Photo By Sgt. L'Erin Wynn | A Soldier zeroes in on his target during the nighttime live-fire exercise, Oct. 30,...... read more read more
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FORT BRAGG, N.C. – The 82nd Airborne Division and subordinate units completed the first week of Combined Joint Operations Access Exercise 16-01 on Fort Bragg, North Carolina, Oct. 31, 2015. Units participating included 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, the Air Force and Canadian paratroopers from the 3rd Royal Canadian Regiment.
The purpose of a CJOAX is maintaining a high level of readiness among supporting elements to work and train together for real-world missions. In preparation for real-world missions, the division, the Air Force and coalition forces teamed up together to respond to different crises as a part of the Global Response Force.
This CJOAX consisted of multiple nighttime combat equipment jumps onto the Holland and Salerno Drop Zones, an air assault, a ground assault convoy and medical evacuations of injured Soldiers.
Employing the assistance of the 18th Air Force to plan and conduct a strategic airdrop mission spelled out the "joint" interoperability of this exercise.
“A CJOAX is an exercise where we validate our capability in exercising a joint forced entry,” says Capt. Christopher Oblak, an operations officer, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, Airborne Infantry Regiment. “The ‘C’ part of the JOAX, essentially being the combined, means we integrate with other nations and NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) allies to conduct these operations where we would utilize them in a real-world situation.”
Canada was the chosen NATO ally for this CJOAX. A number of Canadian paratroopers were absorbed into the 2nd Brigade Combat Team for about two weeks.
For the duration of their visit, they worked and trained on the same objectives and equipment used by the 2nd BCT.
“They’re a great unit,” says Oblak. “They’re here to train and do a great job, which they’re very enthusiastic about it.”
As the nucleus of the GRF, the 82nd Airborne Division provided a strategic hedge for combatant commanders with a responsive, agile and operationally significant response force that is flexible in size and composition to accomplish missions anywhere in the world.
“This type of operation gives us a better understanding of our capabilities and our ability to practice what we preach,” says Oblak. “This really is validating what the 82nd Airborne Division can do.”
The 82nd Airborne Division prides itself on the efficiency with which they can deploy a brigade-sized force anywhere across the globe within 96 hours with lead elements of the GRF en route within 18 hours.
After months of planning, training and weeks of dry runs, over 500 Army and Canadian paratroopers executed a simulated combat jump with live ammunition onto Salerno and Holland Drop Zones on Fort Bragg.
“Jumping with live ammo gives an extra training benefit and pushes us closer to that real feel of combat,” says Oblak.
After the jump, a reconnaissance mission was conducted and followed by a live fire exercise; an array of drills, from individual Soldier tasks all the way up to the "brigade pedal drills," which covers all aspects of conducting a joint forced entry from expanding the lodgment, securing the lodgment and defending the lodgment.
Though jumping with live ammunition is not the norm for a training exercise, the troops welcomed the change as they feel it aids in preparation.
“Though practicing with blanks is good training for our paratroopers,” says Staff Sgt. Nicholas Manese, 1st Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 2nd BCT. “We are given the opportunity to jump with live ammo from the prep, to jump, to mission is more realistic training.”
Another change from CJOAXs past was the movement of the cavalry unit. Manese, a cavalry scout who has participated in two previous CJOAX, appreciates a change in the regular reconnaissance routine of the dismounted cavalry unit.
“Direct action is a key task of ours, it’s tough to keep that skill up when you focus on just recon,” says Manese. “It was good to have a different task to accomplish out here with a jump containing live ammo and go right into a deliberate attack.”
The goal of direct action training is to maintain a level of proficiency that makes performing these types of operations second nature.
“As we move forward in today’s conflicts, we really look to answer the call with different nations; so we always need to be ready,” says Oblak. “When you include allied partners, we train these same objectives in a training environment so that the first time is not in combat.”
| Date Taken: | 11.04.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 11.04.2015 20:39 |
| Story ID: | 180933 |
| Location: | FORT BRAGG, NC, US |
| Web Views: | 286 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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