3-15 Infantry validates readiness for AFRICOM mission

Photo By Sgt. Joshua Laidacker | Soldiers with 3rd Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, keep rioting civilians out of an embassy during a validation exercise on Fort Stewart, Ga., July 22, 2015. Soldiers played the roles of opposing forces, civilians and friendly forces during the exercise, which helped prepare the unit for its upcoming responsibility as the East Africa Response Force. (U.S. Army Photo by Sgt. Joshua Laidacker, 2nd IBCT, 3rd ID, Public Affairs)  

FORT STEWART, GA, UNITED STATES

07.22.2015

Story by Sgt. Joshua Laidacker 

2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Public Affairs

FORT STEWART, Ga. – Soldiers of 3rd Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, conducted validation training, July 21-22, on Fort Stewart, Ga., in preparation for their upcoming mission to Africa.

“Today we’re doing our validation exercise to certify our Alpha and Charlie companies to make sure they’re ready to deploy as part of Regionally Aligned Forces for the East Africa Response Force,” said Lt. Col. Nathan Minami, commander of 3-15 Infantry.

Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa, or CJTF-HOA, supports its East African partners and regional neighbors with crisis response and support for limited contingency operations, such as the EARF mission.

“We put a whole lot of training emphasis on combined arms maneuver over the last nine months,” Minami continued. “Now we’re making that mental transition by going from a focus on a decisive action training environment to focusing on some of the missions the companies might have to perform while in East Africa.”

The training was split into two lanes, one for each company, each day.

“The first lane was support for a special operations mission and the second lane was to prepare the company to reinforce an embassy that might need help,” Minami said.
A part of the mission of CJTF-HOA is to plan, prepare, and on order, execute crisis response within East Africa in order to protect and defend United States military, diplomatic, and civilian personnel, facilities, and interests.

Both scenarios were played out in the Fort Stewart training area with support from other units to role play as civilians, rioters, embassy personnel, joint and combined forces and opposing forces.

“We’re just trying to make sure that these guys stay on their toes at all times,” said Spc. Ryan Oriordan, and infantryman with Company B, 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, who played several roles during the exercise, such as a rioter. “It’s not just enemies and friendlies. There’s also noncombatant and many people on the battlefield you’re not sure which side they’re on.”

“We had some friction, I think, trying to get into that low intensity type of mentality,” said Capt. William Horan, commander of Company C, 3-15 Infantry. “We came into the embassy objective very strong.”

Horan said his soldiers were able to transition to a less aggressive or threatening mentality in dealing with non-combatants, and quickly change back to the high intensity action of engaging combatants when threats arose. This was a necessary part of the exercise which mixed kinetic situations with nonlethal.

“The way we designed the exercise was to make it as complex as possible,” Minami said. “It’s almost a worst case scenario.”

“It’s a lot different from what we’re used to; it was definitely a learning experience,” said 1st Sgt. Aaron Bullard, first sergeant of Company A, 3-15 Infantry.

Bullard said the most difficult part of the exercise was establishing effective communication with the embassy personnel because the structure of command is significantly altered, with the ambassador in command.

“There were a lot of learning points that came out of this that will drive our training in subsequent weeks,” Minami said.

The lessons learned are a part of what made the exercise a success, and not just for the companies on which the training focused.

“The overall motivation and initiative displayed by soldiers is definitely our strength and is something I’m very proud of,” Minami said.

“Across the board, I was really impressed with all our performance,” Horan said. “It challenges us more as leaders to be flexible and agile.”

“This training is important because there are other theaters opening up around the world and the nature of operations is going to be a little different,” Bullard said. “As soldiers, we’re supposed to adapt and overcome, that’s what we do, and I think my guys did a great job.”

• Date Taken: 07.22.2015
• Date Posted: 07.30.2015 09:34
• Story ID: 171546
• Location: FORT STEWART, GA, US