Secretary of the Army visits JRTC

Photo By Sgt. Kevin Stabinsky | Brig. Gen. Daniel P. Bolger, commander Joint Readiness Training Center and Fort Polk, and Dr. Francis J. Harvey, Secretary of the Army, observe training at JRTC.  

10.03.2006

Story by Sgt. Kevin Stabinsky 

Joint Readiness Training Center

by Kevin Stabinsky
Joint Readiness Training Center

On Oct. 3, the honorable Dr. Francis J. Harvey visited the Joint Readiness Training Center, Fort Polk, La., to see how Soldiers are preparing for deployment.

During his visit, he heard sounds typically heard by Soldiers fighting terrorism in Iraq and Afghanistan; the whistle of incoming artillery, the thud of a 50 caliber machine gun drowning out the tap of small arms, and the whiz of a rocket propelled grenade, ending in a roaring explosion. Though not typical office sounds, the office of secretary of the Army is not a normal 9 to 5 job.

"You can sit back in Washington and read reports, but nothing beats looking at it (with your own eyes)," Harvey said. "This (the training) is very good and impressive."

Harvey said one of the main goals of his job is to ensure that training and equipment for Soldiers is adequate. To facilitate this end, Harvey witnessed Soldiers of the 1st Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, conduct a combat convoy through the fictional village of Mosalah at JRTC.

"Fort Polk is a place where you can see equipment and training is adequate," he said.

Though the village, pyrotechnics and rounds used by the training unit and opposing forces, played by the 1st Battalion, 509th Airborne Infantry Regiment, Fort Polk, weren't real, Harvey said he was impressed by the realism of the training.

"Fort Polk provides very realistic training that is extremely relevant and prepares our Soldiers for Iraq and Afghanistan," he said. "What does a brigade do at JRTC? Exactly what type of operations (cordon and searches, combat patrols, engaging the local population and winning their heats and minds) we have in Iraq and Afghanistan."

Harvey also had praise for how Polk and Operations Group almost instantly implemented feedback from downrange here. Operations Group, which plans and conducts the training, in addition to coaching, teaching and mentoring training units, is continuously linked to overseas theaters. This allows emerging tactics, techniques and procedures, treats and best practices to be almost immediately incorporated into training.

"JRTC is a living example of a living army; it is a remarkable example of how the Army is adapting," he said.

Unlike the Army of several years back, which was structured to fight a linear war against a known, uniformed enemy on clearly drawn front lines, today's Army is fighting on a non-linear battlefield, Harvey said. The adaptation from a Cold War army to one able to fight terrorism is evident in the training conducted at JRTC.

"Today, we (training centers like JRTC and the National Training Center, Fort Irwin, Calif., and unit home stations) are very focused on operations Soldiers do," he said. "I was encouraged by what I saw."

Such encouragement showed in a press conference following the tour of the training and a meeting with senior leaders of the 1/73 CAV. At the press conference, Harvey spoke of the importance of democracy and the steps Soldiers are doing to promote it.

Harvey spoke of his recent trip to Afghanistan, and the many examples of humanitarian aid and reconstruction Soldiers are accomplishing. He talked about roads and bridges being constructed, and how projects like this, as well as defeating elements of the Taliban, which harbored Al Qaeda, the terrorist group responsible for 9-11, are helping democracy grow.

One unit performing these missions Harvey mentioned was Polk's 4th Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, which has elements currently serving in Afghanistan.

These elements gained some of their experience for these missions while training at JRTC last November. Likewise, most other brigades serving overseas have also been trained at JRTC within the 24 months leading up to their deployment.

"He (Harvey) was very pleased with the complexity and realism for training and learning at JRTC," said Col. Kevin J. Owens, Operations Group commander.

Harvey said he will take back what he saw here to Congress to help show them what the army needs are and help the Army met them.

"It (what you do here) does make a difference," Harvey said to Brig. Gen. Daniel P. Bolger, JRTC and Fort Polk commander, after witnessing the training. "Thank you."

• Date Taken: 10.03.2006
• Date Posted: 10.08.2006 14:22
• Story ID: 7947