Lt. Gen. Rick Lynch told members of the media Friday that troop strength at the post is about 43,000, but the infrastructure can handle 50,000, with some upgrades.
Those upgrades were the subject of his roundtable luncheon, too.
And they’re outlined in a newly published 132-page “2009-2011 Campaign Plan” that will make, as he put it, “the Great Place even greater.”
Lynch said, though, that funding is not available for everything included in the plan, and he is making himself heard wherever he goes, including the Pentagon, about the need for - for example - better housing and training facilities.
On other matters, Lynch said the 1st Cavalry Division is beginning its third deployment to Iraq, almost 12 months to the day after returning from its last.
Noting that it’s particularly tough to make such a move during Christmas, the general asked civilian supporters of the troops to “give them a meaningful hug” when they come into contact with them.
The post is in transition, he said, not only because of the deployments and the season, but also because of the campaign plan and its goals.
“The stated intent is to get us to the steady state of 50,000 soldiers,” Lynch said. “I am on a major campaign to bring additional troops into Fort Hood.”
One of the units that may be on its way is the 1st Army Region West, which is located at Fort Carson and commanded by Maj. Gen. Mark Graham.
“In addition to that, they intend to bring two additional training support brigades here to Fort Hood,” Lynch said.
The move, which basically swaps the units, will help maintain optimal troop levels and enhance mobilization capabilities.
“You’ve got to be very vocal,” he said. “You’ve got to be able to articulate in great detail what you need, not just to the Department of Defense, but to everybody else.”
Lynch said he’s not going to stop talking about the great job troops are doing in Iraq, because that story is not being told by the major national media. And he said the transition there is going very well.
Another frustration expressed by the general: Even though the post is no longer closed down post-9/11-style, residents of the area appear to be reluctant to come visit.
“It’s your Army,” he said, a refrain he’s repeated in every appearance before the media.
Right now, civilians who want to go on post to see museums or other attractions, or who want to lunch at the club there, have access by simply showing a photo ID, he said, between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. seven days a week.
