FORT EUSTIS — As part of a U.S. Army merger with Army Futures Command, Army Training and Doctrine Command is expected to leave Fort Eustis in the coming months.
Army officials spoke with the media on Thursday about the future of TRADOC and what is known currently about the merger.
“TRADOC remains deeply committed to the Hampton Roads community. Our history here is strong, our ties to this region are invaluable. I myself have a lot of history with this local area. I’ve had a home here for the past five years and so I consider Hampton Roads home. I’m committed personally to making sure that we do everything that we can to come up with the best option for the Army in line with what the Secretary of Defense and what the Secretary of the Army have asked us to do,” Brig. Gen. Jennifer Walkawicz, TRADOC operations and planning officer, said.
In the proposed move to Austin, Texas, TRADOC headquarters and the Center for Initial Military Training are likely to have a role in the merger or are under consideration in the merger. The aviation mechanic training brigade that calls Fort Eustis home would not be affected.
According to WHRO, Texas is already the headquarters of Army Futures Command, which was created during the first Trump administration. Both commands are geared toward training and recognizing future threats. Army Training and Doctrine Command was created in 1973 as part of the military’s refocusing at the end of the Vietnam War.
The merged command will be the Army Transformation and Training Command (ATTC).
“The Army is constantly evolving to meet the challenges of our ever-changing world. The transformation initiative is designed to help streamline that effort, but really to eliminate redundancy and get after delivering a really lethal force to the Department of Defense,” Walkawicz said.
The exact timeline of the merger is currently undetermined.
Currently, senior leaders of the U.S. Army at the Pentagon are discussing the merger in great detail, and must present an order with more details on the merger to Fort Eustis officials by June 15.
The team was also informed that it has an initial operating capability (IOC) date of the beginning of October.
“We anticipate that we will achieve what they call IOC in October. That’s when you will see that command form. That’s when you will see a new commanding general take over the reins of both of those organizations. Then, from October through next summer, we will continue to work out the specifics and the details,” Walkawicz said.
Daily operations at Fort Eustis continue as planned.
“Until we are told otherwise, we are full up with our missions to train and develop leaders and soldiers for the Army here at Fort Eustis. There’s been no change to our posture since the announcement,” Walkawicz said.
Walkawicz said that leadership at Fort Eustis is committed to keeping the public informed as more information on the merger is released.