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FORT POLK, La. - The Army is going back to its "Decisive Action Training Environment Rotations" at the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk. The Vermont-headquartered 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Mountain) is the first and only National Guard unit to take part in a rotation at JRTC this year. With 21 states contributing Army Guard units and assets to the exercise, this is the first rotation of its kind for the National Guard since 2003, when JRTC rotations became mission-oriented to units preparing to deploy.
A decisive-action training rotation is meant to be a "catch-all," preparing units for any type of mission.
“The Decisive Action Training Environment presents Army forces and our joint partners with a training model that helps leaders identify requirements and shape unit training to build formations capable of fighting and prevailing under a wide range of conditions,” said Lt. Col. William Adler, chief of plans at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California. “This capacity to stimulate and train Soldiers and units is essential to generating and maintaining a superior ground combat capability.”
“The Decisive Action Training Rotation was the most challenging and realistic environment where leaders and their Soldiers were tested and had to prove themselves in every action they undertook,” said said Col. John Boyd, commander of the 86th IBCT (MTN). “The sense of accomplishment resulting from operating in austere conditions, long hours, extreme heat and humidity is palpable across the Mountain Brigade.”
In addition to the massive National Guard presence, four Army Reserve units, five active component units, Special Operations teams, and Air Force assets are bringing their skill sets and knowledge to bolster the complexity and cohesion of the exercise. Having all components working together in this rotation reinforces an expeditionary capability by incorporating all elements of a modern battle space.
“The Soldiers, who will undergo a decisive-action training rotation, will work alongside Guard special operations forces and active-duty units,” said Brig. Gen. William Hickman, commander of JRTC and Fort Polk in a recent interview with Army Times.
The 86th IBCT finds itself in what’s known as the Army Force Generation Model, or ARFORGEN. This model, designed for all BCTs, consists of a five-year cycle, which includes a rotation at either JRTC or the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California. This model better suits the transitioning needs of the National Guard and military as a whole, because it ensures proper training timetables, and allows families and employers of Guardsmen to better plan for their worker’s absences.
“This is a phenomenal opportunity for the Guard to come here,” said Gen. Frank J. Grass, Chief, National Guard Bureau. Grass came to Fort Polk June 20 to witness the historical rotation firsthand. “What we tried to do is look at a rotation time, making sure that we’ve taken care of families, we’re taking care of employers, we can get the predictability, and so we built a schedule based on a five-year cycle.”
Despite declining resources, the demand for Army forces is on the rise. With more than 70,000 Soldiers deployed today, and about 85,000 Soldiers forward stationed in nearly 150 countries, the need for sufficient training across the Army components is high.
Though this is the first time in more than 10 years, this force has been training together in a way that exceeds the expectations of the National Guard Bureau. Grass says the training they receive here will stay with them throughout their careers.
“They may have met here,” said Grass, “[but] when they walk away from here, they’re going to take back lessons from this brigade combat operation here at JRTC that will pay them benefits for years to come.”
Grass met one-on-one with Soldiers and Airmen across the exercise, to get a sense of how the individual is faring. Overall, he says, the adaptability of these Soldiers allows them to concentrate on the training and properly retain the information they need:
“Most of the Soldiers and Airmen I’ve met out here are from the northeastern part of the United States. It’s a little bit warmer here, so they’ve had to adjust to the heat, and they’ve had to acclimate, and they’ve done that well. Every one of them out here has been extremely engaged and extremely receptive to their [trainer/mentor] comments, and they’re almost to a point where, as soon as something pops up that they need to improve upon, they’re ready to implement it immediately into the next operation, and that’s what we want to see.”
Maj. Gen. Steven Cray, adjutant general, Vermont National Guard, also came to Louisiana to observe his troops. Like Grass, Cray is very impressed with the 86th, and is proud that Vermont is leading the way in the ARFORGEN model.
“The 86th IBCT (MTN) has been preparing for a number of years in the ARFORGEN cycle,” said Cray. He said the 86th met all of the requirements to go to JRTC for this historic rotation. “The [National Guard Bureau] went to the Army and said, ‘Look, the 86th is the most prepared unit to be able to function at JRTC,’ and here we are.”
“I compare it to any sport … pick one … this is the National Championship where your previous performance got you an invitation,” said Boyd. “You go out there and you perform.”
Cray feels the successes of the 86th’s rotation here further validate the readiness of Army National Guardsmen when compared to Active component brethren.
“The Army National Guard has been an integral player in our nation’s defense,” said Cray. “They have deployed alongside our active component, fought in the same battles. To continue to maintain that readiness within the National Guard is extremely important.”
Being able to work alongside their active duty brethren is more important than ever. In a recent interview with Army Times, Col. Dan Williams, a senior planner for Forces Command explained that concrete partnerships between components are now in place:
“If you are an active component BCT, you now have a partnered National Guard BCT. It makes no sense for two components to be training like-events on different sides of the same post. We train together when we can.”
This partnership understanding has aligned the 86th IBCT (MTN) with 2nd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, located at Fort Drum, New York.
Cray feels JRTC continues to preserve the readiness his unit has, regardless of the fact that Vermont isn’t scheduled to deploy anytime soon.
“JRTC is that culmination of putting all those assets together to give our Soldiers the best training they can. There isn’t a deployment scheduled for the 86th right now, but who knows what’s going to happen to this world tomorrow? So, we need to be ready. It’s vitally important that the Reserve component, the Army Reserve, the National Guard and the active components stay as ready as possible.”
| Date Taken: | 06.26.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 06.26.2014 14:17 |
| Story ID: | 134524 |
| Location: | FORT POLK, LA, US |
| Web Views: | 4,757 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
This work, Vermont Guard-led rotation at Fort Polk a success, by SPC Roy Mercon, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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