Photo By Lorne Neff | Soldiers with the 38th Infantry Division conduct a combined arms rehearsal at Camp...... read more read more
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By Staff Sgt. Erin Johns
38th Infantry Division Public Affairs
CAMP ATTERBURY, Ind. - During January drill weekend, 38th Infantry Division Soldiers conducted a combined arms rehearsal with U.S. Army III Corps and the 2nd Canadian Mechanized Brigade, and other Indiana brigades belonging to the Cyclone Division at Camp Atterbury for the division’s upcoming warfighter exercise scheduled for later this month.
U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Sean MacFarland, the division’s warfighter exercise director and III Corp commander explained why one of the eight National Guard divisions is working with so closely with an Army corps element.
The last time the United States Army fought in a combined arms maneuver format was when V Corps attacked from Kuwait into Baghdad in 2003, said MacFarland.
About half of the Army’s combat power is in the National Guard, and the National Guard doesn’t have a corps-level command to serve as a higher headquarters. There is a strong chance that an active-duty corps may find itself working with one of the eight National Guard divisions in future operations, MacFarland said.
MacFarland also explained why units taking part in a warfighter exercise is so important for all Soldiers. In a warfighter exercise Soldiers learn to hone their command and control techniques to react to scenarios on a virtual battlefield. Information flows from point to point allowing Soldiers to better synchronize sections, subordinate commands and higher commands with one another.
“A lot of these skills have atrophied. It's important for us to get those skills back to be a credible Army. This is also an important opportunity for the active component and the National Guard to work together and insure that those relationships are strong,” said MacFarland.
The weekend’s rehearsal also gave III Corps and 38th Infantry Division Soldiers a chance to work with a maneuver formation from Canada, the 2nd Canadian Mechanized Brigade and its commander, Col. Peter Dawe.
“For us to be able to work with three other maneuver formations and work with a robust and very capable divisional headquarters is very exceptional,” said Dawe of the 38th Infantry Division. “This is a very rare thing for a brigade, especially a brigade commander, to be able to do this. So, we're very grateful and consider ourselves to be very fortunate to be here and be a part of this exercise.”
The skills the troops learn during the exercise will translate into domestic, national and international civilian- and military-led missions, and will include multiple elements from the U.S. Army and Air Force, and Canadian military personnel.
The 38th Infantry Division, headquartered in Indianapolis, is the Indiana National Guard’s largest unit with more than 9,200 Soldiers, four brigades and nearly 100 subordinate units throughout the Hoosier State. The 38th, nicknamed the Cyclone Division, also has units headquartered in Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee. The Cyclone Division is one of eight National Guard and one of 18 U.S. Army divisions.
| Date Taken: | 01.10.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 01.12.2015 10:47 |
| Story ID: | 151771 |
| Location: | IN, US |
| Web Views: | 873 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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