CAMP ATTERBURY, Ind. – Members of the 149th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade Headquarters Support Company and the 149th Signal Company packed up their tactical operations center, loaded trucks and convoyed from Kentucky to Indiana to participate in a Command Post Exercise (CPX) May 18-22.
The CPX is a “multi-echelon exercise focused on tasks supporting communications, command and control systems, and procedures”. The MEB set up their Current Operations Integration Cell (COIC) along with several other tents, replicating an operational environment using a tactical scenario.
The Brigade Fires Operations Noncommissioned Officer, Army Master Sgt. Steven Morgan, has participated in multiple exercises with the MEB since 2016 and enjoys any opportunity he gets to practice the actual functions of his section.
“This is when we actually get to do our job and show how a maneuver enhancement brigade is supposed to work,” said Morgan. “This is when we refine everybody’s roles, figure out what needs improvement, and what equipment we need for when we go to Warfighter next year. The Warfighter is our validation piece before deployment. Honestly once these types of exercises get going, they are kind of fun.”
The Guardsmen set up their tactical work areas as part of their annual training and became acquainted with their counterparts. They spent time communicating with other sections via combat-net radios and fine-tuning their operating procedures with the 38th Infantry Division, the organization they are aligned under for training as part of the National Defense Strategy.
“Every MEB is working toward being aligned under a division. The 149th MEB has fallen under the 38th ID for training for several years now,” said Army Maj. Michael Moynahan, Training Officer for the 149th MEB. “The idea is for a MEB to be aligned under a division for training and eventually for mobilization. This will bring us up to speed for large scale operations and talent management, but it also helps us build those relationships and ensure we are meeting the intents of both the 38th ID leadership as well as Kentucky’s Adjutant General.”
The 149th’s leadership considered the exercise an extension to the Headquarters Support Company annual training successful. The Brigade’s Commander Col. J.B. Richmond said the actions of the Legion Brigade’s Command and Control staff during this exercise has reinforced his confidence in their abilities moving forward in wargaming for full-scale operations in the future.
"Many members of our brigade staff have just returned from the southwest border mission and haven't touched the MDMP or Command Post operations for years,” said Richmond. “I'm impressed with their flexibility as they hit the ground running in March, created their products and learned their roles before this command post exercise in May. It shows the Legion Brigade is a resilient organization full of motivated officers and enlisted Guardsmen who are ready to serve in any large-scale operation."
The 149th MEB staff have participated in extensive after-action reviews and is scheduled for another small CPX exercise with the 38ID in preparation for the Warfighter event scheduled for the summer of 2024.
| Date Taken: | 06.09.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 06.09.2023 16:05 |
| Story ID: | 446587 |
| Location: | CAMP ATTERBURY, INDIANA, US |
| Web Views: | 37 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Legion Brigade refines skills with 38th Infantry Division, by SFC Rebecca Wood, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
