ARMED FORCES DIVISION MEMBERS VISIT FORT BLISS AND WSMR

The Armed Forces Division of the Greater Chamber had their March meeting at Fort Bliss followed by an orientation tour of WSMR.

Approximately 34 members attended the Video Teleconference at Fort Bliss from Kabul, Afghanistan, with Brig General Anthony R. Ierardi, Deputy Commanding General, Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan.

With Chuck Harre posing questions that were submitted by Chamber members,  General Ierardi gave a brief rundown of the operations under his command in Kabul. The scope of his command responsibilities is training and development of the Afghan security forces.  His command is comprised of 15 allied nations and members of all the armed services which focus on police reform in an effort to increase the effectiveness and capabilities of the Afghan security forces.

One of the command challenges is the IED (improvised explosive devices) which is always a great threat to soldiers.  In addition to training Afghan security forces, the command is also concentrating on making infrastructure and lifestyle improvements as well as expanded communication capabilities of the Afghans.  General Ierardi expressed gratitude for the effort led by El Paso and the Greater Chamber, which provided comfort items for the soldiers during the fall of 2008.

At WSMR the group received a command briefing with an overview of the various missions in support of the Las Cruces, and Alamogordo area.  With more than 2.2 million acres (3,200 square miles), WSMR is the largest overland military test range in the nation.  With its expansive land mass, restricted air space, vast array of specialized instrumentation and an extremely talented workforce, WSMR conducts test and evaluation of weapons systems for DOD, other U.S. Government organizations and some allied nations. 

WSMR will become the home to the 2nd Engineer Bn by the end of the year. This combat engineer unit stood up in October and will bring more than 600 soldiers to the installation.  Their mission will be to train and prepare for deployment where they will perform duties such as route clearing, forward support, mobility and counter-mobility and emplacement.  In addition to the 2nd Engineer Bn, WSMR is also the location for a heavy brigade combat team, scheduled to arrive in 2013.

The Chamber group visited the Cox Range Control Center, which is the heart of the installation when testing is taking place because it is the receptacle for all data from the field and where all testing is constantly monitored from this location.  The group continued to the Air Traffic Control Center where air traffic controllers from the 49th Fighter Wing at Holloman Air Force Base monitor the WSMR airspace; and the Operations Control Display Facility where the test information is displayed. 

Following a welcomed box lunch, the group headed back to El Paso.  

The group unanimously voiced their appreciation to the Armed Forces Division of the Greater Chamber for organizing this field trip. The Fort Bliss Garrison Command and Public Affairs Office and the WSMR Public Affairs Office are specifically recognized for their participation and support in providing the opportunity to witness a VTC from Afghanistan and receive briefings on the vast WSMR missions.

It became apparent to the group that the combined El Paso and Las Cruces area is and has played a vital role in contributing to economic well-being of the area.