Photo By Master Sgt. David Johnson | The 412th Civil Affairs Battalion (A) CAT civil affairs specialist, Spc. Rachel...... read more read more
Subscribe
FORT IRWIN, Calif. - A mangy coyote scurried across the sand. Powerful condors fought the 50-mile-per hour wind gusts and seemed temporarily halted by the conditions. As sand and tumbleweeds blow across the desert compound, Soldiers of the 412th Civil Affairs Battalion (Airborne) are plying their skills at the National Training Center (NTC) in the Mojave Desert for another 29-day rotation.
Having completed nine deployments since 2003, the Soldiers of the 412th are well prepared for duty in austere environments, operating in tough, fetid conditions.
As always, training at NTC keeps preparedness at a high level.
“The first five training days were company- and team-driven,” said Capt. Jeremiah Gebhart, a civil affairs team (CAT) leader and civil military operations center (CMOC) planner for the 412th. “The rest of the training is battalion and higher driven.”
First five days
Those important, first five days are what the noncommissioned officers want. Back to basics, tactical, Soldier skills.
“It is up to the NCOs to train our young specialists who have not deployed,” said Sgt. Jared Coffey, a 412th CAT team sergeant.
The emphasis on Soldiering ensured optimal success during the critical force-on-force exercise engagement that culminates NTC for participating units and Soldiers.
“We were able to work with our PSYOP [psychological operations Soldiers] counterparts to build cohesion those first few days,” said Sgt. Andrew Miller, a team sergeant and recently promoted noncommissioned officer. “It really helped prepare us for the rest of our CA mission.”
The rehearsals built proficiency and enabled 412th Soldiers to refine their civil affairs skills during the exercise.
“Civil affairs is our bread and butter,” said Sgt. Christopher Corder, a 412th team sergeant. “But our CA expertise builds on the foundation of tactical combat skills we perfect.”
NBC drills
The 412th was blindsided a few times during the first five days at NTC, but recovered and reacted quickly.
“We had two CBRN [chemical biological radiological nuclear] attacks yesterday,” said Spc. Zachary Chenoweth, an CBRN specialist with Alpha Company 412th. “We are a little rusty because the Army has not emphasized CBRN training as much as it used to.”
A third NBC attack came the next day.
“I am going to prepare training and get our Soldiers up to speed,” said Chenoweth.
The three NBC attacks and the reaction to direct fire that required medevacs hit home with Coffey.
The 412th Soldiers all got plenty of practice during putting on their gear and preparing to fight during the CBRN attacks.
“All our Soldiers know now it only takes 30 seconds to put all their gear on and prepare to fight,” said Coffey.
The 412th noncommissioned officers then assembled to prepare detailed training plans, to figure out the next scenario and the next course of action.
“We can’t do our civil affairs missions unless we are absolutely ready as Soldiers to go into these villages,” said Coffey.
And go into the mock villages they did.
The culmination of the NTC rotation involved civil affairs Soldiers performing at their highest, most important functions. Civil affairs Soldiers are a combat multiplier because they mediate concerns and act as the liaison between the civilian populace and the military authority.
Captain Byron Davison, an observer controller from the 360th Civil Affairs Brigade, based at Fort Jackson, S.C., stated that “there were no shortfalls regarding tactical skills of the 412th Soldiers.” Davison added, “The Reserve Component Soldiers were so good, the maneuver battalion’s commander utilized citizen Soldiers at the decisive point of the NTC exercise.”
The evacuation of the embassy consulate is the decisive point, according to Davison.
Coffey added why civil affairs Soldiers must be at peak capability.
“We have to be at the top of our game as 38B Soldiers,” said Coffey. “When we deploy, we go out with infantry and cavalry scouts, so we must always display tactical and combat skills at the highest level.”
Those skills were on display front and center throughout NTC rotation 15-07.
“Our tactical expertise enabled us to perform so well during the evacuation,” said Miller. “We landed by helicopter, and we had to clear buildings on our way to the consulate.”
Being prepared
The foundation that the noncommissioned officers laid down at the beginning showed near the end.
“The glass house drills we conducted during the first few days really paid off during the final phase of the exercise,” said Miller. “We displayed every skill necessary during our evacuation of the embassy consulate.”
The 412th Soldiers earned high praise for their performance from observer-controllers posted around the sites.
“One observer told me,” said Miller, “that we were the best civil affairs unit he has witnessed in the past seven NTC rotations.”
Achievement culminates at major events like NTC because the unit moved from the simple to the esoteric, from basics to complex civil information dissemination.
The success of the 412th began and started with the basics. The noncommissioned officers primed the Soldiers by stressing the fundamental tactics during the embryonic days of the exercise.
The final result was the unified victory of the U.S. Army’s Atropia simulated government (good guys) during the NTC rotation.
| Date Taken: | 04.27.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 08.02.2015 15:42 |
| Story ID: | 171875 |
| Location: | FORT IRWIN, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 515 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 412th trains at NTC Fort Irwin, by MSG David Johnson, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
LEAVE A COMMENT