Photo By Patrick Albright | Fort Benning, Ga. – Scout teams from across the U.S. Army and foreign militaries...... read more read more
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FORT BENNING, Ga. – As a showcase for the fourth biennial Gainey Cup International Best Scout Squad Competition, the U.S. Army Armor School hosted the Scouts in Action demonstration April 29 at Red Cloud Range at Fort Benning, Georgia.
The Gainey Cup determines the best six-Soldier scout squad in the Army and internationally by testing squads on their scout and cavalry skills, their physical stamina, and their cohesion as a team.
The Scouts in Action demonstration was an opportunity for the Armor School to tell the history of the U.S. Cavalry and to show the public what scout squads do for their units, according to Capt. Tim Sweeney, Cavalry Leaders Course instructor with 3rd Squadron, 16th Cavalry Regiment, 316th Cavalry Brigade.
“Part of what we do in the Cavalry is really in the shadows and really hidden from the world to see, because that’s the nature of our business,” said Sweeney. “[Scouts in Action] was a demonstration of the different weapons platforms that we have and how they can be used to execute missions on the battlefield. So we’re just bringing what the Cav does to light.”
During the historical portion of Scouts in Action, the spectators, which included Soldiers, civilians and Family members, saw scouts as they would have appeared in period uniforms as they would have ridden or driven period conveyances. They rode horses as Army scouts would have during the Civil War and drove jeeps as Army scouts would have during World War II. Then they drove the High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, the Bradley Cavalry Fighting Vehicle and the Stryker armored vehicle, all from the latter part of the 20th century.
As part of the demonstration of scout skills for the audience, a scout squad performed aerial reconnaissance using a drone. After a notional enemy fired upon the scouts the scouts fired back. Their HMMWV got several rounds off in a one-second burst. Then scouts in Abrams tanks fired at then enemy, each concussive thud flinging up dust.
“So today was the demonstration of the firepower they have,” said Sweeney. “Then over the next three days, they’ll use that firepower and use their dismounted capabilities to execute the missions and really achieve their commander’s end state.”
When the demonstration concluded, the spectators had the opportunity to get refreshments, talk with Soldiers and explore some of the vehicles they had just seen in action. The demonstration served as a public entry point to the competition already in progress.
The scout squads arrived the week before and took part in knowledge tests, vehicle identification, a call for fire, a gunnery skills test, and a land navigation course.
The squads began the second week of competition with an early morning reconnaissance run April 29 at Brave Rifles Field at Harmony Church. During the reconnaissance run, the six-person scout squads must run in uniform and with gear over a set course they do not know the distance to. The course is complete once every member of a squad crosses the finish line back at Brave Rifles Field.
Over three days, the squads will perform exercises that synthesize skills they were evaluated on during the first week. A scout squad proficiency exercise requires the scout squads to orient on a reconnaissance objective while performing reconnaissance on 20 kilometers of terrain occupied by enemy forces. During the scout skills event, the squads must maneuver within their vehicle while collecting and reporting information. As part of a lethality exercise, the squads must conduct a tactical mission under live fire, and then they receive a grade according to their ability to report and engage the enemy force.
Besides drawing focus to the scout mission operational specialty, the competition also serves as a training event for the U.S. Armor School and the units the scout squads represent.
“This competition does a very good job of highlighting the capabilities and limitations that Cavalry scouts encounter, so it’s a way that units can continue to build their training plan, and the Army can look at training and figure out how we can become more and more lethal,” he said.
The final event of the competition is the Final Charge scheduled for 8 a.m. May 3 at Brave Rifles Field. After the final charge, the awards ceremony is scheduled to begin.
To keep up with the Gainey Cup, visit www.facebook.com/GaineyCup.
For photos of the Recon Run or the Scouts in Action demonstration, visit www.fortbenningphotos.com/Armor-School/Armor-School-Competitions/2013-Gainey-Cup.
| Date Taken: | 05.01.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 05.01.2019 09:45 |
| Story ID: | 320159 |
| Location: | FORT BENNING, GEORGIA, US |
| Web Views: | 157 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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