Photo By Staff Sgt. Avery Cunningham | U.S. Army Maj. Jacob Roy, left, Headquarters, Headquarters Company, 572nd Brigade...... read more read more
Fort Drum, New York, home of the Army’s 10th Mountain Division, hosted Soldiers from the 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Mountain), Vermont National Guard, for a Warfighter exercise held from June 3-18.
“It is the first part of the brigade’s annual training period and it involves a command post exercise in a simulated combat environment with all of our battalion and brigade headquarters and staff, a [Higher Command] through the 10th Mountain Division, then enablers and add-ons from active-duty assisting in our training mission,” said U.S. Army Colonel Andrew Harris, commander of the 86th IBCT (MTN). “It is a war simulation exercise which is designed to test staff function and responsiveness to a real-world combat situation.”
A lot of preparation is required in the setup of the exercise. The Warfighter requires an advanced party, known as ADVON, to arrive on location to set up, develop relationships, prepare eating and sleeping areas, and facilitate the arrival of the main body, so they can immediately begin working when they arrive.
“In the National Guard you cannot do exercises like this without that effort up front. It really takes a lot of prior planning,” said Harris. “Most of that occurred back home, on the phone, multiple trips back and forth to Drum, and then a big push at the end by about 150 people to physically set it up and receive all the Soldiers into the training area.”
The ADVON conducts the first phase of the exercise, and with the arrival of the main body the second phase begins. In the beginning of phase two, Soldiers make preparations for the warfighter exercise simulation. The first part of the preparations involves classes and training for the approximately 550 Soldiers in the exercise.
“Then we’ll get into receiving the mission from the higher headquarters, and we’ll engage in three days of military decision making which will result in an operations order,” said Harris.
As part of the military decision making process, Soldiers will begin conducting rehearsals, starting from smaller levels and progressing to a full-scale comprehensive drill. As soon as the final run-through is complete, the Warfighter simulation begins.
“That simulation will run for four days, and it’ll be 24-hour operations,” said Harris. “We will be in a tactical environment, so we’ll put on our field gear and our Kevlar helmets. Then we will posture ourselves as if there was an enemy around us and will behave as if we were in a threatened, contested environment.”
The simulation allows the Soldiers to completely dive into their role in the organization and operate with all the equipment they would normally have in a real-world scenario.
“It gives them the opportunity to test themselves within the confines of their duty position and their job. For instance, as S2 (intelligence and security) you’re not going to have a better opportunity to put the full-spectrum of your abilities to the test than you would here at the Warfighter,” said Captain Micah D. Kidney, commander of Headquarters, Headquarters Company, 86th IBCT (MTN). “You’re here for two weeks and you’re going to initially come in and set up your sections, so it’s a test of whether or not you know what your section’s equipment is, whether or not you could set it up, put it into effect, and actually execute your mission within the context of MDMP.”
The Soldiers’ abilities to complete their assigned tasks and operate with all of their assigned equipment will play a major role into how they’re able to communicate, complete their mission, and work with the other units in the brigade.
“My expectation is that by the time we’re done with the 24-hour operations, we will have improved our skills at communicating across the brigade, and by that I mean how battalions talk to the brigade and how the brigade talks to the battalions, and that we have a good, common operating picture,” said Harris. “I want to get our team more confident in its ability to operate as part of a large multi-echelon organization in an environment that is decisive action, that is contested, where the enemy is as good at things as we are.”
Even though the brigade is operating in austere conditions around the clock, learning and safety are paramount.
“If you’re a family member out there, just know that your loved one is well taken care of. We’re here to train, have a little fun, be safe, and learn,” said Harris. “It’s a low-threat environment, but that doesn’t mean we’re not going to work hard.”
| Date Taken: | 06.07.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 06.17.2017 13:24 |
| Story ID: | 237176 |
| Location: | FORT DRUM, NEW YORK, US |
| Web Views: | 230 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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