“4th (Sustainment Brigade’s) main objective … is to deploy expeditionary and help generate combat power …”
— Col. Ronald R. Ragin
By Sgt. David Freydin
4th Sustainment Brigade Public Affairs Office, 4th Infantry Division
Combat and explosions come to many people’s minds when they think of the Army, but one of the most important elements on the modern-day battlefield happens completely behind the scenes.
It’s not as glamorous and often overlooked, but for troops to be successful the logistics element must equipment, personnel and finance to successfully accomplish the mission.
The 4th Infantry Division recognizes the importance of logistics in the ever-changing and uncertain environment and called upon the 4th Sustainment Brigade, 4th Inf. Div., to assist in its Exercise Iron Horse Challenge (EIHC) command post exercise (CPX) Nov. 15-18, 2016, at the Mission Training Complex on Fort Carson.
“The purpose of the exercise is to assist 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team for its upcoming deployment to Europe and validate our emergency deployment readiness,” said Sgt. 1st Class Patrick Bush, tactical command post NCO in charge, 4th SB. “Even though there are no real moving units in this exercise, we still need to prepare for every possible scenario and execute as if we were actually in theater.”
The 3rd ABCT will send roughly 4,000 Soldiers and equipment to Europe this winter and will be the first heavy brigade to serve as part of continuous nine-month armor rotations in support of Atlantic Resolve, the Department of the Army announced Nov. 3, 2016.
“4th SB’s main objective in EIHC is to deploy expeditionary and help generate combat power for 3rd ABCT,” said Col. Ronald R. Ragin, commander, 4th SB. “To get this accomplished, we will synchronize everything, continuously update data, put out the most accurate information possible, project all movement and provide the most up-to-date analysis possible.”
To help meet Ragin’s intent, Soldiers within the tactical command post spent nearly two weeks preparing for the CPX; one week setting up the area of operations and another focusing on executing tactical operations.
With a surplus of oversized maps, projection screens, laptops and whiteboards filling a tent, Ragin said that even though he has the utmost confidence that 4th SB will get the job done, anticipating things on the battlefield can be difficult and will require a lot of discipline and attention to detail.
“We had to do a lot of research and preparing for the exercise,” said Sgt. John Mondragon, petroleum supply specialist,
Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 4th Special Troops Battalion, 4th SB. “I have to make sure those in combat get their supplies and track supply requests. Executing this requires knowing a little about everything.”
Simultaneously, Soldiers with the 152nd Movement Control Team, 4th STB, were participating in Operation Iron Horse Load and moving supplies such as tanks, Bradleys and other vehicles onto vessels for 3ABCT’s deployment.
“Crosstalk has been great between us and the 4th Infantry Division,” said Bush. “Because of their support and constant updates, we’ve been able to successfully execute at every stage. I am confident this exercise will set the conditions for 3rd ABCT and future missions to succeed for the next four years.”