FORT MCCOY, Wis. – Soldiers from across the Red Arrow brigade came together for a final week of training at Fort McCoy, Wis. prior to their upcoming month-long rotation at the Joint Readiness Training Center this summer.
The training varied across the needs of the battalions, including final weapons qualifications, dry- and live-fire exercises, a command post exercise (CPX), as well as loading gear to ship to Louisiana ahead of the units.
Lt. Col. Matthew Myers, executive officer of the 32nd IBCT, described this week of training as a way to simulate what the brigade will see at JRTC on a smaller scale in order to work out any final details and pinch points before taking part in the larger exercise.
“We needed to exercise these movements to test our systems and refresh those who have been in the brigade for a while,” reflected Myers. “At the same time, we were able to get our new Red Arrow Soldiers up to speed with how things run and what the expectations are.”
Command Sgt. Maj. Aaron Johnson, the senior enlisted leader of the 32nd IBCT, echoed a lot of those comments, emphasizing the importance of bringing the entire brigade together so that everyone is on the same page leading up to the training this summer.
“As a brigade, we were able to come away with a definition of what success looks like, and an understanding of what needs to be done before this summer to make sure that happens,” conveyed Johnson.
One of three combat training centers, JRTC focuses on improving unit readiness by providing highly realistic, stressful, joint and combined arms training across the full spectrum of conflict.
Col. Matthew Elder, commander of the 32nd IBCT, thought the CPX gave a good insight into the status of the Red Arrow as a whole, and showed the leadership that the preparation the brigade has done leading up to JRTC has paid off.
“I know we’re going to be spread thin, we will have a lot going on and a fast pace to manage,” expressed Elder. “As we get into the battle rhythm we need to manage knowledge and fall back on those key SOPs that our experts have developed over the past few years, and have continued to refine with each exercise we have taken on.”
“Exercises like JRTC ensure that the Red Arrow brigade is always ready to support Wisconsin and our country as a whole, no matter what those needs are,” concluded Johnson.
Date Taken: | 04.13.2024 |
Date Posted: | 04.13.2024 14:35 |
Story ID: | 468493 |
Location: | FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, US |
Web Views: | 384 |
Downloads: | 0 |
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