FORT DRUM, N.Y. — Fort Drum has been selected to house the U.S. Army multi-domain task force (MDTF) #2, along with the Army base in Wiesbaden, Germany.
Multi-domain task forces are an “essential part” of the Army’s work to address the national-security threats of the future, the office of U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D–N.Y.) said in a Wednesday announcement.
The lawmaker on Wednesday met with Army Secretary Christine Wormuth, who informed him of the news.
Schumer explained this “prestigious designation he helped land” for Fort Drum will make it a central part of the Army’s mission to combat emerging national-security threats. It is expected to bring 1,495 new personnel and soldiers to the North Country and “further support the long-term stability of the base and its central role in our national defense.”
“I personally advocated to Army Secretary Wormuth to elevate Fort Drum as the clear choice, and the Army could not have picked a better place than the North Country to lead the mission in protecting our national security,” Schumer said in a news release. “Fort Drum is woven into the very fabric of the North Country, and there is no community more eager and able to support the Army in furthering America’s national defense strategy. The Army’s Multi-Domain Task Force represents the future of our military, and today the Army has said that the future of our military will be from Fort Drum.”
Schumer explained that the Army has planned to build five MDTFs to support the various combatant commands, with three units focused on the Pacific and one unit focused on Europe and one for global response. Fort Drum will share the MDTF supporting General Cavoli and the entire European Command (EUCOM) with the Army’s base in Wiesbaden, Germany.
MDTF soldiers will likely rotate between Wiesbaden and Fort Drum, starting in 2025. This new effort combines land, air, sea, cyber, and space capabilities into one unit that supports combatant commanders (i.e. joint forces) and is essential to building joint readiness while “strengthening our interoperability with key allies and partners.”