DestinationFAY

d The Army Airborne & Special Operations Museum, which is part of the U.S. Army museum system, opened to the public in the downtown district of Fayetteville in 2000. Visitors are able to enjoy the exhibits, culture and heritage of the nation's military history, with a focus on Army Airborne and Special Operations Forces from 1940. Admission is free, but a $5 donation is gladly accepted. 100 Bragg Blvd. Call 910 -643-2778. d Based at Fort Bragg, the 82nd Airborne Division is the fighting arm of the X VIII Airborne Corps, and highly regarded as the Army's most strategically mobile division. Its mission, according to Fort Bragg online information, "is to, within 18 hours of notification, strategically deploy, conduct forcible entry parachute assault and secure key objectives for follow-on military operations in support of U.S. national interests." "The 82nd Airborne Division is the world's only Airborne division and the nucleus of the U.S. Immediate Response Force," said Master Sgt. Alex Burnett, a public affairs officer with the 82nd. "Comprised of nearly 18,000 paratroopers in three Brigade Combat Teams, a Combat Aviation Brigade, a Sustainment Brigade, an Artillery Brigade and a division headquarters, the All American Division is capable of mobilizing and deploying anywhere in the world within 18 hours of notification to support any combat or contingency mission." Most recently, Burnett said, the division's 1st Brigade Combat Team was mobilized in response to growing tensions in Iraq and deployed as the IRF for the first time since the invasion of Panama more than 30 years ago." d The U.S. Army Forces Command (FORSCOM) is the largest major U.S. Army command. FORSCOM, which was created on July 1, 1973, from the former Continental Army Command, consists of more than 750,000 active-duty Army, U.S. Army Reserve and Army National Guard soldiers. It was created "to train, mobilize, deploy, sustain, transform and reconstitute assigned conventional forces, providing relevant and ready land power to combatant commanders." FORSCOM has been deeply involved in military operations, including Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm. d The XVIII Airborne Corps, founded in 1942, is designed for short-notice deployment anywhere in the world by air, land or sea. Thus, the Fort Bragg-based corps is referred to as "America's Contingency Corps." The X VIII Airborne Corps saw extensive service during World War II. More recently, the corps deployed from January 2005 to January 2006 to Baghdad, Iraq, where it served as the Multi- National Corps – Iraq. d U.S. Army Special Operations Command, headquartered at Fort Bragg, is charged with overseeing the various special operations forces of the Army. This is the largest component of Special Operations Command. Its mission is "to organize, train, educate, man, equipt, fund, administer, mobilize, deploy and sustain Army special operations forces to successfully conduct worldwide special operations." Since their establishment in 1952, Special Forces soldiers have operated in, among others, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, North Vietnam, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama, Iraq, Yemen and Niger. d U.S. Army Reserve Command operates as a reserve force of the Army and, together with the Army National Guard, constitute the Army element of the reserve components of the U.S. Armed Forces. According to the Army Reserve, its purpose is to generate "combat-ready units and soldiers for the Army and Joint Warfighter that are trained, equipped and lethal to win our nation's wars." d Established in 1980, the Joint Special Operations Command (often referred to as the National Mission Force) prepares assigned, attached and augmented forces. When directed, JSOC conducts special operations against threats to protect the homeland and U.S. interests abroad. The command was established following the failed attempt by U.S. Special Operations Forces to rescue American hostages held in Iran. It is designed as a common command structure between Army, Air Force and Navy Special Operations elements. Its focus today is believed to be counterterrorism. d U.S. Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command (Airborne). Founded in 1985 and headquartered at Fort Bragg, this command "supports the Army and Joint Force with strategic, operational and tactical civil affairs, military information support and information operations capabilities across the range of military operations." It is made up mostly of Army Reserve soldiers in units through the country. d Pope Army Airfield is the result of a realignment of Pope Air Force Base with Fort Bragg from the Base Realignment and Closure in 2011. It is the post's third airfield, joining Simmons Army Airfield and Mackall Army Airfield. " When the president dials 911, the phone rings here," Jim Bove, public affairs officer for Pope Army Airfield, said. "Pope Field has been here since 1919 and is currently made up of 2,600 airmen and 250 civilians across four different Air Force major commands: Air Mobility Command, Air Combat Command, Air Education and Training Command, and Air Force Special Operations Command," Bove said. "Combined, they train, support, deliver and execute the Army Special Operations Forces' mission worldwide at a moment's notice." The Simmons Airfield serves the aviation needs of active, reserve and guard forces; Camp Mackall is an active Army training center and the primary training site for Army Special Forces. Pope Field, located at the northern tip of Fort Bragg, is considered one of the busiest bases in the military. d Security Force Assistance Command was activated at Fort Bragg in November 2018 and oversees a half-dozen new Security Forces Assistance Brigades. These units conduct training, advising, assisting, enabling and accompanying operations with allied and partner nations. The U.S. Army Forces Command (FORSCOM) The Army Airborne & Special Operations Museum 73 DestinationFAY 2021-2022

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