The Army is launching a pilot program this summer that pairs active-duty units with those in the Army Reserve and Army National Guard so they can train together and even deploy together.

The Associated Units pilot will establish formal relationships between the units, officials announced Tuesday. It also will mean more training days each year for the Guard and Reserve units involved.

“Much of America’s Army’s capacity is resident in the reserve components, and we must rely more heavily on them to meet the demands of a complex global environment,” Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley said in a statement. “The Associated Units pilot allows us to leverage the capabilities and capacities of the active component, Army Reserve and Army National Guard as one Army.”

The first units to be paired together are Task Force 1-28 Infantry, an infantry battalion stationed at Fort Benning, Georgia, and the Georgia National Guard’s 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. The brigade also will be associated with the active Army’s 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart, Georgia.

Read More- Army Times

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