Photo By Sgt. Maj. Alejandro Licea | FORT McPHERSON, Ga. (Jan. 26, 2006) - Master Sgt. Freddie Pleasant, training...... read more read more
Story and Photos by Sgt. Alex Licea
Third U.S. Army Public Affairs Office
FORT McPHERSON, Ga. (Jan. 26, 2006) - Tension between the two fictitious nations of Ariana and Atropia explodes and escalates to a full-scale war. At 1 p.m. a report comes from the command cell; a coalition aircraft is reported down in hostile territory. In an instant, Soldiers operating out of a mobile command post locate the aircraft using a computer-based mapping system. Security and medical personnel are immediately dispatched to the site for crew recovery and treatment of any injuries.
These fictional events, along with many others, make up a series of scenarios used during a collective training event at the Coalition Forces Land Component Command Forward (CFLCC) Mobile Command Post, located behind "Patton's Own" headquarters, Jan. 26.
The training event was in preparation for a 72-hour computer based war game titled "Lucky Warrior," planned for April at Fort Gillem, Ga. These Third U.S. Army training exercises are focused on training personnel specifically to run operations in the Early Entry Command Post (EECP).
The EECP is a mobile facility used by Third Army/CFLCC to put its staff sections in the battle or "boots on the ground" during wartime operations. It is a compact, fully operational military command center capable of moving with the flow troops and supplies during battle. The EECP has served throughout Third Army's area of operation, which spans from the Horn of Africa to Central Asia, with deployments to Egypt, Kuwait, Iraq and Qatar.
On this day, Soldiers assigned to operate from the Command Post faced numerous challenges. Simulated wartime scenarios tested the Third Army Soldiers" ability to handle differing situations that could occur on a real battlefield. A number of "battle drills," or predetermined events, are used to test how Soldiers handle each specific situation. Battle drills range from downed aircraft to terrorist attacks, and test the EECP personnel's reaction and response time for finding a solution to the situation.
Sgt. Eric Rangel, training and operations NCO for the event, is one Soldier who played a key role during the exercise. Rangel, who has participated in 15 exercises, spoke about how each exercise is unique.
"Each exercise brings new personnel to the command post," he said. "For example, this exercise introduced a lot of new officers to performing duties they have never done as part of the EECP shelter."
Rangel spoke about the importance of this exercise, and how this type of training affects the command's ability to work as a single entity.
"These exercises are important for the unit's operations tempo," he said. "Each one brings a vast amount of knowledge and experience, and it is up to us to learn from each other to get the mission accomplished."
Maj. Paul Frederick, information operations officer, spoke about how he uses the event to help train Soldiers in his section about the functions of the EECP.
"As a battle captain, one of my duties is to train new members in the section on battle drills and procedures," Fredrick said. "The collective training event provides an excellent environment to train personnel."
Frederick's IO counterpart, Sgt. William Johnson, an IO NCO participating in his first exercise, addressed the importance of learning and staying proficient in the tasks and drills of the EECP.
"We cannot predict what will happen in the future," said Johnson. "But we can train and be ready to face and rise above unexpected events and challenges."
During the event ending after action review, Soldiers discussed topics that could help the battle staff determine which areas of the exercise need additional training as they head into Lucky Warrior.
"I think this was a good starting block to build on for Lucky Warrior," Rangel added. "I think we had great cross talk among the sections to complete the tasks at hand."
| Date Taken: | 02.01.2006 |
| Date Posted: | 02.01.2006 15:40 |
| Story ID: | 5277 |
| Location: | FORT MACPHERSON, GEORGIA, US |
| Web Views: | 311 |
| Downloads: | 151 |
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