New York State Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer speaks with reporters after meeting with Ukrainian ** Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other senators on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., Tuesday, December 12, 2023. (Associated Press** Susan Walsh).
WATERTOWN — Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer announced Wednesday that Fort Drum will be adding nearly 1,500 personnel with the deployment of the Army's multi-domain task force.
New York Democrat Schumer announced that Fort Drum has been selected to host U.S. Army Multi-Domain Task Force 2, which will also have a detachment in Wiesbaden, Germany.
"Fort Drum has been selected by the U.S. Army as one of the most prestigious designations, which means that nearly 1,500 new soldiers and personnel will soon call the northern nation home, which will strengthen this stunning base as a pillar of the U.S. National Defense Strategy," he said. ”。
The announcement came shortly after Schumer and Secretary of the Army Kristen Wormus met in Washington.
The Multi-Domain Task Force is dedicated to operations in the air, land, sea, space, cyber warfare fronts, and intelligence gathering, and is designed to synchronize the work of each "domain" or frontline.
Schumer said the Army has formed five task forces, three focused on the Pacific, one focused on Europe and one for the global response. MDTF 2 was founded in 2021 only in Germany with a focus on Europe. Troop soldiers are expected to rotate between Germany and Fort Drum starting in 2025. MDTF Commander of the US European Command, Christopher GOperates under the command of General C**oli.
In a press release announcing the placement, Schumer pointed to a number of reasons, saying that Fort Drum was the perfect U.S. base for a European-focused task force. The base has a Wheelesak Army airfield for easy air travel to Europe, and about 500 soldiers of the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum are currently deployed to Europe, so the post maintains constant contact with the continent.
He also said that the cold winters in the northern countries provide excellent training for the cold winters in parts of Europe.
"I personally advocate to Secretary of War Wormuth that Fort Drum be elevated to a clear choice, and that the Army will no longer find a better place to lead the task of protecting our *** than the countries of the North," Schumer said. ”。Fort Drum has been integrated into the fabric of the North, and no community is more eager and able to support the military in advancing the U.S. national defense strategy. ”