“Everything in the Army happens in echelons, so company STXs was a very important part of our building block to Warhorse Strike.”
— Capt. Brendan M. Matthews
By Staff Sgt. Neysa Canfield
2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs Office, 4th Infantry Division
FORT CARSON, Colo. — Sgt. Brian Ganter with 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, applies camouflage to his face Sept. 7, 2019, during a company situational training exercise at Fort Carson. The Soldiers prepared for Warhorse Strike, a brigadewide exercise, taking place in late September. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Neysa Canfield)
FORT CARSON, Colo. — Soldiers with 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, sharpened their tactical and technical skills during company situational training exercises (STX) Sept. 3-10, 2019, in preparation for the upcoming brigade-level field exercise “Warhorse Strike.”
The purpose of company STX was to certify and validate maneuver companies within the 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 2nd IBCT, on their ability to conduct deception action operations, as well as to certify and validate the brigade and its battalion’s mission command systems.
Mission command systems allow leaders of all levels to share and track real time information, such as equipment, personnel, air support and situation and intelligence reports from throughout the battlefield in order to make future decisions.
“Everything in the Army happens in echelons, so company STXs was a very important part of our building block to Warhorse Strike, especially as the brigade headquarters,” said Capt. Brendan M. Matthews, night battle captain during the training exercise, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd IBCT. “We are moving to a motorized concept by using (expandable van shelters) for our (Tactical Operations Center), and that is something we have to learn and get familiar with before we move forward to our next exercise.”
The exercise allowed the brigade headquarters to understand how to gather, disseminate and process information and mission orders as a motorized and mobile command post to better help its subordinate units.
At the company-level, leaders also found some areas that needed improvement.
“(Company STX) was the first time as a company that we have had to do a full company operation, which included all the platoons and enablers, such as engineers,” said Capt. Brandon R. Rickard, commander, Alpha Company, 1st Bn., 12th Inf. Reg., 2nd IBCT. “Learning to synchronize everything and everyone I think was our biggest lesson during this past exercise; we had to learn to balance our priorities as a company.”
FORT CARSON, Colo. — A Soldier with Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, pulls security during a company situational training exercise Sept. 7, 2019, at Fort Carson. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Neysa Canfield)
Although the lessons learned at the company and brigade level were different, both Soldiers agreed that STX improved the overall readiness of the brigade.
“It’s phenomenal to see the change from team-level exercises to the recent company-level exercise. The first exercises are always a little rough but we learn as a brigade and get better each time,” Rickard said. “This was our last building block as we head off to Warhorse Strike and my Soldiers are ready to show that they are tactically and technically ready.”