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FORT HOOD, Texas – Rarely are great strides made in a
vacuum. Instead, the harnessing of talents, resources,
abilities and strengths from others is what garners success
– in any arena.
The U.S. Army Total Force Policy is ensuring that units don't go
it alone, but that they train together and, collectively, all units
achieve their respective training objectives.
During the 3-week-long Multi-echelon Integrated Brigade Training
Exercise at Fort Hood, the 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team
“Greywolf,” 1st Cavalry Division and the 155th Armored Brigade
Combat Team “Dixie Thunder” from the Mississippi Army National
Guard, had different training objectives. By working together to
make use of collective resources, they both managed to reap
benefits.
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Air Force Tech. Sgts. Jim Buckley and Kole Nail, both Joint
Terminal Attack Controllers with the 238th Air Support Operations
Squadron, Mississippi Air National Guard, discuss possible targets
with Army Spc. Antwyn Sutton, and Pfc. Tyler Davis, both Cavalry
Scouts with 1st Squadron, 98th Cavalry Regiment, Mississippi Army
National Guard, June 12, 2016 at Fort Hood, Texas. The JTAC Airmen
are assisting the 155th ABCT during the Multi-echelon Brigade
Training exercise that sustains readiness of the reserve and active
components. (Mississippi National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Shane
Hamann, 102d Public Affairs Detachment)
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“I think we more than achieved what we initially set out to do,
and both units had the flexibility to adjust during the exercise,”
said Col. John Woodward, Greywolf commander. “So as conditions
needed to be changed to achieve the training objectives, we were
able to synchronize between the two of us and both get out of the
exercise what we needed.”
While the Dixie Thunder Brigade occupied the Fort Hood training
area in an offensive posture, Greywolf Brigade supplied an opposing
force in the form of the 6th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment.
“I wanted to provide a first-class training opportunity for the
155th ABCT by providing them with an OPFOR for their training
exercise,” Woodward said. “The second thing I wanted to do was –
simultaneously – I wanted to benefit from this OPFOR mission and
execute collective training at the troop level and squadron level
for 6-9 Cav.”
The benefits go beyond battalion or even brigade
level.
“Automatically, it's not just one brigade to another brigade,”
said Col. Jeffrey Van, Dixie Thunder commander. “It's the fact that
1st Cav. Division gets another brigade under its wing and
immediately nested under its [standing operating procedures]. We
want the [division commander] to feel free to utilize 155th and to
feel like he's got some ownership of the 155th ABCT just like he
does with the remainder of his brigades. We want to maintain this
relationship with 1st Cavalry Division. We think it's important to
keeping 155th relevant.”
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Spc Max Adams, in infantryman with Company B, 1st Battalion, 155th
Infantry Regiment, Mississippi Army National Guard, provides
security after dismounting a Bradley fighting vehicle during the
Multi-echelon Integrated Brigade Training exercise June 12, 2016 at
Fort Hood, Texas. The MiBT is a multicomponent training event that
sustains readiness of the reserve and active components in
accordance with the Army's Total Force policy. The 155th Infantry
Regiment, headquartered in McComb, Mississippi, is the sixth oldest
active infantry regiment in the U.S. Army and is known as the
“Mississippi Rifles.” (Mississippi National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Shane
Hamann, 102d Public Affairs Detachment)
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In the Army concept of ensuring that all components are trained
and ready to fight the nation's wars, sustaining a mutually
beneficial relationship with the active component has effectively
rescued the Dixie Thunder Brigade.
“Four years ago, through
national-level budget cuts, the 155th was on the chopping block of
being divested,” said Van. “Now after four years of operationalizing
ATFP, shooting a lot of gunnery and doing a lot of maneuver, it is
one of the lead ABCTs in the National Guard. In order to maintain
your maneuver proficiency, in order to maintain [tactics, techniques
and procedures] and in order to keep up your maneuver tasks in an
effective way, you grow more with your Soldiers whenever you're
operating with an active duty unit.”
After working together at the eXportable Combat Training
Capability exercise last year and the MIBT this year, the
partnership is strong, the benefits are reciprocal, and the plans
for future collaboration are in place.
“So, the benefit is we are
never going to fight alone,” Woodward said. “With the size of our
Army, the active component relies heavily on the Reserve component.
For them to gain the [tactics, techniques and procedures] that we
practice more regularly than they do is beneficial for them, and the
different perspectives that they bring to our problem sets are
something that we can learn from as well.”
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Mississippi Army National Guard Soldiers with 2d Battalion, 114th
Field Artillery Regiment, 155th armored Brigade Combat Team conduct
platoon certification live fire June 8, 2016 during the
Multi-echelon Brigade Training Exercise at Fort Hood, Texas June 8,
2016. The MiBT is a multicomponent training event that sustains
readiness of the reserve and active components in accordance with
the U.S. Army's Total Force policy. (Mississippi National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Shane
Hamann, 102d Public Affairs Detachment)
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In the end, a vast training event spanning three weeks of
Abrams tank live fires, Bradley Fighting Vehicle live fires,
and defensive and offensive force-on-force operations
yielded two formations of trained and ready troops – one
active duty and one National Guard.
“We're actually still gaining more benefits as we come through
here,” Van said. “And every time that we deal with Greywolf or any
of our active component brethren, the guard gains more relevance,
and it's further enabled by its combined arms maneuver whenever we
do operations together. Just the daily force-on-force where platoon
leaders and company commanders and battalion commanders shared
tactics, techniques and procedures on their maneuver tasks daily.
Both of us are much better units after having executed this jointly
together.”
By U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Leah Kilpatrick
3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2016
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