TRANSATL ANTIC DIVISION
TASK FORCE ESSAYONS ENABLES THE WARFIGHTER BY LT. COL . E VAN TING, Deput y Commander, Task Force Essayons
PHOTO COURTESY TASK FORCE ESSAYONS
T
he Transatlantic Division (TAD) activated a scalable unit, Task Force Essayons (TFE), May 19, 2017, in Taji, Iraq, as the “one door to the Corps” for all U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) activities supporting Combined Joint Task ForceOperation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR). In recent history, USACE has activated units in support of operations in both Iraq and Afghanistan. This activation is a continuation of USACE’s efforts to provide a robust response to the warfighter. TFE enables the warfighter, with their forward engineering presence, with design, construction, real estate leasing, contracting support, base camp master planning, and environmental management capabilities. The task force is comprised of 130 Soldiers and Department of the Army civilians. Most are volunteers, some from smaller USACE elements spread throughout the operational area, and many deployed from various USACE stateside districts, all eager to answer the call. Task Force Essayons brings a unity of effort to all USACE forces supporting OIR. Brian Phillips, the liaison officer for TAD to U.S. Army Central Command (USARCENT), said USARCENT made the task force its “one door to the Corps.” Under this concept, USARCENT employs the task force as its sole point of contact to coordinate requests for USACE enterprise support. “We have worked hard to unify the USACE resources in theater under one command, Task Force Essayons,” said Donny Davidson, Task Force Essayons deputy engineer for programs and project management. “I view the initial groundwork as a key component that enables this organization to maximize efficiencies and provide scalable, responsive, and reliable forward engineering support to the warfighter.” Some of the units the task force supports include CJTF, Special Operations Joint Task Force, and the Coalition Joint Forces Land Component Command (CJFLCC) for OIR. One of the most valuable competencies Task Force Essayons provides to these units is the capability to utilize reachback support accessing the hundreds of experts in a wide variety of construction, engineering, and contracting disciplines throughout the whole of the USACE enterprise. "The engineering expertise the task force brings to the coalition joint operations area will help guide our construction efforts and posture our base camps for the remainder of our mission here in Iraq and Syria,” said Col. Aaron Magan, an engineer with CJTF-OIR. “The reachback capability that allows us to access the might of the entire USACE enterprise is now available to the Coalition Joint Task Force in an even more responsive form as Task Force Essayons is here with us in theater, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.” “Task Force Essayons represents how the OIR mission is evolving. As Iraqi security forces and the Coalition Joint Forces Land Component Command for OIR prepare to take the fight against ISIS further west, the operational environment and basing requirements become more
Task Force Essayons personnel provide base camp master-planning services to Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve. The Task Force provides forward-deployed planning, design, and contract construction capability to support U.S. military units.
complex,” said Maj. Otty Medina, the CJFLCC deputy engineer. “The Task Force will provide additional depth of engineering expertise to design and construct infrastructure that will directly enable coalition support to the Iraqi government.” In addition to supporting other commands, TFE will coordinate and synchronize its efforts with adjacent engineer units to complement other combat engineering assets in theater. "[Task Force Essayons] provides significant technical engineer capability that will allow us to provide advanced engineering expertise above and beyond the contingency designs the 420th can provide,” said Lt. Col. Todd Starin, the 420th Engineer Brigade deputy brigade commander and executive officer. “This will improve the quality of support to our stakeholders across the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.” During the activation ceremony, Col. Corey Spencer, the Task Force Essayons commander, noted the importance of this mission and the effort it took to prepare for it. “Simply, this team is a great asset for any unit it provides support to, but the meaning of the task force can best be expressed by the people it supports,” Spencer said. “This special occasion marks a new beginning for this team as it officially activates Task Force Essayons in Iraq. It’s been a lot of hard work to get where we’re at today, but this is only the beginning, and it is time to roll up our sleeves and get busy supporting the warfighter.” Task Force Essayons falls under the command of the Transatlantic Division, USACE’s major subordinate command responsible for all USACE operations in the 20 countries in U.S. Central Command. n Those interested in deployment opportunities with USACE can find more information at www.tad.usace.army.mil/Careers/Deployments. 81