Red Bulls Conduct Regionally Aligned Forces Training

Photo By Staff Sgt. Bill Boecker | With the first of many iterations of Regionally Aligned Forces (RAF) training completed, a wave new wave of 34th Red Bull Infantry Division Soldiers make their way home while others arrive to kickoff another round of training at Camp Ripley Training Center on July 15. RAF training is a program that is designed to train and assess Soldiers slated for deployment in the region's cultural and religious norms as well as their basic Soldiering skills.  

CAMP RIPLEY, MN, UNITED STATES

07.16.2018

Story by Sgt. Bill Boecker 

34th Red Bull Infantry Division

With the first of many iterations of the Regionally Aligned Forces (RAF) training completed, a new wave of 34th Red Bull Infantry Division Soldiers make their way home while others arrive to kickoff another round of training at Camp Ripley Training Center on July 15. RAF training is a program that is designed to train and assess Soldiers, slated for deployment, in the Middle East’s cultural and religious norms as well as their basic Soldiering skills.

“During a Soldier’s eight day iteration, they are trained and assessed on their ability to perform tasks ranging from mounted and dismounted patrols to basic army hand-to-hand combative moves,” said1st Sgt. Braden Simonet, non-commissioned officer in charge of the Minnesota Pre-Mobilization Training and Assessment (PTAE) team. “They are also expected to complete a series of online training such as learning basic Arabic terms and phrases.”

Learning the customs and courtesies of a foreign nation before traveling to the area is designed to combat culture shock and is a pre-emptive way for Soldiers to build an understanding of the way of life in that nation. The PTAE team allows this training to be brought to the Soldiers rather than relying on traveling to an Active Duty post.

With minimal travel, Red Bulls are given the chance to go deep into the thick of the woods on Camp Ripley’s land navigation course to find designated points, low crawl through sand and tall grass to neutralize an enemy bunker, and practice first aid during a combat life saver class.

The Minnesota PTAE team exists for Soldiers and their families’ to mitigate time apart from each other, said Simonet. Since the state has all the resources and assets it needs to conduct this training, it saves nearly a month of training away from family at a pre-mobilization station out of state.

• Date Taken: 07.16.2018
• Date Posted: 07.16.2018 22:05
• Story ID: 284512
• Location: CAMP RIPLEY, MN, US