Shadowing the 53rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team’s Zombie Hunter

Photo By Staff Sgt. Aidana Baez | Company B, 53rd Brigade Special Troops Battalion Detachment 1, prepares the Shadow for launch on Camp Blanding, Fla., on June 8, 2015.  

STARKE, FL, UNITED STATES

06.08.2015

Courtesy Story

53rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team

STARKE, Fla - Company B, “Zombie Hunters,” 53rd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, Detatchment-1 serves as the only unmanned aerial systems platoon in the Florida Army National Guard. Stationed at Camp Blanding, the Detachment has 27 soldiers with the third most flying hours nationwide among all other National Guard units, for the second quarter of 2015.

Established in 2010, the unit is comprised of two teams, the launch recovery section and the operations section. The unmanned aerial vehicles are the Shadows, which combined with the launching system, its operators and maintainers, make up the complete unmanned aerial system.

The operators talk back with the maintainers at the launcher, said Chief Warrant Officer Adam Denny, platoon leader, Company B, 53rd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, Detatchment-1. The operators fly the Shadows.

The Shadow’s types of missions include military reconnaissance, forward observation and using them as a first responder.

The Shadows can also be used to help locate missing people during search and rescue missions, said Denny. Using the UAS is less expensive than Black Hawk helicopters as the UAS can go forward using less fuel and can give the helicopter the precise location for the recovery operation.

The detachment has conducted training with other National Guard units from New Jersey, Louisiana, Georgia and a Marine Corps unit.

“We’ve had other units come down here and train with us. Last year, the New Jersey Guard came down here,” said Denny. “We get a lot of integrated work with other units.”

Along with working with other National Guard units, the detachment has worked 4th Infantry Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division out of Fort Stewart, Ga, as part of the Total Force Partnership Program.

“Last year, we trained with them,” Denny said. “When they were in a defensive posture, they called us in to see the perimeter.”

In an effort to solidify the bonds between the active and reserve components, the Army Total Force Policy was developed to maximize collective training opportunities and enhance readiness.

In 2014, members of 4th Infantry Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division came to Camp Blanding to provide support for the largest training event of the year for the Florida Army National Guard. The 53rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team’s eXportable Combat Training Capabilities Exercise (XCTC) began the partnership effort to integrate operations with its active duty counterparts.

“We’re trying to make more coordination not just as a UAV unit but as the rest of the brigade to kind of work hand-in-hand,” Denny said.

Since XCTC, the brigades have maintained their partnership and are preparing to participate in a large-scale training exercise at Fort Polk, La at the Joint Readiness Training Center in late summer.

By Cpt. Colleen Krepstekies and Staff Sgt. Aidana Baez, Hqs, 53rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team

• Date Taken: 06.08.2015
• Date Posted: 06.08.2015 15:34
• Story ID: 165880
• Location: STARKE, FL, US