Honore to Train Guard and Reserves Heading to War
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James Joyner | Monday, January 23, 2006 |
LTG Russel Honore, who gained national prominence during the Katrina rescue effort, is taking charge of trainingl Reserve and National Guard troops headed to war zones, according to Friday’s Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Lt. Gen. Russel Honore, the John Wayne-like commander who came to the rescue of Hurricane Katrina victims last year, is getting a new assignment. As part of the Army’s reorganization, First Army, the unit Honore commands, is trading disaster relief responsibilities for training all Army Reserve and National Guard soldiers heading overseas for duty in war zones.
Previously, the Fort Gillem-based unit just trained troops from east of the Mississippi River, including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Earlier this week, First Army took over training nationwide. Fifth Army, based at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, previously did the training in the western half of the country. It is giving up that job and taking over disaster relief and homeland defense efforts. The military said this switch will allow First Army to focus on training soldiers to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan, while Fifth Army will concentrate on homeland security.
Realigning these missions makes good sense and, certainly, Honore will command the instant respect of the troops headed overseas.
About the Author: James Joyner is the publisher of Outside the Beltway and the managing editor of the Atlantic Council. He's a former Army officer, Desert Storm vet, and college professor with a PhD in political science from The University of Alabama. He lives just outside the Beltway in Alexandria, Virginia.
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