ASA-Fort Dix: Two exercises set Army Reserve units as operational force

Photo By David Moore | Army Reserve Spc. James Heino, of the Bristol, Pa., based 465th Transportation Company provides a security overwatch after his assigned tactical training area came under attack as part of the 78th Training Division's Warrior Training Excercise supported by ASA-Fort Dix training areas at Joint Base McGuire Dix Lakehurst.  

NJ, UNITED STATES

02.21.2014

Story by Master Sgt. David Moore 

USASA, Fort Dix

JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. - With Army Reserve large training numbers shifting from mobilization to major training events, two major exercises have proven the U.S. Army Support Activity-Fort Dix retains the edge in capabilities at Joint Base McGuire Dix Lakehurst to providing an operational ready Army Reserve force for the future.

“In order to meet a revised Army Reserve training strategy we need to be able to perform the collective training exercises with the capability to operate in all operational environments in an effort to maintain the operational status of the Army Reserve,” Col. Jeffrey Doll, ASA-Fort Dix commander, said of one of the lines of effort for the activity’s missions.

Both exercises executed or underway are led by the 78th Training Division and the Atlantic Division 75th Training Command. The three weeklong Warrior Exercise known as Arctic Lightening, wrapped up last month. A second three-week Combat Training Support Exercise is now underway with a training audience for both events that will total about 5,400 soldiers who are testing their job specific equipment and tactical warrior skills.

“What’s important to me is we recognize, we are here to support the 78th Division and the Atlantic Division 75th Training Command, so we provide the required resources, capabilities and the maneuver space to conduct these important exercises,” Doll said.

The unique concept for both Army Reserve exercises focuses on combat support and combat service support soldiers and their respective units to support each other to meet training requirements in a simulated tactical environment. For example a water purification unit will provide soldiers with needed water at several training locations or fuel handlers will set up refueling points for those participating in the exercise in a combat-scenario driven training event.

The Army Reserve schedules the exercises based on a unit’s five-year road to deployment cycle. The recent Warrior Exercise and the CSTX now underway at the joint base checks on soldiers and respective units training readiness to deploy during the ready years of a scheduled and predictable deployment cycle.

“The terrain at ASA-Fort Dix ranges, training areas and weather conditions that exist in the Northeast are ideally suited to provide a degree of realism to the exercise and works through some of the unique challenges associated with conducting year round operations to improve the unit readiness for the full spectrum of conflict,” Doll said.

Both exercises have been conducted in varied winter weather conditions, but they will be known as the year for breaking many regional records for single digit temperatures and a snowfall accumulation record of 71.6 inches this month last set in 1995-1996 in the Philadelphia area.

It is not uncommon for Army Reserve and National Guard units to train in the winter condition. But with an average temperature for winter being about 40-degrees and 12-inches of snow for the past several years, this season pushed soldiers and their systems to succeed at completing unit commanders training objectives.

“This season presented certainly more challenges then most, but these challenges are exactly the challenges the Army Reserve Soldiers need to refine their field craft and skill sets to keep these Army Reserve units as an operational force” Doll said.

“One thing I’m most pleased with is we took a lot of after action review comments from last years CSTX, and now WAREX and applied those lessons learned for our supporting role as an installation service provider during this training exercise. The goal is to provide less focus on life support and more on training” Doll said.

• Date Taken: 02.21.2014
• Date Posted: 02.25.2014 11:33
• Story ID: 120985
• Location: NJ, US