Photo By Christopher Hanson | Maj. Gen. Matthew Warne, Army Reserve Deputy Commanding General makes his welcoming...... read more read more
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U.S. Army Reserve senior leaders convened at the 2026 Senior Commander / Garrison Commander (SC/GC) Conference from July 14-15, 2026 at Fort McCoy, Wis. to strengthen transformation efforts and align modernization priorities.
Mr. Stephen Sullivan, Acting Assistant Chief of Army Reserve, co-chaired the conference with Maj. Gen. Matthew Warne, Army Reserve Deputy Commanding General (DCG). The conference included participation from the Army Reserve’s Readiness Division (RD) Senior Commanders and Colonel/Lieutenant Colonel-level Garrison Commanders at Army Reserve installations.
The two-day event was hosted by Maj. Gen. Kevin Meisler, commander of the 88th RD and Col. Sheyla Baez-Ramirez, Garrison Commander of U.S. Army Garrison Fort McCoy. Attendees in-person included Maj. Gen. Karen Monday-Gresham, 81st RD Commanding General (CG), and Mr. Patrick Appelman, Director of U.S. Army Installation Management Command Directorate – Western Hemisphere (ID-WH). Additionally, multiple garrison commanders and garrison command sergeants majorrepresenting the full spectrum of Army Reserve installation management oversight were in attendance. Maj. Gen. Scott Linton, 99th RD CG and Maj. Gen. Windsor Buzza, 63rd RD CG, attended virtually.
Addressing the gathered leaders, Sullivan emphasized the intent of the conference is to understand how all decisions impact readiness of the Army Reserve.
“How does this build Army Reserve readiness? Because that’s what we are here to do,” Sullivan said. He said that decision-making should focus on ensuring “our units, Soldiers, and their families have the best possible working, training, and living environments within the limited resources that we have available.”
Along with Sullivan, Appelman, Warne, and Sgt. Maj. Danny Castleberry, senior enlisted advisor of ID-WH anchored the 2026 SC/GC Conference with opening and closing remarks that shaped the discussion throughout the event. Together, their perspectives helped guide the conference’s dialogue and reinforced the Army’s commitment to building adaptable, modern, and resilient installations that support readiness.
"This Senior Commander / Garrison Commander Conference is important to strategize resourcing of our Army Reserve facilities and training areas in order to provide the premiere locations for our Soldiers to train,” Warne explained. “Having the input and collaboration from command teams and Army Senior Leaders ensures we properly prioritize the resourcing of Army Reserve training platforms that the Joint Force and Total Army all benefit from to build readiness."
Attendees delivered focused updates on major efforts underway across Army Reserve installations and RDs, including plans to accelerate priority barracks projects supported by anticipated fiscal year 2027 funding. Leaders also reviewed ongoing risk-mitigation measures for Army-owned utility infrastructure and assessed progress on energy and water resilience initiatives essential to sustaining mission readiness.
In addition, participants shared insights from recent Black Start exercise planning and highlighted the growing value of intergovernmental support agreements in expanding installation capabilities. Together, these discussions underscored the shared commitment to strengthening infrastructure resilience and aligning installation management priorities for the year ahead.
Hosting the conference, Fort McCoy showcased the installation’s new transient training barracks, building 2000 that supported Operation Allies Welcome, training ranges, recreation sites, housing, and historical sites including five World War II-era barracks. Fort McCoy’s mission is to strengthen Total Force Readiness by serving as a training center, mobilization force generation installation, and strategic support area. Spanning 60,000 acres, Fort McCoy is the only Army installation in the state of Wisconsin and one of the largest area employers with more than 1,400 civilian employees and a more than $1.5 billion annual economic impact to the region.
Leaders also reinforced the Army Reserve’s commitment to Soldier fitness and readiness through immersive physical training activities. On 15 July, senior leaders engaged in a bike, run and walk session, demonstrating a top-down commitment to physical readiness.
With transformation efforts accelerating across the Army Reserve, leaders reaffirmed their commitment to building a leaner, more lethal force, ensuring Soldiers remain physically and mentally resilient, protecting lands that support rigorous training, and modernizing facilities equipped with advanced technologies to uphold national security and deterrence.
Meisler was pleased with the overall success of this year’s conference. “We are very happy to be able to host the conference this year at Fort McCoy. I think our team did an outstanding job pulling together this year’s event,” he said. “We showcased our capabilities to our counterpart Army Reserve installation leaders, highlighting the many improvements Fort McCoy has invested in to improve readiness and quality of life for our Army Reserve Soldiers and partner services.”
| Date Taken: | 07.15.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 07.24.2026 15:28 |
| Story ID: | 570669 |
| Location: | FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, US |
| Web Views: | 13 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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