XCTC 2014 nearing completion for Michigan National Guard artillery units

Photo By Staff Sgt. Seth LaCount | A CH-47 Chinook provides air lift support for Artillery Raid exercises conducted during XCTC 2014 at Camp Grayling, Mich.  

GRAYLING, MI, UNITED STATES

07.22.2014

Story by Spc. Seth LaCount 

Michigan National Guard

GRAYLING, Mich. - The thunderous blast from artillery shells soaring through the sky above Camp Grayling Joint Maneuver Training Center, Mich., culminated July 20 nearing the completion of the eXportable Combat Training Capability exercise that brought Army National Guard and active duty Soldiers together for live-fire table evaluation and lane training.

CGJMTC’s vast training arena, in conjunction with multiple ranges, firing points and preemptive training measures, made it possible for National Guard artillery units from four states including Michigan, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and West Virginia to launch roughly 3,000 rounds of 155mm ammunition, 192 rockets, 250,000 blank rounds, and 300 mortar rounds over the course of seven days during XCTC.

“The scope of the post here is just tremendous,” said Lt. Col. Joseph Merrill, battalion commander assigned to 1st Battalion, 103rd Field Artillery, Rhode Island National Guard. “We’re able to do collective, continuous training that is the culmination of nearly two years of planning and nine months of execution towards this goal.”

Conjointly, active duty Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division from Fort Drum, N.Y., played the role of opposing forces and a security element that manifested itself in the form of simulated ambushes on artillery lanes using small arms fire and securing perimeter defenses during artillery raids.

Range control operations also played a crucial role in the oversight and safety provisions that are essential to mission success. This included efficient communication between firing points and control towers, providing accurate and updated range operations to units across firing lines, and range maintenance and support.

“As the week went on, Soldiers became more proficient in being able to talk in operational graphics that this unit uses and they attained a fundamental understanding of the training area,” said Maj. Matthew LeaTrea, range control officer in command of the 40 Complex on CGJMTC. “The capability of the modern artillery breaks the units into smaller contingents, so the number of firing points that were active was a learning curve for us on how to manage communication aspects and organize all pertinent information we collected.”

The standard in artillery firepower capability for the Michigan National Guard was highlighted during an historic firing mission by 1st Battalion, 119th Field Artillery Regiment headquartered in Lansing, Mich., when they volleyed 155mm artillery shells down range on the 40 Complex with longer distance and higher charge than any other previous unit had on the installation.
As Soldiers exit the field, the final recovery phase will consist of multiple after action reviews critiquing their performance with an assessment by the active duty 1st Army Division evaluators who observed the exercise through multiple perspectives using video and movement tracking capability by the XCTC staff.

In the final moments of field operations of XCTC 2014, Soldiers from across the nation that came together this summer in Grayling, Mich., to reflect the Army virtue of one team, one force, one fight will take what they learned back to their duty station in a capacity and aptitude that will endure the test of time and set a precedent for future training endeavors.

• Date Taken: 07.22.2014
• Date Posted: 07.23.2014 11:11
• Story ID: 136976
• Location: GRAYLING, MI, US