Missouri Army National Guard's 35th Engineer Brigade commander visits Army South

Brig. Gen. Orlando Salinas (right), U.S. Army South deputy commanding general, speaks to Brig. Gen. Randy Alewel (left), commanding general of the Missouri Army National Guard’s 35th Engineer Brigade at the Army South headquarters here Nov 30.

FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas – (December 5, 2012) The commander of the Missouri Army National Guard’s 35th Engineer Brigade visited U.S. Army South’s headquarters here Nov. 30 to strengthen the 35th’s contingency support brigade relationship with Army South.

 Brig. Gen. Randy Alewel, 35th Engineer Brigade commanding general, received briefings from key Army South leaders and met with Maj. Gen. Frederick S. Rudesheim, Army South commanding general.

The 35th Engineer Brigade supports brigade supports Army South’s mission including the annual Beyond the Horizon exercise, which took place this past year in Guatemala and Honduras.

“We’d like to believe that we’re an asset to Army South that brings additional capabilities, coordination and synchronization to make it easier for the exercises that Army South does while at the same time increasing our Soldiers’ experience as they conduct their training,” said Alewel.

Missouri National Guardsmen from the 35th Engineer Brigade recently deployed to Guatemala and Honduras in April as part of the three-month Beyond the Horizon exercise and constructed or renovated schools and medical clinics.

Beyond the Horizon is an annual Army South exercise, which develops military engineers, civil affairs personnel, medical professionals and other support personnel to rural areas in countries within the command’s area of responsibility.

Army South is the Army service component command (ASCC) for U.S. Southern Command and BTH is part of SOUTHCOM’s humanitarian and civic assistance program.

More than 2,000 personnel from the U.S. active, Reserve and National Guard forces participated in BTH 2012.

 “We (Soldiers of the Army National Guard and Reserve) are an economical force multiplier so the more we can show our expertise and provide benefit into the theater down here, the better off we are when dealing with budget constraints,” said Alewel. “On the other side, we are very capable with our Soldiers who are out there and it gives them the opportunity to finely tune and hone their skills in a challenging and realistic environment.”

BTH exercises provide personnel with the opportunities to train in austere environments, while strengthening relationships with partner nation forces, building and sustaining capacity and at the same time providing medical, dental and engineering support.
Army South’s deputy commanding general, Brig. Gen. Orlando Salinas, who is also the assistant adjutant general for the Texas Army National Guard, said Army service component commands like U.S. Army South are strengthened by partnering with the Army National Guard and Reserve.

“It has been interesting to see how closely an ASCC works with the National Guard and Reserve,” said Salinas. “We need to continue to strengthen these relationships especially in this time of limited resources. We really need to ensure that we are the most cost-effective Army that we can be and show how we can integrate with each other.”

During BTH 2012, U.S. engineer personnel, working alongside Guatemalan and Honduran soldiers, built four schools, renovated two others, and constructed four medical clinics.

U.S. Army South, as the Army Service Component Command for SOUTHCOM, conducts Theater Security Cooperation in order to enhance hemispheric security and stability. SOUTHCOM's area of responsibility encompasses 31 countries and 15 areas of special sovereignty in Central and South America, and the Caribbean and covers about 15.6 million square miles.