Washington, D.C. - Today, Congresswoman Elise Stefanik announced that following her advocacy, Fort Drum has been selected to host the U.S. Army’s 2nd Multi-Domain Task Force (MDTF).
“As the chief advocate for Fort Drum in Congress, I worked hard to deliver this result and I am proud to announce that Fort Drum will host the U.S. Army 2nd Multi-Domain Task Force,” stated Congresswoman Stefanik. “Fort Drum and its community are well-positioned to play a central role in the Army’s strategy to confront future threats to our national security. The U.S. Army designed MDTFs to address the evolving national security threats our military will be confronted with from Communist China and Russia. Hosting a MDTF at Fort Drum is a great distinction and will further solidify Fort Drum’s importance to the future of the Army’s capability to deter our adversaries and win our nation’s wars. As a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, it is one of my greatest honors to represent and advocate for Fort Drum.”
Last year, Congresswoman Stefanik led a letter to the Secretary of the Army advocating for Fort Drum to be selected as the home to a U.S. Army MDTF to combat evolving military threats from Communist China and Russia.
MDTFs represent the centerpiece in operationalizing the Army’s Multi-Domain Operations concept, which brings together the land, air, space, and cyberspace domains to enable the Army to win in competition, crisis, and conflict. Congresswoman Stefanik has worked to ensure that Fort Drum, Upstate New York, and the North Country are uniquely positioned to train in all domains.
In this year’s national defense bill, Congresswoman Stefanik successfully included a provision that requires the Department of Defense to review their ability to train in a contested electronic-warfare environment and acknowledge the defense partnerships that have been established in Upstate New York that conduct research, experimentation, and training in realistic environments. This environment that Congresswoman Stefanik has worked to create is a critical reason why the Army chose Fort Drum to host the 2nd MDTF.
In addition to writing a letter of support to the Army, as a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, Congresswoman Stefanik has worked to ensure Fort Drum would be prepared to host a MDTF. All of the MDTFs must be able to rapidly deploy to meet the needs of the requesting Combatant Command. After years of advocacy, Congresswoman Stefanik secured over $27 million to complete the Fort Drum Railhead to expedite the rapid deployment of troops, vehicles, and equipment from the base.
Congresswoman Stefanik has also worked to ensure our Servicemembers and their families in the Fort Drum community are fully supported. In this year’s national defense bill she secured a provision that will enable Fort Drum soldiers to be eligible for additional pay for being assigned in a Cold Weather location.
In 2025, Fort Drum will host 1,495 soldiers that will make up the Long-Range Fires Battalion, Brigade Support Battalion, and Air Defense Battalion of the Army’s 2nd MDTF. In 2021, the Army stationed the Headquarters and Effects Battalion of the 2nd MDTF in Wiesbaden, Germany. The 2nd MDTF supports the U.S. Army in Europe, making Fort Drum the best choice.
