Dogface Soldiers go to Fort Benning to conduct simulations against near-peer competitor in future fight

Courtesy Photo | Lt. Col. George Bolton Jr., left, commander of the "Panther Battalion," 2nd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, receives a certificate of appreciation from retired Brig. Gen. Peter Jones, center, who facilitated the experiment, and Christopher Willis, right, the Maneuver Battle Lab Modeling and Simulations branch chief, for the 3rd ID "Dogface" team's participation in Quick Look VI at Fort Benning, Georgia, July 16, 2021. From July 12-16, the team conducted simulations to determine the impact on the relative combat power of a motorized brigade combat team conducting cross-domain maneuver equipped with new electronic warfare technologies and other enablers against a near-peer threat to help shape the future force. (Courtesy Photo)  

FORT STEWART, GA, UNITED STATES

08.02.2021

Story by Capt. Sean Minton 

2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Public Affairs

FORT STEWART, Ga. – A team of 21 Soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Division who took part in a week-long simulation known as Quick Look VI returned from Fort Benning on July 16 to Fort Stewart. Sixteen of the 21 Dogface 3rd ID Soldiers are assigned to the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team and the other five are assigned to the Division headquarters. From July 12-16, the Dogface team conducted simulations to determine the impact on the relative combat power of a motorized brigade combat team, or BCT, conducting cross-domain maneuver equipped with new electronic warfare technologies and other enablers against a near-peer threat.

Additionally, the simulation served as a progressive iteration from previous simulations to identify employment considerations and divisional dependencies of a motorized BCT.

“The Quick Look VI exercise run by Fort Benning’s Maneuver Battle Lab allowed our Dogface Soldiers to visualize the future of armed conflict and appreciate the true complexity of multi-domain operations,” said Maj. Alex Barron, top operations officer of the 2nd ABCT, 3rd ID. “We tested concepts and future warfighting systems that will shape our future force and set conditions for the Army of 2035 to win our nation’s wars. For our Soldiers, the opportunity to work with experts from the staff at 3rd ID headquarters opened our eyes to the conditions and capabilities of the space and cyber domains in a way that is difficult to see at the brigade echelon.”

Specifically, Quick Look VI informed the integration of one of the Department of Defense’s solutions to a contested digital environment, the Terrestrial Layer System, or TLS, with planned and future BCT capabilities provided to the battalion echelon affecting survivability and lethality as it pertains to the units’ relative combat power. Also, the simulation gave insights on how the TLS integration with unit ground and aerial electronic warfare capabilities increased the BCT’s ability to conduct cross-domain maneuver.

“The simulation was a great opportunity to contribute to the development and design of the future Army land force,” said Lt. Col. George Bolton Jr., commander of the 2nd Battalion, 69th Armored Regiment, 2nd ABCT, 3rd ID. “Recognizing that conflicts in the future will require a certain level of expertise across all domains will help the Army visualize the capabilities that an armored BCT will have to have access to, or control over, in order to win in a cross-domain fight, which is essential to understand for success in future conflicts.”

Furthermore, Quick Look VI provided insights on the integration and synergistic effects of additional enablers in cross-domain maneuver, such as close combat missile systems, long range precision mortars, and unmanned aerial systems.

“The Maneuver Battle Lab, Maneuver Capabilities Integration Directorate and the Maneuver Center of Excellence want to thank the 3rd ID at Fort Stewart for the excellent support provided to not only the Quick Look VI simulation but also the support provided to our experimentation over the last two years,” said Christopher Willis, the Maneuver Battle Lab Modeling and Simulations branch chief. “The tactical knowledge and expertise provided by the operational force allows us to evaluate the cross-domain maneuver concept and required capabilities in a rigorous and realistic manner. We could not do our job and make the future Army better without partnerships like the one we have with the 3rd ID – Rock of the Marne!”

• Date Taken: 08.02.2021
• Date Posted: 08.02.2021 23:43
• Story ID: 402274
• Location: FORT STEWART, GA, US
• Hometown: FORT MOORE, GA, US