First Army

Definition/Scope: The mission of the First Army is to mobilize, train, validate, and deploy Reserve Component (RC) units IAW Combatant Commander, Department of the Army, and FORSCOM directives. Also as directed, provide training to Joint, Combined, and Active Army Forces. After World War II, First Army headquarters was located on Governor's Island, N.Y. In 1946, First Army was designated as one of six continental U.S. Armies responsible for supervising and training Army National Guard units, as well as commanding all installations in its area of control. First Army mobilized and deployed thousands of Soldiers during the Korean War and Vietnam. On January 1, 1966, First and Second Armies merged and First Army headquarters moved to Fort Meade, Md. In 1973, First Army transitioned from an Active Army oriented organization to one dedicated to improving the readiness of Reserve Components (RC). In 1990, First Army trained, mobilized and deployed more than 41,000 Army RC Soldiers to Kuwait for the first Gulf War. In 1991, Fourth U.S. Army was deactivated and its seven mid-western states rejoined First Army. First Army left Fort Meade, Md., in 1995 and was reorganized at Fort Gillem, Ga., upon the deactivation of Second Army. First Army's area increased to include the eastern half of the United States and two territories. Along with the training mission, First Army had a military support to civil authorities' mission for many years. This meant that First Army planned for and provided personnel for Department of Defense support to domestic disasters ranging from hurricanes to floods to fires to terrorist attacks. First Army gained the entire continental United States in its mission of mobilization, training and deployment of all Army National Guard and Reserve Soldiers as part of the Army's transformation efforts in 2006. The military support to civil authorities' role went to Fifth Army under U.S. Northern Command. OLD VERSION US Army unit whose mission is to execute pre-mobilization training and readiness oversight and post-mobilization operations in accordance with the Army Force Generation (ARFORGEN) model in order to provide trained and ready conventional reserve component forces to regional combatant commanders for the full spectrum of operations. On order, provides certified Defense coordinating officers/Defense coordinating elements. On order, establishes Task Force Consequence Management (TF-CM).

Acronym:

1A

Broader Terms:

Army National Guard
US Army Forces Command

Narrower Terms:

205th Infantry Brigade
Army National Guard
Army Reserve Training Support Division-East
Army Reserve Training Support Division-West
Basic Combat Training
First Army East
First Army West
One Station Unit Training
Regional Support Group, AR TSD East

Related Terms:

Fort Gillem
Mobilization Army Training Center
reserve component
reserve component training
Rock Island Arsenal