Wednesday, 08/10/05

By Gary Burton
Times editor

The conventional U.S. Army in the 21st Century does not stay stagnant - it is a constantly changing force that works to be flexible inside a volatile society.

As the needs of the Department of Defense changes, so must local Tennessee National Guard units such as the 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment based in Ashland City.

As part of an upcoming year-long transformation, the unit will soon be known as Company D, 4/117th Infantry.

However, officials said the change would mostly be in name only in Cheatham County.

"The unit in Ashland City is really an armored unit within a cavalry regiment," said Randy Harris, spokesman for the Tennessee National Guard in Nashville. "Compared to other units across the state, the 278th in Cheatham County will really be a change in unit designation."

Company D will join other units from across Tennessee to make up the new unit. Others within the battalion will include Clarksville, Humbolt, Henderson and Milan.

Although the unit is deployed in Iraq until some time in November, Harris said the change has been ongoing since their arrival in the Middle East.

"The Tennessee units have already been acting as a brigade combat team (BCT) while they have been in Iraq," he said. "And things will run pretty much the same way when they return. There won't be a big change there for them. We hope to have the changeover complete by October of 2006."

Harris said the transformation is in line with a new way of thinking by the Department of Defense because of changes in warfare through the years.

"The whole Army is becoming a lighter, more mobile force," he said. "The days of waiting for hoards of enemy tanks to cross through the Fulda Gap (in Germany) are over."

In a press release Monday from Maj. Gen Gus Hargett, Tennessee’s Adjutant General, he explained the overall reasoning behind the transformation.

"We have spent many months reviewing Tennessee's military structure, and how we can best transition into the force needed to meet both today’s threats, and tomorrow's challenges," Hargett said. "The transition of units throughout the state will enhance our ability to respond in the event of natural disaster, civil disturbance or Homeland Security events."

Staff Sgt. Michael Binkley lines up a shot during a game of pool in Iraq. Company M of the 278th ACR from Cheatham County is slated to transform into Company D 4/117th Infantry during the next year. - PHOTO SUBMITTED

Story Copyright to Ashland City Times