Fort McCoy maintains busy operations tempo from July into August

Photo By Scott Sturkol | Soldiers with the 1st Battalion, 376th Aviation Regiment, 63rd Theater Aviation Brigade of the Nebraska Army National Guard move cargo with a Chinook helicopter July 21, 2017, during operations during the Patriot North 2017 Exercise at the Young Air Assault Trip at Fort McCoy, Wis. Patriot North is a training exercise designed for civilian emergency management and responders to work with military entities in the same manner that they would during disasters. The exercise tests the National Guard’s abilities to support response operations based on simulated emergency scenarios, such as a strong storm bringing high winds and the storm surge creating a collapsed building, mass casualties, and the need for search and rescue along with evacuations of injured. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.)  

FORT MCCOY, WI, UNITED STATES

07.25.2017

Story by Scott Sturkol                                                                                         

Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office           

With brigade-level annual training, exercises, extended-combat training, and more taking place at Fort McCoy through the end of July and into August, the installation’s operations tempo is staying at a high level, said Training Coordination Branch Chief Craig Meeusen with the Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security (DPTMS).

“The second half of July is busy, and August will be even busier,” Meeusen said. “There’s the Patriot North 2017 Exercise in July, the (Wisconsin) National Guard’s 32nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (IBCT) annual training from July to August, and the Combat Support Training Exercise (CSTX) and other exercises in August.”

From mid to late July, the installation’s Young Air Assault Strip and other training areas have supported the Patriot North 2017 Exercise.

The exercise, operated mainly from Volk Field near Camp Douglas, Wis., has more than 900 civilians, volunteers, and National Guard Soldiers and Airmen from more than 20 states supporting the training. Approximately 200-plus service members held their part of the Patriot North training at Fort McCoy, said Lt. Col. Mickey Kirschenbaum, public affairs officer for the exercise.

The 32nd IBCT training includes approximately 2,400 service members using training and ranges all around Fort McCoy, Meeusen said.

“The 32nd completes training events here all the time,” Meussen said.
“Soldiers from all around the state come to Fort McCoy to conduct all sorts of training. In late August, elements of the 32nd will be here again to participate in their Warfighter Exercise, which is simulations-based training that will include use of many of our simulation training platforms.”

In August, the 86th Training Division’s CSTX takes place from Aug. 5-25. Included in that same time frame are the Global Medic, Human Resources-Warrior, Trans-Warrior, Atlantic Serpent, Ultimate Caduceus, Diamond Saber, and Command Post Exercise-Functional (Medical) exercises.

“There is so much going on in August,” Meeusen said. “Our average weekly training population should be between 10,000 and 14,000 during each week of the month. Though it’s a busy time, the Fort McCoy team is poised and ready like usual and will do a great job supporting everything.”

Besides ongoing training, Meeusen said the Fort McCoy team has been busy preparing for training into the next fiscal year.

“We’ve had Navy personnel here working with us for planned training in November with Regional Training Site-Medical, and we’ve also have had site visits with a Marine unit that is planning training here this coming winter,” Meeusen said.

DPTMS Director Brad Stewart has said “training at Fort McCoy is only limited by your imagination.” Meeusen said not only is Stewart correct, but more and more units are seeing the viability of training at the installation.

“We saw success with the first Operation Cold Steel exercise with the Army Reserve earlier this year, and they are coming back next year,” he said. “There’s also our growing capabilities with winter training that we are seeing, so Fort McCoy is becoming that destination for year-round training. And even though we are very busy this summer, we’ll continue to be busy throughout the year.”

Fort McCoy has supported America’s armed forces since 1909. The installation’s motto is to be the “Total Force Training Center.” The post’s varied terrain, state-of-the-art ranges, new as well as renovated facilities, and extensive support infrastructure, combine to provide military personnel with an environment in which to develop and sustain the skills necessary for mission success.

Learn more about Fort McCoy online at www.mccoy.army.mil, on Facebook by searching “ftmccoy,” and on Twitter by searching “usagmccoy.”

• Date Taken: 07.25.2017
• Date Posted: 07.25.2017 16:29
• Story ID: 242520
• Location: FORT MCCOY, WI, US