U.S. Second Army
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Second Army was most recently located at
Fort Belvoir Fort Belvoir ( ) is a United States Army installation and a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. It was developed on the site of the former Belvoir (plantation), Belvoir plantation, seat of the prominent Lord ...
, Virginia as a Direct Reporting Unit to Headquarters U.S. Army, Chief Information Officer (CIO)/G-6. Under the CIO/G-6, Second Army served as the single point of contact for Army missions and functions related to reporting on, assessing, planning, coordinating, integrating, synchronizing, directing and conducting Army network operations. This mission ended after a 2017 reorganization, when the Second Army was inactivated.


History

Second Army, American Expeditionary Forces (AEF), was established in October 1918 during
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
and demobilized in April 1919. A new Second Army operated from 1933 to 1966, and 1983 to 1995, as a training army in the continental United States. On 1 October 2010, U.S. Army Cyber Command (ARCYBER) was formed as the Army service component command supporting
U.S. Cyber Command United States Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM) is one of the eleven unified combatant commands of the United States Department of Defense (DoD). It unifies the direction of cyberspace operations, strengthens DoD cyberspace capabilities, and integra ...
, commanded by Lt. Gen.
Rhett A. Hernandez Lieutenant General Rhett Anthony Hernandez (born March 9, 1953) is a retired officer in the United States Army and the former commander of the United States Army Cyber Command, the Army's service component to United States Cyber Command. Hernande ...
. On 6 March 2014, Army headquarters activated Second Army as a direct reporting unit of Army CIO/G-6 with Commander, ARCYBER, dual-hatted as the Second Army Commander.


World War I

The history of the Second Army began as a fighting army on the battlefields of France in the waning days of World War I. Eager to maintain a hard-fought momentum to drive the Germans out of France, on 10 October 1918, General John J. "Black Jack" Pershing, Commander of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF), selected Lieutenant General Robert L. Bullard to command the newly activated Second Army, AEF. Bullard, a Spanish–American War veteran, earned Pershing's confidence and reputation as an aggressive commander, after leading the 1st Infantry Division during the battle of Cantigny. At Cantigny, Bullard delivered the first American victory of the war. Bullard's orders for Second Army were to hold the line on a portion of the St. Mihiel sector along the Lorraine front. In November, General Pershing ordered Second Army to advance toward Metz. Bullard subsequently launched rigorous attacks against the Germans on 10 November. The
7th Seventh is the ordinal form of the number seven. Seventh may refer to: * Seventh Amendment to the United States Constitution * A fraction (mathematics), , equal to one of seven equal parts Film and television *"The Seventh", a second-season ep ...
, 28th, 33rd, and
92nd 9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding . Evolution of the Hindu–Arabic digit Circa 300 BC, as part of the Brahmi numerals, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bot ...
divisions, then on the Second Army front, began the attacks. Encountering stubborn resistance, Second Army made a considerable advance, recovering a total of approximately 25 square miles of French territory before the armistice terminated hostilities on 11 November. During its first month of combat operations, 102 soldiers serving under Second Army earned the Distinguished Service Cross. After the armistice, Second Army occupied an area in Belgium and Luxembourg, remaining there until the end of March 1919, and demobilized in France on 15 April 1919.


Interwar period


Second Army (I)

The Second Army was authorized by the
National Defense Act of 1920 The National Defense Act of 1920 (or Kahn Act) was sponsored by United States Representative Julius Kahn (congressman), Julius Kahn, Republican Party (United States), Republican of California. This legislation updated the National Defense Act ...
and was to be primarily composed of Regular Army and National Guard units from the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Corps Areas. The army Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC) were constituted in the
Organized Reserve The United States Army Reserve (USAR) is a reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the Army element of the reserve components of the United States Armed Forces. History Origi ...
on 15 October 1921 and allotted to the Sixth Corps Area.
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
,
Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...
, was designated as the army headquarters on organization, but it was never organized at that location. The Headquarters Company was initiated on 5 August 1922 in Chicago, and was relocated on 18 April 1924 to
Oglesby, Illinois Oglesby is a city in LaSalle County, Illinois, United States. The population was 3,712 at the 2020 census, down from 3,791 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Ottawa Micropolitan Statistical Area. History Oglesby was a center for mining co ...
. The HHC were withdrawn from the Organized Reserve on 15 September 1927 and demobilized.


Second Army (II)

The HHC, Second Army, was reconstituted in the Regular Army on 9 August 1932 and allotted to the Sixth Corps Area. The headquarters was organized 22 August 1932 at Chicago, while the Headquarters Company was organized 26 February 1935 at Chicago. Due to the abandonment in 1933 of the “Six Army” plan in favor of the “Four Army” plan, the Second Army area was restructured to include only the Fifth and Sixth Corps Areas. The Fourth Corps Area was transferred to the Third Army. The Second Army's mission was to develop defense and operational plans for contingencies near the
Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes spanning the Canada–United States border. The five lakes are Lake Superior, Superior, Lake Michigan, Michigan, Lake Huron, H ...
and the north-central United States, review the mobilization plans of the Fifth and Sixth Corps Areas, and oversee the training of units in the Army area. As part of the responsibility to oversee training, the Second Army staff planned, conducted, and/or participated in three major maneuvers between 1936 and 1941. The August 1936 maneuvers were actually two separate exercises and were held at
Fort Knox Fort Knox is a United States Army installation in Kentucky, south of Louisville and north of Elizabethtown, Kentucky, Elizabethtown. It is adjacent to the United States Bullion Depository (also known as Fort Knox), which is used to house a larg ...
,
Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...
, for the Fifth Corps Area troops, and at
Camp Custer Fort Custer Training Center, often known simply as Fort Custer, is a federally owned and state-operated Michigan Army National Guard training facility, but is also used by other branches of the armed forces and armed forces from Illinois, India ...
-
Allegan, Michigan Allegan ( ) is a city and the county seat of Allegan County, Michigan Its population was 5,222 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is located southwest of Grand Rapids and northwest of Kalamazoo, both via US 131. It lies within All ...
, for the Sixth Corps Area troops. The maneuvers, though in separate locations, were tied together by a common scenario and included significant numbers of
United States Army Air Corps The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical ri ...
and mechanized units. The next Second Army maneuver was also a split exercise, this time under the command of Lieutenant General
Stanley H. Ford Lieutenant General Stanley Hamer Ford (January 30, 1877 - January 19, 1961) was a senior officer of the United States Army. After serving in numerous conflicts and wars, including World War I, He was commander of the Philippine Department, 1st ...
. Held in August-September 1940, the maneuver was conducted near Fort Knox for the Fifth Corps Area troops, and at
Camp McCoy Fort McCoy is a United States Army Reserve Military installation, installation on between Sparta, Wisconsin, Sparta and Tomah, Wisconsin, Tomah, Wisconsin, in Monroe County, Wisconsin, Monroe County. In 1909, there were two separate camps name ...
,
Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...
, for the Sixth Corps Area contingent. The primary focus of this exercise was to train the army and corps staffs, all of which had been provisionally organized with Reserve and Regular officers and men from corps area staffs. Following the 1940 maneuver, the Second Army order of battle was changed to reflect the assignment of the
VII Corps 7th Corps, Seventh Corps, or VII Corps may refer to: * VII Corps (Grande Armée), a corps of the Imperial French army during the Napoleonic Wars * VII Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Army prior to and during World War I * VII ...
to the troop list, and the loss of the V and
VI Corps 6 Corps, 6th Corps, Sixth Corps, or VI Corps may refer to: France * VI Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry formation of the Imperial French army during the Napoleonic Wars * VI Corps (Grande Armée), a formation of the Imperial French army dur ...
to the Third and First Armies, respectively. Additionally, the Headquarters Company, Second Army was activated 18 November 1940 at Chicago. To have more efficient command and control of the Second Army’s subordinate units, then mobilizing and concentrating in
Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...
,
Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...
, and
Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...
, Lieutenant General
Ben Lear Benjamin Lear (12 May 1879 – 1 November 1966) was a United States Army general who served in the Spanish–American War, Philippine Insurrection, World War I and World War II. He also competed at the 1912 Summer Olympics. Early career ...
moved the army headquarters to 44 South Second Street,
Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...
, on 5 December 1940. The final maneuver in which the Second Army participated prior to World War II was the huge GHQ maneuvers in the Louisiana Maneuver Area in September 1941. The exercise included over 120,000 Second Army soldiers from Regular and National Guard units. The maneuver was conducted against the units of the Third Army between
Shreveport Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the List of municipalities in Louisiana, third-most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Baton Rouge. The bulk of Shreveport is in Caddo Parish, Lo ...
and
Lake Charles, Louisiana Lake Charles is the List of municipalities in Louisiana, fifth-most populous city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and the county seat, parish seat of Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, Calcasieu Parish, located on Lake Charles (Louisiana), Lake Char ...
, 15–28 September 1941. Five corps, 18 divisions, and numerous support units participated in this exercise, which was the largest peacetime military maneuver ever conducted in the United States. These maneuvers were designed to test and validate a myriad of doctrinal and organizational ideas, and to provide a basis for modernizing the U.S. Army. Following the maneuvers, the Second Army Headquarters and Headquarters Company returned to Memphis, where they were located on 7 December 1941.


World War II

Although the Second Army did not fight overseas during World War II, it earned distinction as a training army, preparing nearly one million men to fight. In June 1944, the Army reconstituted the World War I Second Army that had served with the AEF, and consolidated it with the existing Second Army in order to perpetuate the lineage and honors of the World War I unit. During World War II, Second Army trained 11 corps, 55 divisions, and 2,000 smaller units of all arms and services, totaling almost a million men, for employment in all theaters of operation.


Post-World War II

Second Army continued its training role after the war. In June 1946, Second Army moved its headquarters to Baltimore, Maryland, as one of six Continental Armies under the Army Ground Forces. Second Army encompassed the seven states of Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia, and the District of Columbia. In June 1947, Second Army Headquarters moved to
Fort George G. Meade Fort George G. Meade is a United States Army installation located in Maryland, that includes the Defense Information School, the Defense Media Activity, the United States Army Field Band, and the headquarters of United States Cyber Command, th ...
, Maryland. On 1 January 1957, the Army redesignated Second Army as Second United States Army, as one of the six Zone of Interior Armies of the United States. Second U.S. Army supported multi-purpose missions of command, operations, training and provisions of administrative and logistical services to ensure the continued operational readiness of its assigned combat and support units in the active Army, Army Reserves and National Guard. At the height of the Cold War, Second U.S. Army helped mobilize forces for potential conflict. During the
Berlin Crisis of 1961 The Berlin Crisis of 1961 () was the last major European political and military incident of the Cold War concerning the status of the German capital city, Berlin, and of History of Germany (1945–90), post–World War II Germany. The crisis cul ...
, Second U.S. Army mobilized 39 National Guard and Army Reserve units in the seven state area and eight Army Reserve units from other Army areas. During the
Cuban Missile Crisis The Cuban Missile Crisis, also known as the October Crisis () in Cuba, or the Caribbean Crisis (), was a 13-day confrontation between the governments of the United States and the Soviet Union, when American deployments of Nuclear weapons d ...
, Second U.S. Army deployed 41 units, which comprised more than 5,700 military personnel. Reorganizations within the U.S. Army led to Second U.S. Army being inactivated twice from 1966 to 1995. On 1 January 1966, First and Second U.S. Armies merged, resulting in the inactivation of Second U.S. Army. In July 1983, Second U.S. Army reactivated at
Fort Gillem Fort Gillem was a United States Army Post located in Forest Park, Georgia, on the southeast edge of Atlanta in Clayton County. Founded in 1941, it was a satellite installation of nearby Fort McPherson. The base housed different supply and suppo ...
, Georgia, and assumed responsibility for Reserve Component matters in seven states and two territories formerly belonging to First Army. In July 1995, First Army left Fort Meade, Maryland, and reorganized at Fort Gillem, upon the inactivation of Second U.S. Army.


Army Cyber Command

The establishment of U.S. Army Cyber Command in 2010 earmarked the Army's entry into the new operational domain of cyberspace and perpetuated the lineage and honors of Second Army. The 1 October 2010, Headquarters Department of the Army (HQDA) General Orders No. 2010–26, which established Army Cyber Command, stated that it would "perpetuate the lineage and honors of the Second Army as specified by the United States Army Center of Military History." The Army Center of Military History agreed to use the naming convention established for geographic Army Service Component Commands, which would not have numbered Army designations; that is, the designation would be U.S. Army Cyber Command and not "Second Army"; only the lineage and honors of Second Army would be assigned to Army Cyber Command. General Orders No. 2010–26 redesignated the inactive Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Second U. S. Army, as U.S. Army Cyber Command, with its headquarters at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. On 6 March 2014, HQDA General Orders No. 2014-02, activated a new unit designated Second Army as a Direct Reporting Unit of the Army Chief Information Officer/G-6, HQDA, with the Commander, U.S. Army Cyber Command as the Commander, Second Army. The General Orders also resulted in the Second Army lineage and honors being withdrawn from Army Cyber Command and assigned to the new unit. The U.S. Army
Network Enterprise Technology Command United States Army Network Enterprise Technology Command (NETCOM) is a US Military unit subordinate to United States Army Cyber Command. NETCOM's mission is to operate and defend the computer networks of the United States Army. The numerical c ...
(NETCOM), formerly a Direct Reporting Unit of the Chief Information Officer/G-6, HQDA, which supported Army Cyber Command's mission, was assigned to Second Army in accordance with Title 10, United States Code, Section 162 (a) (2) to carry out the functions assigned to the Secretary of the Army in Titles 10, 40 and 44 United States Code. The resulting command and control arrangement, designating the Commander, U.S. Army Cyber Command, also as the Commander, Second Army, optimized the Army's force structure to better support Army Cyber Command's mission. The commander of NETCOM is dual-hatted as deputy commanding general (DCG), Second Army. Second Army served as the single point of contact for Army missions and functions related to reporting on, assessing, planning, coordinating, integrating, synchronizing, directing and conducting Army network operations. A 2017 reorganization eliminated the need for Second Army's network operations coordinating function, and the unit was inactivated on 31 March 2017. ARCYBER now continues the lineage and honors associated with Second Army, now that Network Enterprise Technology Command (NETCOM) is part of ARCYBER.


Organization

Organization of the Army just before deactivation was as follows: * United States Army Network Enterprise Technology Command (NETCOM) *
1st Information Operations Command (Land) The 1st Information Operations Command (Land), formerly the Land Information Warfare Activity Information Dominance Center (LIWA/IDC), was an information operations unit under the operational control of U.S. Army Cyber Command (ARCYBER) and hea ...
* Cyber Protection Brigade *
780th Military Intelligence Brigade The 780th Military Intelligence Brigade conducts cyberspace operations to deliver effects in support of Army and Joint requirements. The 780th MI BDE is the only offensive cyberspace operations brigade in the U.S. Army. The 11th Cyber Battalion ...


Past Commanders


References


External links


Second US Army Official Website


{{US Army navbox 002 Army Military units and formations established in 1918 Military units and formations disestablished in 2017 1918 establishments in the United States 2017 disestablishments in Virginia Defunct organizations based in Virginia Organizations based in Fairfax County, Virginia