Local officials are returning from the Association of the United States Army Convention held this week in Washington D.C..

During the convention local officials met with Congressional representatives on Capitol Hill and Army leaders, including Brig. Gen. Erik Wesley, the commander of the 1st Infantry Division rear detachment at Fort Riley.

Larry Hicks, Geary County Commission Chairman said that the meeting with Wesley was very constructive.

“I think in the absence of General Funk, General Wesley is going to prove to be a very effective commander at Fort Riley, because he has a very high emphasis on solidifying the relationship between the city, county and the region,” says Hicks. “I think there, in large, represents the kind of dividends that we need to benefit from in the way of trying to see if we can merge resources.”

Maj. Gen. Funk, 1st Infantry Division and Fort Riley Commanding General is deploying with the 1st Infantry Division Headquarters and Headquarter battalion to Irbil and Baghdad, Iraq. The 500 soldiers will be on a year long deployment. Their mission will be to advise and assist the Iraqi security forces to enable a global coalition to defeat the Islamic State.