The Army is creating a force filled with geographical experts in hopes that steady relationships with other nations can help prevent future conflicts.
Lt. Gen. Patrick J. Donahue II, deputy commanding general of U.S. Army Forces Command, outlined the strategy for a regionally aligned force during a forum at the annual Association of the U.S. Army Meeting and Exposition.
He said having units, including brigades and divisions, linked to specific parts of the globe would foster alliances, deter conflict and provide important training opportunities for U.S. troops.
Donahue, a former commander of U.S. Army Africa, is heading the efforts of Forces Command to create a "globally responsive and regionally engaged Army."
He spoke of the importance of regionally aligned units as part of a panel that also included Gen. Vincent K. Brooks, commanding general of U.S. Army Pacific; Lt. Gen. Jeffrey W. Talley, chief of the Army Reserve and commanding general of U.S. Army Reserve Command; Andrew Krepinevich, president of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments; and Michael E. O'Hanlon, senior fellow at the Brookings Institute.
A map of past operations shows dozens of Army units that have been spread across the globe in the past year, including operations in Asia, Canada, South America, Africa and Europe.
Donahue said the program was allowing the Army to reach parts of the globe it hadn't visited in years.
Those operations run the gamut from disaster relief training to counterterrorism and also including medical and counter improvised explosive device efforts.
The 82nd Airborne Division, while not linked to a particular region, is also part of the efforts.
Donahue highlighted the division's efforts to build interoperability between itself and other crisis response forces around the world.
"They're doing things in Europe and they're bringing Europeans to Fort Bragg," he said.
The regionally aligned force concept will be fully implemented no later than 2017, Donahue said. Eventually, units will be permanently tasked to support particular geographical areas and will be expected to form relationships with those nations.
The efforts will include active duty, National Guard and Army Reserve forces, Donahue said, explaining that each brings particular expertise.
The goal is to have soldiers familiar with world regions. That way, if there is a need, soldiers will deploy to familiar environments.
"We work with partners. You never know who you're going to work with when you show up somewhere," Donahue said. "If there's a crisis - it won't be the first time you've worked with them."
Donahue said the program will be expanded in the near future, and he said the Army was stealing ideas from the National Guard's State Partnership Program to apply a similar program to the Army Reserve.
Donahue said the Army also is exploring ways to better track individual soldier careers, to ensure those soldiers stay linked to the geographical areas where they have gained expertise.
Brooks said the regional concept wasn't perfect, but it works.
"It makes a difference, to be sure," he said.
Brooks said international exercises can reassure allies but also give the Army a depth that can allow it to better respond to crises.
Talley, meanwhile, said the Reserve offers expertise not found in the other components and the possibility for private partners to get involved, such as a water project in Africa that was paid for in part by Coca-Cola.
Krepinevich said regionally aligned forces had the potential to have enormous value for the Army in terms of familiarizing physical and human terrain.
He said the captains and majors that lead training today may one day be the generals leading the Army and will have important relationships with counterparts across the world.