FTSTESTS

Photo By Lt. Col. James Lincoln | Soldiers of the 301st IO Battalion meet to discuss the final stages of the validation exercise at the Dekalb U.S. Army Reserve Center at Fort George G. Meade, Md., March 21, 2016. Members of the 301st IO Battalion conducted a validation exercise to earn certification on core information operations competencies. (U.S. Army photo by Capt. Jean Oliver/Released)  

FORT MEADE, MD, UNITED STATES

04.05.2016

Courtesy Story

U.S. Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command (Airborne)

U.S. Army Reserve Soldiers from the 301st Information Operations Battalion’s field support teams (FTS) conducted a unique three-day exercise at the Dekalb U.S. Army Reserve Center at Fort Meade to validate core IO competencies.

“This was the first exercise of its kind ever conducted by a troop program unit and I would say that it was successful,” said Major Mark Murawski, commander of the Washington, D.C. detachment of the 301st IO Battalion. “We are looking forward to refining our exercise to ensure that all deploying soldiers in the 151st Theater IO Group are able to receive training that is based on real-world events and similar to what they will experience on deployment.”

The Washington, D.C. detachment of the 301st IO Battalion planned and executed the validation exercise. Known as the “blue cell”, Maj. Murawski’s team injected realistic scenarios to test the FSTs. Throughout the operation, FST leaders enjoyed the opportunity to exercise their teams and receive constructive feedback on their performance.

The FSTs acted as members of the operations section of a notional joint task force assigned to South Sudan. The FST’s were challenged with executing this three - phased operation with tasks such as combatting violent extremist organizations in support of successful and violence-free elections in the JTF’s area of responsibility, over the three-day exercise.

In preparation for the innovative exercise, the FSTs completed the 151st TIOG new IO Academy course. The IO Academy reinforces fundamental IO principles and presents them in creative and relevant training vignettes to trainees seeking technical and tactical proficiency.

According to Joint Publication 3-13, “information operations is characterized by the Secretary of Defense as the integrated employment, during military operations, of information-related capabilities in concert with other lines of operation to influence, disrupt, corrupt, or usurp the decision making of adversaries and potential adversaries while protecting our own.”
“Maj. Murawski’s team has dedicated a lot of time to this highly successful exercise,” said Lt. Col. Patrick Sheridan, commander of the 301st IO Battalion. “These three days served as a key training milestone for teams preparing for deployment, and the soldiers are better for it.”

• Date Taken: 04.05.2016
• Date Posted: 04.17.2016 07:53
• Story ID: 195594
• Location: FORT MEADE, MD, US