By Sgt Kandi Huggins, 3rd IBCT PAO
FORT KNOX, KY - Soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment conducted various squad-level tactics and drills during the 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team’s brigade wide training event at the St. Viths’ range on Oct. 18.
“The exercise focused on increasing both lethal competence and Soldier and leader confidence to operate in high-stress ambiguous environments,” said Col. Bill Ostlund, brigade commander.
Ostlund said the training venue dramatically increased the proficiency of everyone in the brigade from the forward observer to the company leveled commanders.
The exercise consisted of a day and night air assault live fire scenario and a day and night live fire scenario.
The 1st Bn., 26th Inf. Reg. soldiers completed both mounted and dismounted lane training exercises to include reacting to fire, navigating toward a target, breaching a building and reacting to an IED (improvised explosive device).
“The growth seen through the eight iterations conducted by each unit was one of the most rewarding training events that I have experienced,” said Ostlund. “Each unit is proficient at deconflicting multiple ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) and Fires assets and integrating close air support, close combat aviation, and indirect lethal effects.”
Sgt. 1st Class Carlos Montero, information operations planner, said the overall exercise ran smoothly and he thought it helped reestablish basic training for the soldiers.
“For the new people who never deployed with the brigade before, the exercise gave them an idea of what to expect with such tasks as maintaining a TOC (tactical operation center), receiving incoming call and fire missions,” said Montero. “On the other hand, it gave the people who have deployed the chance to get back to the SOP (standard operating procedures) and TTP (tactics, techniques and procedures) the brigade established in the past and reestablish those while looking at the future of how to operate in a tactical environment.”
The overall scope of the brigade’s training event was to ensure its soldiers are trained and ready to deploy.