Fort Drum's outgoing & incoming commanders discuss evolving combat
FORT DRUM, New York (WWNY) - While stationed in the Middle East, the 2nd Brigade Combat Team fought off more than 100 missile and drone strikes - experience the rest of the Army wants to learn from.
It’s part of a changing combat landscape that we’re learning more about from the outgoing and incoming 10th Mountain Division commanding generals at Fort Drum.
Between the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, the type of combat the U.S. Army must prepare for is different than it was just a couple of years ago.
“2nd Brigade is now. They defended themselves with distinction against relentless drone attacks and they brought everybody back,” said 10th Mountain Division Commander Major General Gregory Anderson.
It has been a busy two years for the busiest division in the Army.
Soldiers with the Division Headquarters returned from Eastern Europe in December.
The 2nd Brigade Combat Team returned from the Middle East earlier this year. The 1st BCT will head there later this year. The Sustainment Brigade will send companies to both the Middle East and to Europe later this year, and the 3rd BCT, out of Fort Johnson, Louisiana, is currently in northern Europe working with NATO, including its newest ally countries, Sweden and Finland.
Anderson says the coordination in Europe is unprecedented during this century.
“Sometimes it takes a threat, or a wakeup call, to get everybody moving together in one direction. That happened, and again, I’ve been in Europe several times. I’ve never seen them more ready than they are today,” he said.
On Friday, Anderson will hand off command of the 10th Mountain Division to Major General Scott Naumann. Naumann was previously stationed at Fort Drum as commander of the 1st BCT.
The two generals have spent months preparing for this transition.
“We’re gonna change command, but we won’t change direction,” said Naumann.
Both generals agree, one of the major challenges facing the military is electronic warfare, something the division will train for this summer.
“We’ve got to learn how to find them. We’ve got to learn how to hide from them. We’ve got to learn to work disrupted, in a disrupted communication environment. We’ve got to learn to disrupt their communications. We’ve got to be able to tie all of that together, that’s what’s happening here,” said Anderson.
Naumann says being prepared for combat in cities is also a priority.
“We’ve gotta be able to operate in that restrictive terrain and that restrictive environment, which is great for light infantry. It’s great for what the 10th Mountain Division (does) and the heart and soul of this formation,” he said. “You think about where we’re fighting now-a-days across the globe. The globe is becoming more populated and where people are tends to be where there’s conflict.”
Naumann says as he takes command you can expect his absolute commitment to the soldiers, families and civilians that make Fort Drum “ready, relevant and reliable.”
Anderson will take command of the 18th Airborne Corps at Fort Liberty, North Carolina, this summer. It’s a role that will keep him working with Naumann and leadership at Fort Drum.
The change of command ceremony is Friday morning.
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