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    Mustangs hone cavalry proficiencies, test 4th IBCT combat capabilities

    Mustangs hone cavalry proficiencies, test 4th IBCT combat capabilities

    Photo By Sgt. Joshua Laidacker | Soldiers of 6th Squadron, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd...... read more read more

    FORT STEWART, Ga. – Tucked away in a cluster of pine trees, Capt. Andrew Talone, commander of Troop C, 6th Squadron, 8 Cavalry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, sits behind a set of radios and a screen in an up-armored Humvee at a Fort Stewart, Georgia, training area.

    A slew of grid coordinates come over the radio and he responds with orders to fire 60 mm mortars to a remote location.

    It all sounds like a scenario from a deployed unit, but the soldiers of the Mustang Squadron aren’t engaged in combat. They are on a mission to help validate 4th IBCT, by acting as opposing forces, or OPFOR, for every infantry battalion of the Vanguard Brigade during the brigade’s training exercise, Vanguard Focus, which started early January.

    “Although we’re playing OPFOR, it has been very beneficial, because we’re also training on our mission-essential tasks,” said Talone.

    Soldiers of 6-8 Cav. probed company and battalions’ defenses with attacks, tested their ability to locate forces over wide areas and gave them a target to assault during different phases of Vanguard Focus. Leaders within the squadron agreed that the exercise provided an excellent means to train up young cavalrymen in their duties by facing the infantry units.

    “We’re facing them as a scout would,” said Sgt. Edward Schultz, a cavalry scout with Troop A, 6-8 Cav., and native of Land O’ Lakes, Florida. “To get these young guys trained up in what we actually do, it’s an ideal situation.”

    The troops of 6-8 Cav. have many disadvantages in comparison to the conventional units during Vanguard Focus, the brigade’s three-month training exercise meant to enhance the unit’s combat readiness.

    Talone said a lack of additional assets, such as air support, challenged the squadron to adapt and overcome, making the training closer to a deployment scenario for a dismounted reconnaissance troop like Troop C.

    “The only asset we get is indirect fire; it is realistic for these guys,” said Talone, a Mahwah, New Jersey, native. “The biggest challenge has been long-range communications.”

    Talone said it took some time, but his troop adapted to maintain communication with his most forward soldiers through high frequency radios, leading to more timely and accurate reporting. He added his troop has worked on better reporting from the beginning and has “improved tremendously.” He also said that his unit has become extremely effective at utilizing indirect fire from mortar teams because of the forced restraints.

    One advantage 6-8 Cav. had over the other battalions during Vanguard Focus, was time.

    The battalions of 4th IBCT spent 18-day rotations in the field while the Mustang soldiers have been training the entire exercise while playing OPFOR. Schultz said this created the biggest challenge for his soldiers because they still had appointments and military schools to attend within the team, causing consistent member changes. He said he felt like that challenge also presented the opportunity for their greatest success.

    “Our soldiers’ ability to take whatever changes come and roll with it to keep the mission going,” said Schultz. “They really haven’t let it slow them down at all.”

    “I’ve told these guys several times that I’m very proud of C Troop for how they’ve been performing against a much stronger enemy,” said Talone. “It’s been an awesome training event from the lowest ranking soldier all the way to me.”

    During the last iteration of Vanguard Focus, scheduled to end March 23, the Mustang Squadron turned over the OPFOR mission to soldiers of the Florida National Guard’s 53rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, a unit the Vanguard Brigade supported in reversed roles during an eXportable Combat Training Capability exercise at Camp Blanding, Florida, in July 2014.

    The two brigades are partnered at a national level through the Total Army Partnership Program. The Army's Total Force Policy is an ongoing effort by the service to transition its reserve component forces, both the Army Reserve and the National Guard, into an operational force. The intent is to create a seamless and holistic "total force" governed by the same interchangeable policies and procedures.

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 03.09.2015
    Date Posted: 03.15.2015 19:10
    Story ID: 157048
    Location: FORT STEWART, GA, US
    Hometown: LAND O' LAKES, FL, US
    Hometown: MAHWAH, NJ, US

    Web Views: 499
    Downloads: 2

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