Army now part of Team Shaw Published April 12, 2006 By Tarsha Storey 20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. -- They wear an Army uniform, but they are here to help the Army and Air Force support joint operations. Since Oct. 16, the 4th Battlefield Coordination Detachment has been an active part of Shaw, said Army Maj. Dennis Malone, 4th BCD operations officer. The 4th BCD is assigned to the 3rd Army, headquartered at Fort McPherson, Ga. They serve as a liaison between the 3rd Army and Army Forces Central Command, and the 9th Air Force and U.S. Central Command Air Forces, said Army Col. Glenn Harp, 4th BCD commander. The 4th BCD is not here because of the decisions made by the recent Base Realignment and Closure Act. They are here as a result of Army transformational initiatives. As part of the 3rd Army, the 4th BCD facilitates the planning, coordination and execution of joint fires and effects in support of ground combat operations in the Central Command theater of war. "We are not an advance party element of the 3rd Army Headquarters that is moving from Fort McPherson to Shaw," Col. Harp said. "We are involved in movement coordination. When the 3rd Army Headquarters arrives, the 4th BCD will continue its mission as the Army's liaison to the 9th AF. We will maintain that habitual relationship. The 3rd Army will not assume this mission upon their arrival at Shaw." Over the years, the need for BCDs has increased. In the past, miscommunications between the Army and Air Force caused issues in the integration and synchronization of airpower in support of ground combat operations, said Col. Harp. The 4th BCD's role is to clear up miscommunication errors between the Army and Air Force. "We have to make sure the Air Force understands the Army airpower requirements so the Air Component Commander can determine what type of airpower response is required to effectively support ground combat operations. The 4th BCD is integrated into the Air Force's air tasking order process from beginning to end. We don't make airpower or landpower decisions, we coordinate them," said Col. Harp. The Army has four active BCD organizations and one reserve BCD to support joint operations. The 4th BCD is organizing, training and equipping to support combat missions in the CENTCOM area of responsibility. The Army's transformational plan is to align a BCD with each Air Force war-fighting headquarters. The 4th BCD performs liaison duties between two three star generals -- 3rd Army and 9th Air Force. "(I'm) excited about the 4th BCD's mission and its professional reception at Shaw. The Air Force has really embraced us here and (they) treat us like we're one of them. That's a relationship we want to continue to nurture. It is truly an Air Force and Army joint team here at Shaw," said Col. Harp. "The value of the Army's Battlefield Coordination Detachments has never been more evident than over the past four years in Afghanistan and Iraq. Throughout that time, USCENTAF has worked with many of the Army's BCDs but not one in particular. The recent assignment of the 4th Battlefield Coordination Detachment to 9th Air Force and U.S. Central Command Air Forces, is a recognition of the tremendous synergy that comes from a habitual BCD relationship, one where staffs get to know each other personally; one that develops and matures in peacetime so as to be ready when called upon to fight our nation’s wars. I am very pleased to welcome the 4th BCD as part of Team Shaw and look forward to continuing to develop our warfighting partnership," said Lt. Gen. Walter Buchanan III, U.S. Central Command Air Forces commander.