Army Central Command - ARCENT
Third United States Army
"Third...Always First"
Coalition Joint Task Force 7 [CJTF 7]
[Coalition Force Land Component Command (CFLCC)]
The Third Army/ARCENT headquarters consists of both Active and Reserve Component soldiers and Department of Defense civilians. This staff of over 500 personnel manages day-to-day operations and planning for CENTCOM Land Forces. On 11 November 2001 Lt. Gen. Paul T. Mikolashek moved from his headquarters at Fort McPherson, GA, to Kuwait, taking most of his staff of 700 with him.
Third Army/ARCENT maintains four forward deployed subordinate commands that perform vital operational missions: C/JTF-Kuwait, ARCENT-Kuwait, ARCENT-Saudi Arabia, and ARCENT-Qatar. These forward headquarters enhance engagement with host nations, contingency planning, and transition-to-war capabilities by providing initial command, control, facilities, and services for reception, staging, onward movement, and integration (RSOI) of early arriving forces. During wartime, Reserve Component (RC) war-trace units, in addition to Active Components (AC) units, are essential members of the Third Army team, a force of some 300,000 soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines. Seamless integration of Reservists has improved Reserve Component capabilities and added depth to the force.
As the Army Service Component Headquarters of the United States Central Command, Third Army (Army Central Command - ARCENT) remains the only fully deployable numbered army. Deployable at a moment's notice anywhere a crisis arises, providing command and control for all U.S. Army forces entering a theater of operations and establishing the linkages to the joint war fighting commander. Third Army is capable of performing as the Joint Forces Land Component Command, or Command of a Coalition / Joint Task Force coordinating the combined efforts of all land forces within a theater of operations.
Coalition Force Land Component Command (CFLCC)
Cobra Base houses CJTF-7 headquarters. CJTF-7 was previously named the Coalition Forces Land Component Command and was the headquarters unit responsible for all land combat unit operations.
Although major combat maneuvers associated with Operation Iraqi Freedom have come to an end, danger continues to exist within Iraq. Unexploded ordnances including mines, grenades and bombs are still threats, as are random attacks by remnants of the former regime. Lt. Gen. David Makiernan, commanding general of Coalition Joint Task Force Seven (CJTF-7), described Iraq as "one large ammo and weapons cache." There may be as many as 24 million guns in Iraq today. There was nobody in prison, "courtesy of the previous regime," Maj. Gen. William Webster, deputy commanding general of operations for the CJTF-7, dryly commented.
Third Army has been functioning as USCENTCOM's Coalition Forces Land Component Command (CFLCC) since the beginning of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM (OEF).
Focusing primarily on the Middle East, Central Command and Third Army's area of responsibility (AOR) is a large and complex region. It stretches from the Central Asian States to the Horn of Africa. The AOR encompasses an area of approximately 6 1/2 million square miles consisting of 25 countries populated by over 522 million people speaking 12 major languages and representing seven major religions. Within this strategically important region lay the historical crossroads of three continents, the majority of the world's oil and natural gas reserves, and the primary maritime link between Europe and Asia. Resources, differing geography, religious influences, and historical conflict have shaped this region for centuries and continue to do so today. The Third Army/ARCENT Area of Responsibility (AOR) includes 25 countries in South and Central Asia, the Persian Gulf, and Northeast Africa. The region's strategic location and abundant oil reserves make it critically important to the world's economy. The complex array of cultural, political, ethnic, and religious influences requires constant vigilance to counter potential threats to political stability within the region.
In keeping with American National Security Strategy, Third Army supports U.S. Central Command through a Peacetime Engagement Strategy, which encompasses three fundamentals of the National Military Strategy. ARCENT SHAPEs the regional environment by maintaining a continued forward presence, conduct joint and coalition exercises throughout the region, provide humanitarian assistance when needed, develop close partnerships with responsible nations, assist in demining efforts, and provide support to sister services. It prepares to rapidly RESPOND by developing and executing war plans and contingency missions as required. By PREPARING now, ARCENT greatly enhances the ability to maintain and sustain stability, resolve conflict, and stand ready to meet and defeat aggression across the full spectrum of conflict.
Third Army's history as 'Patton's Own' during World War II is the same Army that orchestrated the largest modern land battle in history, defeating the Iraqi forces during Operation DESERT STORM. ARCENT was a key player in the execution of Army operations in Desert Shield and Desert Storm. It developed the theater logistics concept and ensured all Army operations were closely coordinated with the other services. As the CENTCOM action agent for the ground campaign plan, ARCENT defined clear objectives and planned synchronized actions in detail. Joint and combined coordination activities were not solely the function of ARCENT; other component responsi-bilities overlapped and were shared in many cases by Third Army in its other roles as theater army and numbered field army.
Third Army/ARCENT has remained engaged in Southwest Asia since the end of the Gulf War. To enhance regional deterrence, ARCENT utilizes a comprehensive Peacetime Theater Engagement Plan to shape the security environment. Peacetime engagement is conducted by maintaining a robust forward presence, executing joint and coalition exercises, through military-to-military contact, by monitoring security assistance, providing humanitarian assistance to nations in the region, and by constant coordination/support with the other services.
ARCENT maintains a robust forward presence on the Arabian Peninsula. Army Forces Central Command-Kuwait (ARCENT-Kuwait), headquartered at Camp Doha, is responsible for RSOI and administrative support of Army forces deploying to Kuwait, oversight of the contract that maintains the brigade prepositioned fleet, and installation support for Camp Doha. Coalition/Joint Task Force-Kuwait (Forward) (C/JTF-KU (Fwd)) is also based on Camp Doha. Established during Operation DESERT THUNDER I and continuously manned since February 1998, C/JTF-KU (Fwd) provides a forward command and control headquarters capable of rapid expansion to execute joint, combined, and coalition combat operations and maintains area situational awareness by daily coordination with the Air Force and Navy Joint Task Forces in Saudi Arabia and Baharain, respectively. C/JTF-KU (Fwd) also has tactical control of all Army forces deployed in Kuwait and U.S. Marine forces when ashore in Kuwait.
ARCENT also maintains a forward headquarters in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Army Forces Central Command-Saudi Arabia (ARCENT-Saudi Arabia), headquartered at Eskan Village, exercises administrative control of Army forces operating in Saudi Arabia. The ARCENT-Saudi Arabia headquarters also conducts coordination with the host nation for U.S. Patriot missile assets and security forces forward deployed to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Additionally, ARCENT-Saudi Arabia plans and executes reception, staging, onward movement, and integration of these deploying forces.
Army Forces Central Command-Qatar (ARCENT-Qatar), headquartered at Doha, Qatar, is responsible for base support for another heavy brigade set and division base of pre-positioned equipment. ARCENT-Qatar is prepared to conduct reception, staging, onward movement, and integration of forces deploying in support of operations, exercises, and contingencies. In conjunction with the other Third Army/ARCENT forward commands, ARCENT-Qatar is prepared to facilitate rapid movement of personnel, equipment, and supplies by land, sea, or air throughout the CENTCOM AOR countries.
Joint and Coalition exercises provide the framework upon which Third Army/ARCENT builds its warfighting capability and supports USCENTCOM. During Fiscal Year 2001, ARCENT conducted ten joint, combined, and coalition exercises and two seminars in the United States and in the AOR. Third Army/ARCENT focuses on training all levels, from company small unit tactics to large-scale multi-national exercises.
Military-to-military contact also supports Peacetime Engagement Strategy by improving relations with countries in the AOR through seminars, and individual and small group meetings. This interaction allows for discussion of issues, develops individual relationships, and builds trust, confidence, and cohesion between ARCENT and those militaries of countries throughout the AOR.
Third Army/ARCENT also monitors security assistance provided by the United States Government in the form of foreign military funding, foreign military sales, international military education training, and excess defense articles. These security assistance programs improve the self-defense capabilities of individual nations and enhance their ability to participate in a cooperative defense of the region.
Third Army was born November 7, 1918, at Chaumont, France, when the General Headquarters of the American Expeditionary Forces issued General Order 198 organizing the Third Army and announcing its headquarters staff. On the 15th, Major General Joseph T. Dickman assumed command and issued Third Army General Orders No. 1.
On November 15, 1918, Major General Dickman was given the mission to move quickly and by any means into Central Germany on occupation duties. He was to disarm and disband German forces as ordered by General John J. Pershing, commander of the American Expeditionary Forces.
The march into Germany for occupation duty was begun on the 17th of November 1918. By December 15th the Third Army Headquarters at Mayen opened at Coblenz. Two days later, on 17 December 1918 the Coblenz Bridgehead, consisting of a pontoon bridge and three railroad bridges across the Rhine, had been established.
Third Army troops had encountered no hostile act of any sort. In the occupied area, both food and coal supplies were sufficient. The crossing of the Rhine by the front line divisions was effected in good time and without confusion. Troops, upon crossing the Rhine and reaching their assigned areas, were billeted preparatory to occupying selected positions for defense. The strength of the Third Army as of 19 December, the date the bridgehead occupation was completed, was 9,638 officers and 221,070 enlisted men.
During January 1919, the Third Army was engaged in training and preparing the troops under its command for any contingency. A letter of instruction was circulated to lower commanders prescribing a plan of action in case hostilities were resumed. Installations were set up throughout the Army area to facilitate command.
"The Watch on the Rhine," Signal Corps photograph of guard showing Coblenz railroad bridge in background. Coblenz, Rhenish Prussia, Germany, 1919-01-06.
In February, military schools were opened through the Third Army area; a quartermaster depot was organized; 2,000 officers and enlisted men left to take courses in British and French universities; better leave facilities were created; and plans for sending American divisions to the United States were made. On 4 February, the military control of the Stadtkreis of Trier was transferred from GHQ to the Third Army.
In March, routine duties of occupation and training were carried on; an Army horse show was held; Army, corps, and divisional educational centers were established in the Third Army Zone; the Coblenz port commander took over the duties of the Coblenz regulating officer; the 42d Division was released from IV Corps and was placed in Army Reserve.
In April, the exodus of American divisions from Third Army to the United States began. During the month, motor transport parks were established; an Army motor show was held; the Army area was reorganized; and the centralization of military property was initiated in anticipation of returning it to the United States. On April 20, 1919, Third Army command changed from Maj. Gen. Dickman to Lt. Gen. Hunter Liggett.
On 14 May, Marshal Ferdinand Foch, General-in-Chief of the Allied Armies, submitted plans of operations to the Third Army commander to be used in the event that Germany should refuse to sign the peace treaty. On 20 May, Marshal Foch directed allied commanders to dispatch troops toward Weimar and Berlin in the event the peace treaty was not signed. On 22 May, the Third Army issued its plan of advance, effective 30 May, in view of the impending emergency. On 27 May, Marshal Foch informed General John J. Pershing, Commander-in-Chief, AEF, that the Supreme War Council desired allied armies be made ready immediately to resume active operations against the Germans.
On 1 June, the advance GHQ, AEF, at Trier was discontinued. On 16 June, Marshal Foch notified General Pershing that allied armies must be ready after 20 June to resume offensive operations and that preliminary movements were to begin 17 June. On 19 June, General Pershing notified Marshal Foch that beginning 23 June the Third Army would occupy the towns of Limburg, Westerburg, Hachenburg, and Altenkirchen and that III Corps would seize the railroad connecting these towns. On 23 June, the Germans signified their intention to sign the peace treaty and contemplated operations were suspended. On 30 June, Foch and Pershing conferred in regard to American troops to be left on the Rhine.
On 1 July, General Pershing notified the War Department that upon Germany's compliance with military conditions imposed upon her (probably within three months after German ratification of the treaty), the American forces in Europe would be reduced to a single regiment of infantry supplemented by necesary auxiliaries.
On 2 July 1919, the Third Army was disbanded, its headquarters and all personnel (numbering about 6,800 men) and units under it were thereafter designated American Forces in Germany. This force remained in Germany for over three years.
The United States, having rejected the Treaty of Versailles, remained technically at War with Germany until the summer of 1921 when a separate peace was signed.
The lights of peace were flickering in August 1932. Japan had grabbed Manchuria and attacked Shanghai, the League of Nations revealed impotence, Fascist Italy rattled swords, and Germany was giving itself to Nazism.
On 9 August 1932, without fanfare and almost without public awareness, the formation of four field armies within the continental United States was announced.
The Eighth Corps Area commander, Major General Edwin B. Winans, was senior corps area commander and assumed command of the Third Army on 15 September 1932. Headquarters of the Eighth Corps Area at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, also became headquarters of the Third Army.
General MacArthur's directive was soon followed by further directives which clarified the composition of forces, Army area boundaries, etc. The Third Army commander was to be a "tactical commander," as distinguished from a Corps Area commander whose function was to remain principally administrative.
In peacetime, the Army commander's control of the Corps Area was limited to training exercises, preparation of war plans, and assignment of officers to specific commands. In war-time, if he did not take to the field with his Army at once but remained as strategic reserve, he was to supervise all training of troops. If he went to the front, Corps Area commanders were to assume responsibility of training of replacements.
With the directives of the Chief of Staff as the foundation, General Winans began to build the Third Army. At the end of his tour of duty on 30 September 1933 he departed and retired on October 31st. His replacement, Maj. Gen. Johnson Hagood, arrived on 4 October.
Shortly after his arrival General Hagood got into a skirmish over - of all things - the shoulder patch. The War Department judged that the Third Army was not to be considered a continuation of the original Third Army, AEF. "Then," asked General Hagood, "why not a new insignia, instead of the old A within an O, referring to Army of Occupation?" But the War Department refused his entreaties and the third "no" stuck.
Throughout General Hagood's command, Third Army existed mostly on paper and did its fighting through correspondence, planning for future expansion, scrapping for staff officers and other personnel, and blueprinting for the future.
In April 1936, he was succeeded by Maj. Gen. Frank Parker, who conducted the first Command Post Exercise that gave the Third Army an opportunity to assess its strengths and weaknesses, ...and to prepare for bigger problems. These were not long in coming.
From May 1941 until February 1943, the Third Army was commanded by Lieutenant General Walter Krueger. General Krueger made the Third Army the best training army in the United States.
Krueger had in his Third Army two men who would gain fame. One of these men was his Chief of Staff, a new brigadier general, named Dwight D. Eisenhower. The other man was the leader of Krueger's Hell On Wheels 2nd Armored Division. His name was George S. Patton, Jr.
General Douglas MacArthur, Commander in Chief of Pacific Forces, personally requested that Krueger be given command of the Sixth Army. In January of 1943, Krueger reported to MacArthur and took command of his new army.
From February 1943 until end of 1943, Third Army was commanded by Lt. Gen. Courtney H. Hodges. During this period it was primarily a gigantic training army comprised of hundreds of units from small detachments to full corps.
There was but one goal to Third Army's day-to-day conduct of business. General Hodges had announced it many times and no one in Third Army was permitted to lose sight of it: Maximum Fighting Efficiency.
There was no talk of "this is going to be a short war;" "it'll be over before we get overseas." Units were trained in the belief that they were going over as fighting units and that each and every man within each unit had an important job to do - assist in bringing victory to our arms.
Movement of troops overseas started slowly. Antisubmarine warfare was just beginning to meet with success and shipping was still short. But in July and August of 1943, the alert orders flooded the Headquarters in increasing numbers. By 30 December 1943, Third Army had moved to ports, for direct shipment overseas, a grand total of 208,566 officers and men, including five divisions.
On 31 December 1943, the Third Army was transferred to combat army status and at 0830 the next morning came the telephone call for which they had waited so long. Third Army's readiness date was 15 February. It was to leave at authorized strength plus a CIC detachment of three officers and 13 enlisted men. By 15 January the entire headquarters was POM (prepared for overseas movement) to the last man and the advance detachment comprised of 13 officers and 26 enlisted men, left for the port. Upon disembarking from the Ile de France, they were met by their new commander.
Under the command of Lieutenant General George S. Patton, Jr., Third Army participated in eight major operations and gave new meaning to "hard charging, hard hitting, mobile warfare."
Throughout Third Army's swift and tenacious drive into and through France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Czechoslovakia, and Austria, its rugged soldiers inflicted far more casualties and damage to the enemy than they received while enroute to victory.
Third Army contributed immeasurably to the destruction of the Nazi war machine of Adolph Hitler's Germany.
On October 7, 1945, General Patton delivered a simple Farewell to Third Army address before giving the Third's colors to Gen. Lucian K. Truscott, the former Fifth Army commander and an old friend of whom he thought there was a "no more worthy recipient."
General Patton was never more sincere than when saying, "all good things must come to an end." Departing to shuffle papers in a command without combat troops to lead and tactics to train was a fate worse than death for the old warrior, and made him "regret that I survived the war."
A major change under the Reorganization of the United States Zone, Germany, was the combination and redesignation of the Third and Seventh Army Areas into a single area under the command of Third Army. Seventh Army reverted to inoperational status on 25 March whereupon Third Army assumed all occupational and operational responsibilities for the combined areas.
Third Army Headquarters moved from Bad Tolz to Heidelberg and shortly afterwards, due to ill health, Lt. Gen. Truscott relinquished command to Lt. Gen. Geoffrey Keyes, former commander of Seventh Army. Former commander of Seventh Army Major General Edwin P. Parker, Jr., served as interim commander during a leave of absence of General Keyes.
Lt. Gen. Geoffrey Keyes relinquished the command of Third Army on 10 January 1947 to Major General Ernest N. Harmon. General Harmon was the Commanding General of the United States Constabulary and, in his capacity as Commander of Third Army, directed the final phase-out of the Army as an occupational unit.
On 15 February 1947, the Third Army completed its task as an occupying Army for the second time within twenty-five years. The second occupation was completed not far from the location in which the veterans of 1917-18 packed their duffel bags and returned to the States with the thought that theirs was the last Army of Occupation that would be required.
From the banks of the Rhine in 1923 to the banks of the Neckar in 1947, Third Army had spilled the blood of many gallant men, and had, for the second time, played a major role in the defeat of an enemy that had amazed the world with its tenacity and power.
On 15 March 1947, Headquarters, Third Army, was relieved from assignment to the United States Forces European Theater and transferred to the Zone of Interior. Also that day, Headquarters, Headquarters Company, and Special Troops, Third Army, were organized at Atlanta, Georgia, and replaced the inactivated units of Seventh Army.
The Seventh Army in June of 1946 had replaced the Fourth Service Command Headquarters which was located in the Old Post Office and six other buildings in downtown Atlanta. In September 1946, part of the headquarters moved to Fort McPherson, and as the Separation Center there wound down and space became available, the remainder of the staff move on post.
The organization of the Third Army units was the same as that of the Seventh Army units. Personnel and equipment of the Seventh Army units were transferred to the corresponding Third Army units. Lt. Gen. Oscar W. Griswold assumed command of Third Army immediately upon the organization of Third Army Headquarters.
The mission of the Third Army was to serve as the administrative headquarters for an area that covered the seven southeastern states of North and South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee.
With the move to Fort McPherson, Lt. Gen. Alvan C. Gillem, Jr., returned to the post to serve as Commanding General of Third Army and Fort McPherson from December 1947 to August 1950. General Gillem had enlisted as a Private in the 17th Infantry at Fort McPherson back in 1910.
In order to meet postwar budget limitations imposed by Congress on the military, the size of the Army force was cut drastically. Personnel ceilings were placed on both military and civilian personnel. The preconceived idea of using civilians to replace military personnel was prohibited and personnel ceilings could not be exceeded regardless of the availability of funds. Levies on the Army area command for the oversea shipment of personnel were necessary in fulfilling oversea commitments, which had priority over zone of interior operations. Replacements for personnel lost were not available within or outside the Army area. The steady decline of personnel necessitated constant reorganization of troops.
The inadequacy of the Armed Forces and the growing tension in international affairs influenced Congress to such a degree that sufficient funds were appropriated in June 1948 for the Army to enter into an expansion program. The second peacetime draft within ten years was authorized by Congress. Demobilization was at an end and the ranks of Third Army began to swell with young vigorous citizen-turned soldiers.
During the period from October 1948 to November 1949, Third Army determined through the conduct of a Territorial Command Test (Operation TACT) how to place under the command of an Army Commander all units, activities, and installations within the geographical limits of the Army area, and prepared a standing operating procedure for use as a guide at Department of the Army. From the experience gained, Army Commanders' responsibilities over installations within their respective areas were expanded.
Following the outbreak of hostilities in Korea in June 1950, the attention of the Army Commander and his staff was turned immediately to the expansion of the Armed forces and limited mobilization. Many installations were reactivated and reserves were recalled to active duty.
The experience gained at Third Army Headquarters during the periods of demobilization, expansion, and economy in a short period of three years, prepared the Third Army Commander and his staff for the arduous task of mobilizing and training sufficient troops to cope with the national emergency that arose as a result of the Korean crisis. The experience also prepared Third Army personnel for the Economy Program that followed the lull of hostilities in Korea in July 1953.
There were no primary changes in the mission of Third Army during he middle 1950's. Emphasis was placed on the supervision of training and support of the National Guard, Reserve, and Reserve Officers' Training Corps.
During the 1970s, with the reorganization of the Army structure, the U.S. Army Forces Command was activated as a new major headquarters, replacing the Third U.S. Army. The mission of FORSCOM was to prepare Army forces for mobilization and commitment in support of national policy.
Fort McPherson assumed an additional mission in the summer of 1974 with the designation of the Atlanta Army Depot as a sub-installation of Fort McPherson. Base operations support and command of the post became the responsibility of Fort McPherson. The former depot was concurrently renamed "Fort Gillem" in honor of Lt. Gen. Alvan Cullom Gillem, Jr., who had served as the commanding general of Third U.S. Army and Fort McPherson during the late 1940s.
On 3 December 1982, a special ceremony was held at Fort McPherson to mark the return to Active Army status of Headquarters, Third U.S. Army under the command of Lt. Gen. M. Collier Ross. Distinguished guests at the event included former Third Army Commanders, Gen. (Ret.) Herbert B. Powell and Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Louis W. Truman.
The new headquarters was established in Building 363, 1881 Hardee Avenue, Fort McPherson, and its new mission was to serve as the Army component in a unified command, the United States Central Command, which has responsibility over a vast overseas area covering parts of Africa, Asia, and the Persian Gulf.
For its part, Third Army could draw upon a reservoir of Army units, and became responsible for planning, exercising, and rapidly deploying these units in crisis situations.
Third Army again demonstrated its professionalism during Operations DESERT SHIELD/DESERT STORM in 1990/1991. With the Iraqi invasion in August 1990, Third Army would once again lead soldiers into combat.
Then commanded by Lieutenant General John J. Yeosock, Third Army began deploying from its Atlanta headquarters in August 1990 to assume its role as U.S. Army Forces Central Command (ARCENT), the senior Army headquarters in Saudi Arabia during the Gulf War.
ARCENT's initial mission was to build combat power in the region, defend critical oil and port facilities in eastern Saudi Arabia, and to transition to a defense in sector. Third Army was responsible for building the forward logistical base to support arriving Army units. The support base for these units was in the United States, a distance of 12,000 miles/31 days by sea or 7,400 miles/14 hours by air.
During the first 90 days of DESERT SHIELD, ARCENT coordinated the reception and sustainment of a force equal to what had taken a year to deploy during the Vietnam War.
With the president's announcement in November to deploy more units for a possible offensive, ARCENT put the final touches on its ground plan.
Its plan called for a deep, wide sweep into southern Iraq. ARCENT's multinational combat forces consisted of two corps headquarters (the XVIII Airborne Corps and the VII Corps), nine divisions (82nd Airborne, 101st Air Assault, 24th Infantry (Mechanized), 1st Infantry (Mechanized), 1st Cavalry, 1st Armored, 3rd Armored, 1st British Armored, and 6th French (Light)), and two armored cavalry regiments (the 2nd ACR and 3rd ACR).
Third Army's mission was to close with and destroy Iraq's Republican Guard. Simultaneously, U.S. Marine Corps and multinational coalition forces were to cross into Kuwait to support ARCENT's main attack.
Its war plan successfully deceived the Iraqis regarding disposition of allied ground forces. After the start of the air war, Jan. 17, 1991, ARCENT prepared to take the offensive. In less than three weeks, 250,000 soldiers, 10,000 tracked vehicles, and 50,000 wheeled vehicles moved from assembly areas in Eastern Saudi Arabia to attack positions 360 miles Northwest along the Iraqi border.
The ground war was launched Feb. 24 and ended just 100 hours later on Feb. 28.
Quick and decisive, this was the largest armored battle in the history of warfare with ARCENT and allied ground forces exceeding all expectations.
Following the Gulf War, ARCENT oversaw the restoration of life support facilities in Kuwait and cared for Iraq's displaced civilians.
It also transitioned the United Nations Observation Mission forces into the buffer zone along the Iraqi-Kuwaiti border.
Third Army/ARCENT has remained engaged in Southwest Asia since the end of the Gulf War.
In October 1994, ARCENT was again called upon to command, control, and deploy Army forces to Kuwait in support of freedom during Operation VIGILANT WARRIOR.
Operation VIGILANT WARRIOR was initiated in response to Saddam Hussein's "saber rattling" and posturing of Iraqi military forces along the Iraqi-Kuwaiti border. This act of aggression threatened to upset the delicate balance of peace in the region.
ARCENT's rapid generation and deployment of a formidable Army force clearly demonstrated U.S. resolve and commitment to its friends and allies in the region.
Less than one year later, Saddam Hussein would again deploy Iraqi forces close to its border with Kuwait. In August, Third Army/ARCENT provided command and control for a rapid deployment of a heavy brigade task force. Once more, Iraqi threats were decisively met while ARCENT simultaneously conducted a major training exercise in Egypt, "BRIGHT STAR 95," involving military forces from 6 other nations. This contingency operation validated critical procedures for deployment, particularly the off loading of equipment from floating prepositioning ships and its distribution to arriving soldiers. The deployment of a "Fly-Away Package" of key contingency staff also validated procedures for a rapidly deployed command and control group able to conduct combat operations immediately upon arrival. VIGILANT SENTINEL's immediate, measured, and effective response to Iraqi aggression quickly convinced Hussein to withdraw his forces from the Kuwaiti border.
In September 1996, Iraq violated United Nations sanctions by deploying forces north of the 36th Parallel and attacking ethnic Kurds in Northern Iraq. In response to Hussein's refusal to cease these attacks on the Kurdish people, the U.S. launched cruise missile strikes against selected military targets inside Iraq. As tensions remained high in the region, a heavy brigade task force was deployed to Kuwait under the command of Third Army/ARCENT to deter potential retaliatory attacks on Kuwait. Hussein soon capitulated, withdrawing his military forces south of the 36th Parallel. Again, we had been instrumental in stabilizing a dangerous situation.
When Saddam Hussein blocked United Nations weapons inspections, tested the resolve of coalition commitment by violating the no-fly zone, and publicly threatened to shoot down U2 reconnaissance over-flights in the Fall of 1997, CENTCOM responded with a land, sea, and air strike force of more than 35,000 U.S. and coalition forces. In support of this powerful multi-service, multinational ground force, General Anthony C. Zinni, Commander-in-Chief, CENTCOM, established a permanent Coalition/ Joint Task Force (C/JTF), headquartered at Camp Doha, Kuwait, and commanded by Lieutenant General Tommy R. Franks, Commanding General, Third Army/ARCENT.
In addition to the U.S. and coalition forces already in Kuwait, a brigade task force from 3d Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga., rapidly deployed to Kuwait. Departing from Hunter Army Airfield, the brigade task force deployed 4,000 personnel and 2,900 short tons of equipment on 120 aircraft. Within 15 hours of landing at Kuwait City International Airport, the unit had drawn prepositioned equipment and was in battle positions in the desert. On Feb. 28, Coalition/Joint Task Force-Kuwait was prepared to defend Kuwait with a ground force strength of more than 9,000 personnel.
Argentina, Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, Hungary, New Zealand, Poland, Romania, United Kingdom, and Kuwait rounded out the C/JTF by providing liaison teams, aircraft support, special operations elements, Chemical/Biological, Base Defense Units, MASH units, and medical personnel.
Added to forces on the ground was equipment for two more brigades (one Army and one Marine) afloat in the Arabian Gulf with the Maritime Preposition Force. These ships were poised to link up with soldiers and Marines who would draw their equipment and head to the front if required. Attack air provided by Navy, Air Force, and Coalition assets rounded out this formidable force.
This was the largest multinational force assembled in Southwest Asia since the conclusion of the Gulf War.
The demonstrated capability to quickly deploy combat forces from around the world successfully deterred Iraqi aggression and helped reinstate compliance with the UN Weapons Inspection Program. In November 1998, when the work of the UN inspectors was again interrupted, Third Army quickly returned to the Gulf to convince Saddam that the United States stood ready to enforce the terms of the cease-fire.
As Saddam Hussein violated United Nations sanctions and threatened regional stability, we began deploying to Kuwait and preparing for combat operations. Coalition/Joint Task Force-Kuwait, in place since DESERT THUNDER I, played a key role in the rapid deployment, reception, staging, onward movement, and integration of forces.
Units deploying to Kuwait included advance parties from the 3d Infantry Division and the 32d Army Air and Missile Defense Command (AAMDC), personnel from the Theater Support Command (TSC), Air Support Operations Center (ASOC), and Marine Forces. In addition, the redeployment of the Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) in the Gulf was placed on hold and a second Marine Expeditionary Unit was ordered to the Gulf as reinforcement.
While forces were deploying to the Arabian Gulf region, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan flew to Baghdad to meet with Saddam Hussein.
Following negotiations, Saddam Hussein agreed to allow uninterrupted resumption of United Nations weapons inspections. In mid-Nov, as the crisis defused, there were 2,300 personnel deployed to Kuwait in support of C/JTF-Kuwait.
When Iraqi aircraft began challenging the established no-fly zones, and Iraqi Air Defense systems fired on allied aircraft in Dec. 1998, U.S. and U.K. forces responded with a massive display of firepower.
Allied air force and navy aircraft, and Cruise Missiles engaged command and control, communications, and selected Republican Guards targets on the morning of Dec. 16. These concentrated attacks against Iraqi targets continued until the early morning of Dec 19.
During the campaign, Third Army again deployed forces to defend Kuwait, and to reassure our Allies in the Gulf region.
By late Dec, C/JTF-Kuwait consisted of approximately 6,000 personnel, including the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit.
Coalition Forces Land Component Command is wrapping up its stay at Camp Doha and nearly one thousand servicemembers are scheduled to complete the move to Camp Arifjan by the end of April 2004. The move is to improve the command and control for Lt. Gen. David D. McKiernan, Third Army/ U.S. Army Forces Central Command, or ARCENT, commanding general.
In its 2005 BARC Recommendations, the Department of Defense recommended that the Headquarters of the 3rd Army be relocated to Shaw Air Force Base, SC. Its former station, Fort McPherson, GA, would be closed permenantly.
