‘Ironhorse’ Soldiers bring combat power to NTC

Photo By Staff Sgt. Fred Brown | Soldiers from the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, place Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement System equipment on their tactical vehicles Oct. 5 while waiting in line for technicians to install and activate the war-gaming gear that will be used in the brigade’s decisive action rotation at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif. Sensors placed around tactical vehicles let Soldiers know if the vehicles have been hit or “destroyed.” (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Fred Brown, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs, 1st Cavalry Division)  

FORT IRWIN, CA, UNITED STATES

10.02.2015

Story by Staff Sgt. Keith Anderson 

1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division

FORT IRWIN, Calif. - Soldiers from the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team “Ironhorse,” 1st Cavalry Division, along with approximately 1,300 active duty, Army National Guard and Army Reserve Soldiers augmenting the brigade from aviation, military police, chemical, special operations, mobility augmentation and civil affairs units around the nation turned out in force for the rotation that will certify the brigade for deployments worldwide.

More than 5,000 Soldiers from Fort Hood, Texas and other locations made the trek beginning Oct. 1 to the Army’s National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California.

Soldiers from the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team “Ironhorse,” 1st Cavalry Division, along with approximately 1,300 active duty, Army National Guard and Army Reserve Soldiers augmenting the brigade from aviation, military police, chemical, special operations, mobility augmentation and civil affairs units around the nation turned out in force for the rotation that will certify the brigade for deployments worldwide.

“For the last six months, we’ve planned and executed movement for an armored brigade combat team for more than 1,600 vehicles and pieces of equipment, and more than 5,000 personnel from 11 states,” said Warrant Officer 1 Carlton Huguley, mobility technician, 1st ABCT. “The challenge was synchronizing rail, commercial line haul and aerial movements with the military organizations, civilian agencies, and private contractors involved without loss of any pieces, and in a very narrow timeline.”

Soldiers arrived Oct. 1-4 at NTC and received equipment and specialized training gear like the Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement System for vehicles and personnel from Oct. 5-9.

After arriving and receiving vehicles, gear and equipment, Soldiers will spend 14 days in large-scale maneuver operations in a remote area at NTC known as “the box,” an expansive desert area that encompasses 15 simulated towns, tunnels and caves, gunnery ranges, and large-scale maneuver engagement areas.

Observer/Controller/Trainers and opposing forces at NTC see a lot of Army units and tactics, but Ironhorse brings something special to the fight.

“With the number of M1A2 Abrams Main Battle Tanks, M2A3 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles, M109A6 Paladins, AH-64 Apache Attack helicopters and other platforms we are bringing to the fight, this is more combat power than they have seen at NTC in a long time,” said Maj. Alexander Samms, brigade engineer, 1st ABCT.

The typical rotation at NTC involves at most about 50 tanks, but Soldiers in the 1st ABCT brought significantly more for this rotation.

For the nearly 200 Soldiers of the 840th Mobility Augmentation Company, 111th Engineer Battalion, 176th Engineer Brigade, Texas Army National Guard, conducting operations as one of the enabling units for the 1st ABCT is a unique training opportunity.

“We’re supporting the 91st Engineer Battalion, 1st ABCT, with whatever engineer assets they require,” said 1st Sgt. Quincy Murphy, 840th MAC, based in Weatherford, Texas. “For us, this is our first NTC rotation. Our company is only about nine years old, formed after a tank and an engineer company merged together. Getting the opportunity to train with a seasoned armor brigade in the Army’s premier training venue is something you can’t get anywhere else.”

• Date Taken: 10.02.2015
• Date Posted: 11.02.2015 17:14
• Story ID: 180680
• Location: FORT IRWIN, CA, US