News From USJFCOM: Leaders discuss CJTF-HOA mission rehearsal exercise


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Leaders discuss CJTF-HOA mission rehearsal exercise

Navy Rear Adm. Brian L. Losey and his team are finishing their mission rehearsal exercise at the JWFC, preparing them to deploy for a year as the Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa.

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By Army Sgt. Josh LeCappelain
USJFCOM Public Affairs

(SUFFOLK, Va., - Jan. 14, 2010) -- U.S. Joint Forces Command (USJFCOM) leadership and the incoming commander of Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) discussed outcomes and successes of their mission rehearsal exercise (MRX) at the Joint Warfighting Center (JWFC) Wednesday.

During the MRX, scheduled to run through Friday, Navy Rear Adm. Brian L. Losey and his staff of joint warfighters and civilians trained for challenges they will face when deployed to CJTF-HOA headquarters in Djibouti this spring. CJTF-HOA has a specific mission, different from deployments of other joint warfigthters.

"I think it's important to note that what makes this mission unique is the fact that it's centered on conflict prevention," Losey said. "And by working with our African partner nations, understanding the challenges and opportunities that we will confront together as viewed through their eyes is particularly important."

CJTF-HOA is subordinate to U.S. Africa Command (USAFRICOM) while deployed, and Losey explained what the task force will do.

"We are the defense part of diplomacy, development and defense. Working those partnerships to enable and foster regional security cooperation and really enhancing the security capacities of those nations in Africa is pretty much the theme," Losey said.

Army Brig. Gen. Sanford E. Holman, JWFC vice commander, said JWFC staff prepares extensively for these training exercises and follow-on staff assistance visits, using each as a tool to better prepare the next rotation of deploying warfighters.

"We are concerned not only with the warfighter of today, but also the one of tomorrow," he said. "We've spent a lot of time and effort with our staff assistance visits and going into theater to capture lessons learned and best practices [and] to bring them back and incorporate them into training experience, for the troops that are going to replace Adm. Losey's troops."

Losey continued to explain how the task force staff was being prepared for multiple roles during this exercise.

"Our focus and purpose is really on building partnerships and security capacities," Losey said. "We are concerned about what could be perceived as threats and we did work through a wide range of different scenarios that could confront the task force.

"One of my primary focuses is making sure that we are mission-ready," he continued. "That means that we must have all of our personnel up and running and that we care for those needs. Force protection is one of the core things that we focus on and I think we've adequately covered in this exercise."

Holman, who served as the deputy commander of CJTF-HOA in 2007- 08, thinks the MRX provided Losey's team with the tools to conduct that mission.

"The key leader engagements that are rehearsed well equip the training audience to attain the information and work unity of effort with our diplomatic and development partners," he said. "Having been in the Horn of Africa, as well as been in the training audience during an exercise, I think the staff procedures, the key leader engagement rehearsals, the media training or [other training] equip the training audience well in dealing with the threat and opportunity sets that they're going to encounter."