Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Carmen Fleischmann | Team members from Company A, 146th Expeditionary Signal Battalion disassemble a...... read more read more
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JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. - During a WAREX, or Warfighter Exercise, all types of logistical units ranging from a brigadier general-led Expeditionary Sustainment Command to a water purification company are put into a hostile theater scenario.
Beginning in January, Grecian Firebolt 2016 encompassed Soldiers from active duty, National Guard, Army Reserves and even included some Canadian advisers. The simulated exercise was designed to be as realistic as possible, with units being stationed dozens of miles apart on various Forward Operating Bases (FOBs).
In a combat environment, warfighters must have a way to communicate at all times, whether providing critical real-time communications or sending sensitive files from the field back to the command. Without signal, communications break down and the mission fails. Therefore the primary mission of the Florida National Guard’s 146th Expeditionary Signal Battalion is to provide that tactical communications network.
Grecian Firebolt served as a three-week annual training for the 146th ESB, during which the signal Soldiers embedded with the units on various FOBs, providing them Non-Secure Internet Protocol (NIPR) voice and data, and a simulated secret network. While the majority of the battalion provided services at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst (JB-MDL), N.J., Company A also stationed a seven-man team at Fort Hunter Liggett, Calif. This extreme distance helped further showcase the communication capabilities of the unit.
Sgt. Ethan Castle, a team chief who oversaw the signal mission at FOB Roadhouse, said that the amount of distance allotted by the training at JB-MDL encouraged the Soldiers to rely on their technical knowledge more than ever.
“We were able to get out in an environment we’re not familiar with and by having no access to our cell phones during this time, it made us actually rely on all our training. So we were able to set up and maintain the systems without any access to civilian-style communications,” said Castle.
Lt. Col. Gray Johnson, 146th ESB commander, said that the mission of his Soldiers at JB-MDL and Hunter Ligget was no different than what they did during their deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2008-2009, except that during wartime the enemy was real.
“Any time signaleers have real customers, it is real-world training and it adds urgency to the mission,” said Johnson. “Even though it is a training exercise, someone is counting on you to provide communications, and if you don't, they can't train. Grecian Firebolt provides a real-world sense of urgency to the training environment.”
The companies were divided into two sections to ensure seamless support of the warfighters from start to finish. Company B and some of Company C arrived first and established the network before the actual WAREX began. Winter Storm Jonas halted operations for a few days, as the base was inundated with snow. As soon as the blizzard passed, the troops moved out to their FOBs and continued on with their mission.
“I say this as humbly as possible: a little snow blizzard didn't stop us,” said Johnson. “The Florida Army National Guard earned some respect from those at JB-MDL, in that we were out in the storm, tightening up our antenna cables and so forth. As soon as the storm lifted and we dug out our equipment from two feet of snow, our network was up within 48 hours, waiting on the customers.”
In real-life scenarios, the variation of their customers is what makes the 146th ESB unique. Its federal mission is nested with its state mission of providing communications; all that differs is who is on the receiving end of the services, whether it is a combatant commander during deployment, or civilian agencies following a state emergency.
Being vital to the success of state and federal missions requires the signal Soldiers of the 146th ESB to remain experts of their craft. Failure to train realistically could mean loss of technical expertise. Opportunities like Grecian Firebolt not only give the signal specialties an opportunity to rehearse their capabilities, but the other support services of their battalion as well.
“An exercise like this one allows our Soldiers to deploy all assets and utilize all Military Occupational Specialties (MOSs) within our battalion,” said Capt. Zac McLain, the battalion assistant operations officer. “Our supply did supply and logistic operations. Our cooks actually went and cooked for a large FOB. Our signal MOSs, from the joint node network operator all the way down to the 25L, which is a cable dog, were allowed to exercise those MOSs in a real-life situation, providing communication and services to the warfighter.”
| Date Taken: | 02.04.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 02.04.2016 17:48 |
| Story ID: | 187939 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, NEW JERSEY, US |
| Web Views: | 884 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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