United States Army South
United States Army South | |
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Army Superior Unit Award – 2011 Operation Unified Response | |
Commanders | |
Current commander | Major General William L. Thigpen |
Insignia | |
Distinctive unit insignia |
United States Army South is an Army service component command of United States Southern Command whose area of responsibility includes 31 countries and 15 areas of special sovereignty in Central and South America and the Caribbean. It is headquartered at Fort Sam Houston, Texas.
U.S. Army South's currently officially stated mission is to conduct and support multinational operations and security cooperation in the
Panama Canal Department
This section needs additional citations for verification. (September 2009) |
The Isthmian Canal Commission of 1904–1914 and the Panama Canal Guard both played a pivotal role in the construction and early defense of the Canal.[2] The Panama Canal Guard was active from 1907 to 1917. On 1 July 1917, the Panama Canal Department was established as a separate geographic command with headquarters at Quarry Heights. Units included the 19th Brigade, composed of the 14th and 33rd Infantry, the 42nd Field Artillery, the 11th Engineers, and special troops.
In the late thirties, events in Europe and technological developments, such as the aircraft carrier and long-range bombers, precipitated construction of more modern defences, a network of roads, and
After the Second World War ended, the Panama Canal Department was re-designated the United States Army Caribbean on 15 November 1947, following inactivation of the
In December 1946, President
U.S. Army Caribbean
On 15 November 1947, the Panama Canal Department became U.S. Army Caribbean (USARCARIB), headquartered at Fort Amador. One of its primary missions from 1951 to 1999, was the task of "keeping jungle warfare alive in the Army."
Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara decided to bolster available U.S. Army forces in the Caribbean area in 1961, after the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion and rumours of Soviet assistance to Cuba. The Army reinforced the resident 1st Battle Group, 20th Infantry Regiment in the Panama Canal Zone with the 193d Infantry Brigade, which was activated on 8 August 1962.[4]
On 6 June 1963, the United States Caribbean Command (the theater command) was re-designated as the United States Southern Command, to reflect primary responsibility in Central and South America, versus the Caribbean. Meanwhile, the United States Army Caribbean was re-designated the United States Army Forces Southern Command.[5]
During the 1970s, the troop strengths averaged between 10,000 and 14,000 soldiers. Implementation of the
United States Army South from 1986
On 4 December 1986, the United States Army South was activated as a Major Army Command and the Army component of United States Southern Command, with headquarters at Building 95, Fort Clayton.
On 14 October 1994 the 193d Infantry Brigade was the first major unit to inactivate in accordance with the Panama Canal Treaty of 1977 which mandated U.S. Forces withdrawal from Panama by December 1999.
As part of a Unified Command Plan change, United States Southern Command also assumed geographic responsibility for U.S. military forces operating in the Caribbean Basin and the Gulf of Mexico on 1 June 1997. Within this framework, United States Army South's geographical area of responsibility expanded to now include today, 31 countries and 15 areas of special sovereignty in Latin America and the Caribbean, except Puerto Rico and Mexico. In 1998, United States Army South units participated in 15 platoon exchanges at the Jungle Operation Training Center with soldiers from Belize, Colombia, Venezuela, El Salvador, Chile, Argentina, and Paraguay.
As part of a larger Army transformation in response to the demands of post-9/11 operations worldwide, U.S. Army South merged with U.S. Army South (
Organization
The organizational of the command in 2019 was as follows;[8]
- United States Army South Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, Fort Sam Houston, Texas
- Fort Sam Houston, Texas
- 56th Signal Battalion, Fort Sam Houston, Texas
- Army Forces, Honduras (Joint Task Force Bravo), Soto Cano Air Base, Honduras
- Geospatial Planning Cell, 512th Engineer Detachment, Fort Sam Houston, Texas
- 377th Theater Sustainment Command, New Orleans, Louisiana
- Fort Douglas, Utah
- 525th Military Police Battalion, Guantanamo Bay Naval Base
- 1st Battalion, 228th Aviation Regiment, Soto Cano Air Base
Commanders
- MG Fred Woerner 1982-1986
- MG Taylor 1986-1987
- Major General Edward H. Brooks November 1947 – 1949
- Major General Bernard Loeffke April 1987 - March 1989[9]
- Major General Marc Cisneros March 1989-1990 [9]
- Brigadier General Kinzer 1990-1990
- Major General Hartzog 1990-1991
- MG Richard F. Timmons 1991-1993
- BG J. Wilson 1993-1993
- MG George A. Crocker 1993-1995
- MG Lawson W. Magruder III 1995-1997
- MG Philip R. Kensinger, Jr 1997-2000
- MG Alfred A. Valenzuela 2000-2003
- MG John D. Gardner 2003-2005
- MG PK Ken Keen 2005-2007
No. | Commanding General | Term | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office | Term length | |
- | Keith M. Huber | Major GeneralAugust 2007 | 10 November 2009 | ~2 years, 101 days | |
- | Simeon G. Trombitas | Major General10 November 2009[10] | 24 September 2012 | 2 years, 319 days | |
- | Frederick S. Rudesheim | Major General24 September 2012[11] | 24 June 2013 | 273 days | |
- | Joseph P. DiSalvo | Major General24 June 2013[12] | 4 June 2015 | 1 year, 345 days | |
- | Clarence K. K. Chinn | Major General4 June 2015[13] | 3 October 2017 | 2 years, 121 days | |
- | Mark R. Stammer | Major General3 October 2017[14] | 15 July 2019 | 1 year, 285 days | |
- | 15 July 2019[15] | 30 June 2021 | 1 year, 350 days | ||
- | William L. Thigpen | Major General30 June 2021 | Incumbent | 2 years, 286 days |
Notes
- ^ "USARSO – United States Army South". Archived from the original on 8 November 2005. Retrieved 9 July 2007.
- ^ Global Security
- ^ Out from the Canal Zone
- ^ Army Lineage Series, Maneuver And Firepower, The Evolution of Divisions And Separate Brigades, pg 402
- ^ U.S. Southern Command History
- ^ Operation Just Cause
- ^ Cavallaro, Gina (9 October 2007). "New name, same mission for U.S. Army South". Army Times. Army Times Publishing Company. Retrieved 21 December 2008.
- ^ "U.S. Army South Organization". arsouth.army.mil. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
- ^ a b "Cisneros to Command US Army South" (PDF). Govinfo.gom. Tropic Times. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
- ^ Ramon, Robert (10 November 2009). "New commander takes helm at U.S. Army South". Retrieved 14 December 2021.
- ^ Lucero, Eric. "Rudesheim takes command of U.S. Army South".
- ^ Lucero, Eric (25 June 2013). "Army South welcomes former SOUTHCOM chief of staff as new commanding general". Retrieved 14 December 2021.
- ^ "Major General Clarence K. Chinn" (PDF). Retrieved 14 December 2021.
- ^ Garner, Jamelle (4 October 2017). "U.S. Army South welcomes new commander". United States Army. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
- ^ Dotson, Ashley (15 July 2019). "U.S. Army South welcomes new commander". United States Army. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
References
- Bennett, Ira Elbert (1915); History of the Panama Canal: its construction and builders. Washington, D.C.: Historical Publishing Company. OCLC 138568
- Williams, Antwan C., Lt. Col. (2012); Army South receives award for deployment, celebrates 100-year historical milestone. Fort Sam Houston, Texas: Defense and Fraternity Magazine.
- U.S. Army South Command Strategy published January 2013.