FORT DIX, N.J. — The mission: At 4:30 a.m. initiate a 5-km foot patrol to the village of Marjan. Once there, locate the local leader, conduct a key leader engagement and persuade him to open the blocked supply route which will allow freedom of movement for coalition convoys in the area of operation.
Currently 60 soldiers of the 303rd Tactical Psychological Operations, based in Coraopolis, Pa., are undergoing the final stages of their mobilization preparation to Helmand province, Afghanistan, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
The mission readiness exercise they are taking part in is their culmination event prior to conducting real world operations in a down-range environment. Before they can leave here they will be assessed by their own brethren, observer/controller trainers from 1st Civil Affairs and Psychological Training Brigade, a subordinate command of the U.S. Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command (Airborne) headquartered at Fort Bragg, N.C.
“I guess there really is no better way of contributing to the fight then to be able to share my experiences from deployments, or past deployments, and passing it off to the guys getting ready to go,” said Staff Sgt. Jayson Ferrell, an OC/T with the 1001st Training Company based in Trenton, N.J., a subordinate unit of 1st CAPO Training Brigade.
Ferrell explained that the missions are realistic and relevant due to a mix of both personal experience of the trainers and the information they read from units currently deployed. Often, new scenarios are created for the mission readiness exercise, which allows units to train with the most current information, giving them an opportunity to fine tune their own tactics, techniques and procedures before getting boots-on-ground.
The realism and the reason behind the training are not lost on the deploying unit.
“We can be attached to all kinds of units, including infantry or special operation forces,” said Staff Sgt. Chris Sanders, a tactical psychological operations team chief. “We’ll be with the Marines so I’m sure we’ll be doing quite a few foot patrols in country.”
The foot patrol is just one way the trainers prepare the soldiers for what they will encounter over the next three days of the MRX. Every day builds on the events from the day before and replicates how teams will operate once deployed, including mission planning, preparation and reporting.
Ferrell explains that a big part of his job as an OC/T of the tactical psychological operations teams is making sure that the soldiers getting ready for deployment are technically and tactically proficient with what their job will be once overseas.
Tactical psyop teams are used in country to carry out military information support operations. Often times their activities are used to spread information about ongoing U.S., allied or coalition programs from local key communicators to the local populace.
“The most relevant part of training has been getting to do the face-to-face engagements,” said Sgt. Justin McNurlen, a TPT team chief. “It’s awesome that we have actual foreign speakers. A lot of times we’ll have the ‘fake foreign guy’ with his Army combat uniform turned inside out, acting like the leader. You don’t get any value from it because you aren’t practicing using an interpreter or talking to people.
Role players also understand the value they are providing to the deploying troops.
“What we do here, we really do it from our hearts. We want them to learn here, make the mistake here. Better here than there. I hope they have learned something from us and I appreciate them going overseas,” said Romia Aziz, a role player of nine years who is originally from Slemani, Iraq.
| Date Taken: |
04.02.2013 |
| Date Posted: |
04.02.2013 23:37 |
| Story ID: |
104506 |
| Location: |
ALABAMA, US |
| Hometown: |
CORAOPOLIS, PENNSYLVANIA, US |
| Hometown: |
FORT BRAGG, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Hometown: |
FORT DIX, NEW JERSEY, US |
| Web Views: |
937 |
| Downloads: |
6 |
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This work, USACAPOC(A) readies their own for deployment, by Saska Ball, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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