations who took part in the U.S. Army Company and Field Grade Officer Leadership Development 2024, CFGOLD24, course at Trinity University here, June 2 to June 8.
"It's absolutely imperative that we integrate everybody," said U.S. Army Reserve Brig. Gen. Michael L. Yost, who took command of AR-MEDCOM April 12.
"When we go fight a large-scale combat operation, it is not just going to be the Reserve Component," said the general, who met with the instructors, students and participated in a general officer panel discussion.
Yost said all components, active-duty, Army Reserve and National Guard, are working together to complement each other.
"We got to know what kind of assets we have presented to us in theater because it's not just going to be ours; it's going to be the National Guard and Active Component," he said.
Yost said CFGOLD24 largely emphasized synchronization of efforts between NATO partner nations and the Army's posture transformation from two decades of counterinsurgency to the large scale combat operations in the context of NATO interoperability.
"In order to win this battle, the next thing we're going to be in; it's going to take a concerted effort of all entities, a joint effort, to be able to meet the need," Yost said.
CFGOLD24 is the 16th iteration of an annual week-long event hosted by Army Reserve Medical Command, 807th Medical Command (Deployment Support) and 3rd MCDS; and serves as a platform for both U.S. Army and NATO military noncommissioned officers, commissioned officers and warrant officers the opportunity to network, engage in collaborative discussions about doctrinal and institutional changes, and provide resources and tools for leadership development.
British Army Capt. Babatunde Akinlade, a pharmacist officer with the 214th (Northeast) Multi-Role Medical Regiment out of Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom, said that he has attained a greater comprehension of doctrinal and institutional topics.
"For my personal development, I think that having an understanding and appreciation of U.K. military doctrine resonated with me from one of the lecturers," said Akinlade.
"One of the talks they given is to understand your doctrine, and learn how you can influence policy and influence procedure," he said. "I think that's important, and I wish to take that back and challenge myself to bring about that change. I think it's also important in order to facilitate interoperability with our NATO allies."
U.S. Army Reserve 1st Lt. Michael K. Vigh, a medical officer assigned to the 303rd Field Hospital out of Weldon Spring, Missouri, said NATO interoperability was critical.
"Just being able to coordinate with them, and then there might be a time where it's not feasible to set up a field hospital and we might have to use of their facilities," Vigh said.
"Possibly in a mass casualty type of situation, we might need to lean on those partners. So being able to have a working relationship with them is very important," he said.
U.S. Army Reserve Sgt. 1st Class Cristina Alvarado, a dental specialist and training NCO with the 455th Dental Company out of Fort Devens, Massachusetts, said she will take information from the course back to her unit peers and subordinates.
"Seeing the plans that are happening two to three echelons above my level, and I understand that my Soldiers who are working so hard to follow the training schedule and complete specific actions," said Alvarado. "They don't get a chance or opportunity to come to these experiences, so what I am taking from this is how can I as a leader bring this information back and present it to them in a way that I can reach that audience because they may not be at that level that the senior leaders are here."
Alvarado said she is grateful for the CFGOLD committee support and guidance, and would like to join them in future iterations.
"A shout out to the committee who has really been supporting us this whole time keeping us together, and making sure that we have what we need," Alvarado said.
"I think that it's great to see that there's an opportunity to come back as a member of the committee if we are still interested, because I would like to do that."
For more information on past, present and future iterations of CFGOLD, visit the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/usarmycfgold/ and their LinkedIn page at https://www.linkedin.com/company/cfgold.
| Date Taken: | 06.13.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 06.13.2024 10:25 |
| Story ID: | 473853 |
| Location: | SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 86 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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