# US 82nd Airborne to Become Global Response Force



## Ravage (Oct 29, 2008)

FORT BRAGG, N.C., Oct. 28, 2008 -- If there’s one thing that keeps the 82nd Airborne’s deputy commander awake at night, he said, it’s competing requirements that could threaten the division’s ability to project no-notice combat power and conduct forced-entry missions.

Army Brig. Gen. William Mayville shared his concerns as the division’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team trains to re-assume its role in June as the U.S. global response force. In this capacity, the brigade will be on 24/7 standby, ready to deploy anywhere in the world within 18 hours.

Its mission, if called, would be to forcibly enter and seize a defended airfield, then build up combat power to support follow-on military operations.

The 2nd BCT will reclaim the longstanding 82nd Airborne Division role – one some say defines the All American Division’s very existence. The 82nd passed the mission to the 101st Airborne Division last year when it was called to deploy to Iraq as part of the troop surge. At the time, the division’s three other brigades were already deployed.

The deployment represented the first time since 2003 that the entire division was deployed from Fort Bragg.

“We shared the wealth with other people, because the whole 82nd was deployed,” said Army Command Sgt. Maj. Thomas Capel, the division’s top noncommissioned officer. “We didn’t want to leave the United States here without a force ready to answer the nation’s call if they were called to do something. And so we started passing it around to other divisions to pick up the slack.”

With the 82nd now enjoying what Mayville called “a rarity,” with all four brigades now home, the 2nd BCT is training up to resume its role as the ready brigade. Plans call for it to assume the mission for a full year, rather than rotating it among the division’s other brigades every quarter.

By mid-day Oct. 23, Mayville reported, the division already had conducted seven airfield seizure operations, dropped 36 heavy-drop platforms, conducted several tactical air-land operations and jumped more than 5,000 paratroopers, with another nighttime jump scheduled that night.

“It’s important that we understand and maintain this fundamental requirement to project combat power and forced-entry missions,” Mayville said. “So far, this is not a problem. … But this requirement has got to compete with all these [other] near-term requirements,” including operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Mayville’s concern is that readiness for the quick-response mission requires practice – not just by the paratroopers and the Air Force assets that deliver them, but by every entity that would support the mission.

“There is a lot of investment in this readiness business, and it has to be practiced,” he said. “You have to have a force that has all the enablers that would be needed in an expeditionary environment, and they have to be ready and work together and train together.”

Last week’s airfield seizure training successfully incorporated these participants. But Mayville said he’s concerned that when push comes to shove, current requirements could compete against future training opportunities.

“I worry about this,” he said. “This is not an 82nd issue. This is a readiness issue.”

Mayville said he brings up this concern every opportunity he gets. “Readiness and no-notice capabilities do not happen by accident,” he said. “[They come] with foresight, with investment, with training – joint training.

“We just have to constantly remind ourselves that as hard as things are today, there is something out there that we don’t see that we have got to be ready for,” he said.

“There will be a call at a time not of our choosing that this nation is going to turn and say, ‘Get something there now,’” he said. “And that doesn’t just happen because someone made a phone call.”

http://thetension.blogspot.com/


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## car (Oct 29, 2008)

“We didn’t want to leave the United States here without a force ready to answer the nation’s call if they were called to do something. And so we started passing it around to other divisions to pick up the slack.”

Sounds like it's time to "assume mission" again. 2-beer limit, 2-hour recall, hanging out in the CP all day........


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## Muppet (Oct 29, 2008)

Filling out the CQ phonelog, phone drills, ULAC guard, EDRE's and being woke up @o-dark-30...................

F.M.


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## HoosierAnnie (Oct 29, 2008)

Gee, now I know why my friend with 2-Panther has been so scarce.  Guess he may need that St. Michael's medal after all.


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## DA SWO (Oct 29, 2008)

DRB for a full year, damn!
Guess that'll cut into leaves and college classes (LOL).
Sometimes I miss it, and sometimes I don't.


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## shortbrownguy (Oct 29, 2008)

SOWT said:


> DRB for a full year, damn!
> Guess that'll cut into leaves and college classes (LOL).
> Sometimes I miss it, and sometimes I don't.



BTDT, and dont miss it at all. I will say the Deuce has made me appreciate where I am at now;):cool:.


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## 7point62 (Nov 2, 2008)

Welcome to the party. Marine MEU-SOCs have been in Global Response Mode for years. 18 hours is good. MEUs may be faster or slower depending on location when the chain gets pulled, but when they get there they've got everything they need.


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## Florida173 (Nov 2, 2008)

7point62 said:


> Welcome to the party. Marine MEU-SOCs have been in Global Response Mode for years. 18 hours is good. MEUs may be faster or slower depending on location when the chain gets pulled, but when they get there they've got everything they need.




I'm thinking an airborne unit is quicker in most cases... except maybe a few spots that marines are right next door already.


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## AWP (Nov 2, 2008)

7point62 said:


> Welcome to the party. Marine MEU-SOCs have been in Global Response Mode for years. 18 hours is good. MEUs may be faster or slower depending on location when the chain gets pulled, but when they get there they've got everything they need.



The 82nd has been for years too, the GWOT forced a temporary change or two.

MEUs do have more flexibility though.

Apples and oranges to be honest.


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## CAL (Nov 2, 2008)

Freefalling said:


> The 82nd has been for years too, the GWOT forced a temporary change or two.
> 
> MEUs do have more flexibility though.
> 
> Apples and oranges to be honest.


This.  

The flexibility resides purely with logistics, IMO.


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## Florida173 (Nov 2, 2008)

CAL said:


> This.
> 
> The flexibility resides purely with logistics, IMO.



logistics in having no real equipment?


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## CAL (Nov 2, 2008)

Florida173 said:


> logistics in having no real equipment?


wut?


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## 0699 (Nov 2, 2008)

Freefalling said:


> The 82nd has been for years too, the GWOT forced a temporary change or two.
> 
> MEUs do have more flexibility though.
> 
> Apples and oranges to be honest.



As usual, Free is right on.  Both the MEUs and the 82nd contribute, just in different ways.  And just as the Army has had to adjust their schedule, so have the MEUs.  The MEUs have been spending as much time in the box as anyone else.


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## AWP (Nov 2, 2008)

CAL said:


> This.
> 
> The flexibility resides purely with logistics, IMO.



The 82nd also doesn't bring organic CAS assets.

Again, apples and oranges. They aren't the same, no one organization is better than the other.


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## 7point62 (Nov 2, 2008)

Not saying MEUs are better, just that they have more stuff in one box...Obviously when you travel by ship you can pack more gear. I would agree Airborne would have the jump on it--no pun intended--meaning the airlift capabilities while the MEU BLTs would have to get at least within helo range.


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## CAL (Nov 2, 2008)

Freefalling said:


> The 82nd also doesn't bring organic CAS assets.
> 
> Again, apples and oranges. They aren't the same, no one organization is better than the other.


Psst,  I was agreeing with you.:)


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## AWP (Nov 2, 2008)

CAL said:


> Psst,  I was agreeing with you.:)



Fair enough, Sir. I missed it I guess. :) My fourth point of contact must be stuffed with my head right about now....


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## RetPara (Nov 2, 2008)

You can park a MEU just over the horizon and let it peek over the horizon to let the locals know its there.  To quote the Dep Dir of Intelligence for the Marines.... 'a MEU is just large enough to take a big bite of a shit sandwich'

A MEU has the ability with its presence to send a strategic message of intent and will.

The Ranger Regiment and the 82nd are more of a 'OH SHIT who can we get there in the morning?' response.  Ranger and Airborne have even LESS equipment than a MEU.  So they will need a LOT more in the way of follow on support.  

Grenada and Haiti both represent the use of SOF and Airborne units to resolve a threat or issue.


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## Boondocksaint375 (Nov 2, 2008)

RetPara said:


> Ranger and Airborne have even LESS equipment than a MEU. So they will need a LOT more in the way of follow on support.


 
A lot has changed in the last few years with Regiment.  The addition of the STB will help sustain ops for sure.  But to the root of things, yeah, Regiment is a shock unit.  

Being on RF1 always sucked, since we weren't allowed to go a certain distance away from Benning, just in case we had to start the 18 hr cycle. Luckily for us, however,  3/75 was finally on RF1 at the right times


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## Ranger Psych (Nov 2, 2008)

aint that the truth.


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