Foreign delegation meets with Third Army leaders

Photo By Sgt. Maj. Alejandro Licea | Col. Patrick Michelson, Third Army Civil International Military Affairs chief, presents Qatar Col. Mohammed Al-Marri a Third Army hat after the command brief which gave the delegation a brief of Third Army and its role on the war on terrorism.  

FORT MACPHERSON, GEORGIA, UNITED STATES

05.31.2006

Courtesy Story

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FORT MCPHERSON, Ga., (May 30, 2006)- A multi-lateral border security delegation visited members of Third Army's civil international military affairs section for a command brief held at Third Army headquarters, May 30.

The four member delegation, which was made up of military officers from the nations of Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, visited Third Army as the first stop in an eight-day trip around the U.S. for an information exchange between U.S. border security organizations, and the delegation on topics such as border security procedures and personal experiences on the topic.

Col. William Norman, Third Army chief of staff, welcomed the delegation with hand shakes and some friendly chatter.

"On behalf of our commanding general Lt. Gen. R. Steven Whitcomb, I would like to welcome you to Third Army," said Norman. "We are very excited about your visit, and I look forward to learning from you as much as you learn from us."

During the brief, Col. Patrick Michelson, chief of Third Army CIMA, spoke about the important roles of Third Army and its critical role against the war on terrorism.

"We [Third Army] are the funnel of forces from Kuwait to Iraq and vica versa," he said. "Hundreds of Soldiers and thousands of pieces of equipment are moved in and out on a daily basis."

The delegation's next stop will be El Paso, Texas, and then on to Albuquerque, N.M. to visit and meet with members of the Joint Task Force-North, which is the military command for U.S. border patrol, and U.S. Border Patrol, which is responsible for border protection and physical border protection measure, before returning home to their respective countries.

"We are very thankful for to be here," said UAE Maj. Pilot Saeed Thani Ali Bin Ghulaita during the meeting. "This is new for us, but we hope to continue this partnership and learn from this experience."

As it has been well publicized across the media, Washington is currently addressing the issue of border security and immigration along its Southern border with Mexico. Currently there are millions of illegal immigrants living in the U.S. who entered the country illegally from the 2,000 mile Mexican-American border.

Like many other nations, Qatar and UAE encounter similar border problems with terrorists and drug smugglers, said Michelson, to the delegation. With the Global War on Terrorism, many nations, especially in the Middle East and Horn of Africa region, experience border problems on a consist basics.

"Whether it is for opportunity or other activities people are entering the U.S. and other nations illegally," said Michelson. "We want your advice and comments because we want to learn from your experiences."

After the briefing and a gift exchange, Michelson gave the group a tour of the unit headquarters building and wished them luck throughout their trip.

• Date Taken: 05.31.2006
• Date Posted: 05.31.2006 10:46
• Story ID: 6600
• Location: FORT MACPHERSON, GEORGIA, US