Soldiers assigned to 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, infiltrate a prison compound overrun by enemy forces during Decisive Action Rotation 16-02 exercise at the National Training Center, Fort Irwin, Calif., Nov. 13, 2015. (Photo by Pfc. Christopher Lett)
By Staff Sgt. Micah VanDyke
2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs Office, 4th Infantry Division
The “Warhorse” Brigade achieved several milestones during its combat training at Decisive Action Rotation 16-02, National Training Center (NTC), Fort Irwin, California, Nov. 2-20, 2015.
“Over the course of two short weeks (in the combat training area), we accomplished a lot to be proud of,” said Col. Matthew Cody, commander, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division. “We were the first infantry BCT to execute decisive action at NTC in 24 rotations.”
“The National Training Center conducts tough, realistic, unified land operations (decisive action) to prepare brigade combat teams and other units for combat,” said Cody. “Decisive action is an operating environment that includes offensive and defensive operations against a near peer competitor (opposing force), while simultaneously exposing the BCT to wide area security operations against a very capable insurgency.”
Fort Irwin provides a dynamic complex environment that allows a unit to hit the key milestone of certification in combat-like conditions.
“At home station, we consistently do platoon- and company-level operations. You need to have a large training area so that you can stress systems at the battalion and brigade level tactically,” said Lt. Col. Tom Ehrhart, commander, 1st Battalion, 41st Infantry Regiment, 2nd IBCT. “It’s not until you get to NTC that you really stress the organization and find where the cracks and breaks are. There’s constant stress and it’s not just one dimensional — the fact that you’re not eating or sleeping the same (as we do at home station) and you’re in the elements.”
NTC provides a desert-training environment with complex terrain to include mountains and extensive riverbed systems.
“The sheer size of the training area at NTC provides challenges for an IBCT that can’t be replicated anywhere else,” said Cody.
Soldiers of 2nd IBCT also became acclimated to local national interactions.
“The role-players added a dimension. As effective as you are with your weapons systems, you can greatly improve or degrade your situation through how you interact with (local nationals). It helps leaders acclimate their Soldiers to other cultures,” said Ehrhart.
Most Soldiers don’t get to see the effect that a foreign civilian population has on a mission until they actually deploy.
“For those in my squad who have deployed with local nationals before, we were drawing on our previous experience; but for the newer guys, it definitely helped them get some good experience on how to deal with local nationals, especially in high-stress situations,” said Sgt. Ronald F. Jackson, squad leader, Company B, 1st Bn., 41st Inf. Reg.
The NTC hasn’t hosted an infantry brigade in more than a decade that ended its rotation with a full-scale culminating exercise.
“We were the first IBCT to successfully execute a brigade-level live-fire exercise in over 15 years. During force on force we successfully seized (the objective, a training village) in a military operations urban terrain mission, and we successfully blocked the (opposing force) and defeated them in the defense,” said Cody.
“Most importantly, we were a disciplined, learning organization that fought hard throughout the entire rotation.”
Going to NTC stresses the importance of combat readiness, said Ehrhart.
“The whole point is that you want your worst possible day to be in an NTC rotation, not in combat,” said Ehrhart.
The training rotation developed the brigade’s leaders to be able to fight and win in conditions of uncertainty, Cody said.
“NTC forges leaders who think fast, make sound decisions, exercise disciplined initiative and execute mission command,” he said. “An NTC rotation helps leaders learn ‘how’ to think, not ‘what’ to think.
“NTC is like a ‘leadership laboratory’ that challenges all of our leaders across the decisive action operating environment. Warhorse Strike and our rotation at the National Training Center provided invaluable learning opportunities for all of our Soldiers and leaders,” said Cody. “The training instilled confidence
in our Soldiers, our equipment, our leaders and our units.”