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Fort Irwin, Calif. – For nearly 44 years the National Training Center (NTC) has challenged Brigade Combat Teams (BCT) across all Warfighting Functions in the harsh terrain of the Mojave Desert. NTC Rotation 25-03 continued a recent chapter to the NTC legacy as the focus of this rotation is on the Division Headquarters, namely, the First Infantry Division (1ID) from Ft. Riley Kansas.
This is not the first time that the NTC has orchestrated a division level exercise. “The NTC has focused on Large Scale Combat Operations since transitioning from counter insurgency in 2017,” said Brig. Gen. Brandon C. Anderson, the NTC and Fort Irwin Commanding General. Planning to incorporate the division began with the revision of Army Field Manual 3-0 (FM 3-0) which designated the division as the principal tactical warfighting formation. Further, this rotation allowed for a review of the draft FM 3-91, Division Operations, which will be published this Spring.
NTC’s first division level rotation occurred in 2020, coincidently with 1ID. Rotation 25-03 is the fourth time that the NTC has conducted a rotation at this level. Division rotations are designed to challenge the Division headquarters and staff. They deploy to the NTC with enablers which typically include special operations, field artillery, combat aviation, engineers, and logisticians. These elements build combat power, establish security, and set conditions for the success of follow-on forces.
“This rotation with 1ID will immediately transition to their 1st Brigade,” said Anderson. “This rotation builds upon previous experiences with enhanced training environments for the seamless and immediate integration of the Devil Brigade (1/1 ID) into our next rotation.”
The NTC is approximately the size of Rhode Island with more than 1200 sq mi of unencumbered training area that includes 12 towns, 1200 buildings, and 29K ft. of airspace. “As part of our Army’s continuous transformation, we are uniquely situated to host a training event at this scale,” said Anderson. “Capabilities exist here that are nowhere else in the world,” he said.
NTC’s size and remote location allows for training that is unavailable at home station. This includes the use of unescorted and armed drones, fixed wing aviation, and a permissive EW spectrum that permits EW collection and GPS jamming. This plus “our replication of popular social media sites and use of low earth orbit satellites creates a multi-domain environment and transparent battlefield,” said Anderson.
An enduring tenet of the NTC is the ability to adapt to real-world lessons learned and incorporating them into the scenarios to challenge the training units. Recent additions to the NTC menu of challenges include a wet-gap crossing, trench warfare, use of dragon’s teeth, armed drones, and drone swarms. “As our Army transforms, we’re constantly evolving to ensure we present an accurate representation of what the rotational units can expect in a real-world deployment,” said Anderson.
The NTC is currently scheduled to conduct another division rotation in FY 26.
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| Date Taken: | 02.11.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 02.12.2025 13:43 |
| Story ID: | 490648 |
| Location: | FORT IRWIN, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 15 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, The NTC Conducts a Division Level Rotation, by Donald Ross, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
