Regiment defends position with tanks, Bradleys

Photo By Winifred Brown | Soldiers assigned to Company B, 2nd Battalion, 198th Infantry Regiment, 155th Armored Brigade Combat Team, Mississippi Army National Guard, rides in a Bradley Fighting Vehicle during an exercise near the El Jarbah training village on Doña Ana Range, N.M., April 20, 2018.  

TX, UNITED STATES

04.27.2018

Story by Winifred Brown  

Fort Bliss Public Affairs Office

By Wendy Brown
Fort Bliss Garrison Public Affairs

DOÑA ANA RANGE, N.M. – Reconnaissance and planning pay off during battles.
Leaders stressed this fact as they held an after-action review with Soldiers assigned to Company B, 2nd Battalion, 198th Infantry Regiment after they successfully defended their position against the enemy in a simulated battle here Friday.
Soldiers placed their M1A2 Abrams tanks and Bradley Fighting Vehicles in optimal defensive positions, largely due to the actions they took beforehand, leaders said. Next, the Mississippi Army National Guard Soldiers planned to take that knowledge and apply it to defending their position in a similar exercise later that night.
“(The training) helped them out a lot,” said Sgt. 1st Class Richard Young, an observer, coach and trainer assigned to Team B, 2nd Battalion 351st Infantry Regiment, 177th Armored Brigade, Mississippi National Guard. “It coaches them and gets them ready for their deployment that’s coming. It provides oversight and insight for the mission.”
The 71 Soldiers who participated in the training exercise are among 4,000 Mississippi National Guard Soldiers at Fort Bliss getting ready for a deployment. They arrived in early March and are expected to stay through June, said Sgt. 1st Class Robert Frazier, public affairs noncommissioned officer in charge for the 177th Armored Brigade.
Capt. Nathaniel Hetherman, officer in charge, Team B, 2nd Bn., 351st Inf. Regt., 177th Ar. Bde., said he and the other observer controllers are external evaluators set up the simulated battle for units such as the 2nd Bn., 198th Inf. Regt., and then evaluate their performance.
“After the mission is done, we go and conduct an after action review,” Hetherman said. “We talk about what they did well, areas that need improvement and then, based on performance, we recommend another iteration or if they have met all their objectives, we may move onto the next mission.”
In this case, the unit was ready to move onto the next mission – defending at night.
Staff Sgt. Robert Ruthven, a training NCO, master gunner and tank commander assigned to Co. B, 2nd Bn., 198th Inf. Regt., said each training step builds on the next. The day before, the company had practiced an attack, and Friday’s mission taught the Soldiers how to follow through.
“We had a town that we assaulted last night and we were to push through and set up a defensive posture and prepare for a counter attack from … the enemy,” Ruthven said. “Basically, coming in for this training today what it set us up for is success on down the road.”
Hetherman said that so far at Fort Bliss, Co. B has successfully completed crew-level gunnery on their tanks and Bradleys, shot engagements and qualified as crew. They have also completed platoon situational exercises and platoon live-fire exercises.
“Now we’re at the point where they’re done with the platoon exercise and they’re doing company level with 14 or 15 vehicles working together at the same time,” Hetherman said. “Now we’ll finish with a live-fire called a (Combined Arms Live Fire Exercise).”
First Lt. Jeffrey Bryant, executive officer, Co. B, 2nd Bn., 198th Inf. Regt., said he appreciates the training because it helps him prepare for a variety of scenarios.
“It gives you an idea of what you can expect whenever you’re going into different areas,” Bryant said.

• Date Taken: 04.27.2018
• Date Posted: 04.27.2018 14:27
• Story ID: 274812
• Location: TX, US