Photo By Tech. Sgt. Tyler Meister | Spc. Salvador Mendez (left), an information technology specialist with Headquarters...... read more read more
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FORT IRWIN, Calif. - As technology rapidly consumes the flow of modern war, the need for a successful communications section, commonly known in the military as the “S6,” has never been more apparent. This demand grows exponentially when conducting field training exercises in the Mojave Desert at the U.S. Army’s premier training facility, the National Training Center (NTC) at Fort Irwin, California.
The 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team (CBCT), Idaho Army National Guard, spent 12 days conducting live-fire exercises and large-scale simulated battle scenarios at NTC, Aug. 14-25, during the first “force-on-force,” integrated combat and maneuver training cycle the Army National Guard has completed since the beginning of the global war on terror.
The 116th CBCT’s communications team, headquartered out of Boise, Idaho, has received some of the highest performance evaluations of the past ten NTC training rotations, according to multiple observer-coach-trainers in charge of testing the unit’s capabilities. This accomplishment has creditability on its own, but the fact that it was completed solely by National Guard Soldiers and Airmen is a testament to the skills that Guard members bring to the table.
“The signal section for the 116th CBCT had a lot of success in the cyber warfare world,” said Lt. Col. Scott Nauman, a senior trainer at NTC. “We have been doing cyber [operations] here at NTC for a few years now and bottom line is that this is the first time in NTC history that the cyber [opposing forces] were defeated. They were not able to penetrate into the CBCT network.”
The NTC training was the first time the 116th CBCT experienced simulated “enemy forces” trying to break into their network. An entire team of highly trained information technology specialists did their best to cause havoc and chaos to the brigade’s communications throughout the training exercise.
“This exercise is the ultimate training opportunity,” said Maj. Matthew Maes, the officer in charge of communications for the 116th CBCT.
Maes said they were constantly being evaluated on their performance and he was very impressed with his team’s abilities.
“We have proven we can perform at the active duty level and have established the template for training our signal corps will use in the future,” he said.
NTC tested the unit’s abilities to implement technology and maintain systems in the hardest environment short of deploying.
“This exercise is hardcore compared to any other training or drill weekends,” said Spc. Matthew Ege, an information specialist with the 116th CBCT. “The environment is harsh but fun and I have been able to learn a lot.”
Ege, like many of his peers, works in the Information Technology (IT) field at his “day job” in the civilian sector, as well as for the National Guard. Ege feels that civilian sector knowledge, training and experience gives Guardsmen an advantage.
“As Guardsmen, our civilian life and jobs allow a broader spectrum of knowledge,” said Ege. “Once applied, I feel we can effectively outperform many of our active duty counterparts.”
Chief Warrant Officer-2 Gonzalo Flores, a network technician with 116th CBCT, also feels being a National Guard Soldier gave them an edge over active duty Soldiers.
“We brought in different skill sets and experiences that enabled us to perform at the level of any active duty unit,” said Flores. “In such a challenging training environment it is rewarding to see our hard work and training pay off.”
The civilian expertise of Soldiers coupled with leadership and oversight from those who manage Army National Guard communication systems full time, makes for a winning combination. The entire S6 team was quick to credit Chief Warrant Officer-2 Jarred Edgar, an information services technician with the 116th CBCT, as a key component to their success. Edgar holds the brigade’s only full time information systems position as an Active Guard Reserve member. He built the image control for the shop from the ground up, so his involvement was crucial for cyber security.
“Our leadership has enabled our success here and taught us a lot,” said Spc. Salvador Mendez, an information technology specialist with the 116th CBCT. “I credit everything I know to Chief Edgar and my noncommissioned officer in charge, Sgt. 1st Class Jared Woodhouse.”
Rarely do National Guard Soldiers get the opportunity to attend NTC, but when they do, Soldiers can take advantage of the opportunity to learn and grow in their jobs.
“I hope every National Guard Soldier has the chance to experience the challenging and realistic training the NTC offers,” said Ege. “It is a great learning experience that no Soldier should be deprived of; and we proved the National Guard can set the standard.”
| Date Taken: | 08.24.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 09.12.2015 16:41 |
| Story ID: | 175860 |
| Location: | FORT IRWIN, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 1,879 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Idaho National Guard Soldiers first to defeat cyber-attacks at National Training Center, by TSgt Tyler Meister, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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