Maintenance window scheduled to begin at February 14th 2200 est. until 0400 est. February 15th

(e.g. yourname@email.com)

Forgot Password?

    Defense Visual Information Distribution Service Logo

    Army National Guard's acting director tours 30th annual Golden Coyote exercise

    Army National Guard’s acting director tours 30th annual Golden Coyote exercise

    Photo By Staff Sgt. Jacqueline Fitzgerald | During his tour of the Golden Coyote Training Exercise, Maj. Gen. Judd H. Lyons,...... read more read more

    RAPID CITY, SD, UNITED STATES

    06.11.2014

    Story by Staff Sgt. Jacqueline Fitzgerald 

    129th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

    RAPID CITY, S.D. – Maj. Gen. Judd H. Lyons, acting director, Army National Guard, visited Camp Rapid, to tour the 30th Annual Golden Coyote Training Exercise hosted by the South Dakota Army National Guard, June 11, 2014 in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

    Lyons, along with Maj. Gen. Tim Reisch, the adjutant general of the South Dakota National Guard, and other key leadership flew to some of the training locations for Golden Coyote to get an overview of operations and see the training in action.

    “The way that the South Dakota National Guard has organized Golden Coyote offers several different opportunities for participating units,” Lyons said. “A unit commander that participates has the opportunity to design his or her own training objectives and tap into some great training areas, support and support staff, which allows a commander to focus on his or her goals.”

    With the National Guard’s dual mission of supporting both state governors in peacetime missions and reporting to the President in federal or wartime situations, being prepared for a wide variety of warrior tasks is essential. Col. Tim Moran, South Dakota National Guard deputy chief of staff, operations, said the Golden Coyote exercise has a unique theme that gives units an advantage when it comes to annual training.

    “If I had to use one phrase I would use ‘unsanitized environment,’” Moran said. “It’s not scripted so that at 10 p.m. the opposition force will attack at this location with this many people; it’s based on what the units want to train on in this unsanitized environment. ... You won’t get that specialization at other events.”

    With the National Guard being better trained, equipped and more heavily relied upon than ever, providing quality training opportunities is vital to maintaining combat and support readiness for any scenario. Lyons said in order to maintain this level of commitment it’s vital to provide high quality-training events.

    “We have to continue to offer these types of opportunities,” said Lyons. “I believe home-station training is important; it definitely has a role, but in order for us to keep our Soldiers engaged in what they’re doing we have to give them different opportunities in different locations to exercise their military occupational skills and collective training and Golden Coyote is a great example of that.”

    According to Moran, visiting Golden Coyote may help Lyons and staff at National Guard Bureau in upcoming plans for training troops as deployments draw down and the Guard shifts to more stateside focused missions.

    “(Lyons) got to see the capabilities of what this exercise brings to guard units across the nation,” Moran said. “He will do a mental assessment and it will help him make future decisions on how to train those units.” “Now he will know what Golden Coyote brings; especially in reference to using scarce resources and funding for units to be able to travel to this exercise."

    LEAVE A COMMENT

    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 06.11.2014
    Date Posted: 06.16.2014 14:32
    Story ID: 133238
    Location: RAPID CITY, SD, US
    Hometown: KANSAS CITY, MO, US
    Hometown: OLATHE, KS, US
    Hometown: PINE RIDGE, SD, US

    Web Views: 78
    Downloads: 0

    PUBLIC DOMAIN