Photo By Brad Staggs | Col. Kimberly Martindale, commander of the Indiana National Guard’s 38th Sustainment...... read more read more
FORT HOOD, Texas -- A Mission Rehearsal Exercise, or MRX, is the final validation that a military unit is ready to assume command in the area to which they are being mobilized. For the Indiana National Guard’s 38th Sustainment Brigade, the exercise gives Commander Col. Kimberly Martindale a snapshot of how her soldiers will react to any given situation.
“My expectations were that soldiers would have an opportunity and demonstrate their ability to do their job,” Martindale said. “They are very energized, very excited, and I think [the soldiers] more than exceeded that expectation.”
When the 38th Guardsmen arrive in Kuwait, they will be responsible for sustainment operations throughout the U.S. Army Central Command’s area of operations. From beans to bullets to Army watercraft, the brigade will be the gatekeeper for everything a warfighter needs to perform their mission without having to worry about where their supplies will come from.
The MRX, led by the 120th Training Brigade based here, focused on the 38th’s ability to communicate and perform at a high standard no matter what problems were thrown at them. For many soldiers, this is the first time they will work in a Brigade staff environment and Command Sgt. Maj. Scott Andrews wanted to make sure they were put through their paces.
“The goal I put out at the beginning to all the senior leadership was to incorporate our soldiers, utilize them,” Andrews said. “I feel very confident in our soldiers being able to perform ready state operations at the point where we’re at.”
The exercise was designed to test the brigade’s strengths and weaknesses, pushing the Soldiers to the edge and beyond in order to let them know what needs to be improved. Injects -- scenarios injected into the wargame in order to test aspects of the Brigade’s readiness -- were handled quickly and efficiently by a seasoned staff and the new soldiers they were given to mentor. Martindale said the brigade did a phenomenal job demonstrating its capabilities.
“I think that this unit is very well prepared for this mission,” Martindale concluded. “They’ve demonstrated it, it’s been validated, and it will be a very successful year.”
The deployment of the 38th Sustainment Brigade is the largest deployment of Indiana National Guard troops since 2009.
| Date Taken: | 01.31.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 01.31.2018 16:17 |
| Story ID: | 264169 |
| Location: | FT. HOOD, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 542 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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