CAMP MCCAIN, Miss.-- Opposing forces hide in the shrubs on either side of the road. They are preparing for an attack against the “good” guys. Smoke bombs in hand, they go on alert when an M2A3 Bradley Fighting Vehicle comes over the hill. The first Bradley hits the individual explosive device and sparks a general engagement; the training scenario between Soldiers in the 2nd Battalion, 198th Armored Regiment of Greenwood, Mississippi, has begun.
The battalion conducted maneuver tactics March 19, 2016, at Camp McCain as part of their drill weekend. These force-on-force engagements improve the Soldiers’ war-fighting proficiency. These scenarios are preparing them for the Multi-Echelon Integrated Brigade Training (MiBT) exercise which is slated to occur at Fort Hood this June, said Staff Sgt. Kristopher J. Elwood, vehicle commander for Company B, which acted as an opposing force.
“We’re doing maneuver training so that we can get better before going to Texas,” said Elwood, of Hattiesburg.
During the exercises, each platoon ran through the lane and worked to avoid being stopped by opposing forces, said Sgt. Christopher M. Coleman, of Brandon, acting squad leader for Company B.
“Each platoon is moving down the lane to seize an objective. We are the opposing forces, trying to stop them from reaching the objective,” he said.
They also conducted this training during the Exportable Combat Training Capability exercises last summer during Annual Training, which was the precursor to MiBT, said Coleman.
“Last year, we did this on a larger scale. Instead of company and platoon levels, we moved as a battalion, including helicopter support with Apaches, and other assets that we wouldn’t normally have,” he said.
A MiBT exercise is combat training at the brigade level, that builds camaraderie between Active Duty and National Guard Soldiers to improve readiness in both components.
Date Taken: | 03.19.2016 |
Date Posted: | 03.20.2016 15:52 |
Story ID: | 192971 |
Location: | CAMP MCCAIN, MISSISSIPPI, US |
Hometown: | BRANDON, MISSISSIPPI, US |
Hometown: | GREENWOOD, MISSISSIPPI, US |
Hometown: | HATTIESBURG, MISSISSIPPI, US |
Web Views: | 90 |
Downloads: | 2 |
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