Photo By Avery Schneider | U.S. Army Capt. Nicholas Charnley, Maj. Dermot Gavin, and Maj. Jared Kausner, assigned...... read more read more
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Leaders from across the New York Army National Guard’s 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team focused on preparing Soldiers for deployment, developing leaders, and building esprit de corps during their Feb. 26-27 drill weekend.
The officers and senior non-commissioned officers spent the first day planning for upcoming deployments to Africa and the Middle East. The second day used the lessons of the brigade’s history when it was the 27th Infantry Division, to discuss the Army’s new operational doctrines.
The event coincided with a celebration of the 124th birthday of the 27th Infantry Division.
The weekend began with officers and senior noncommissioned officers from the 27th’s company through brigade levels spending an entire day planning pre-mobilization training that will take place this summer at Fort Drum. The training will validate units’ combat skills at the squad, platoon, and company levels before additional training at mobilization stations, followed by deployment overseas.
The brigade is sending more than 1,000 Soldiers from the New York City-based 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry Regiment and other units across the state to conduct security missions in the horn of Africa. It represents one of the largest overseas deployments for the New York National Guard in the last decade.
Additionally, Soldiers from the 27th’s Massachusetts-based 1st Battalion, 182nd Infantry Regiment will head to the Middle East in support of Operation Spartan Shield.
“Our commitment here in the 27th Brigade, the 42nd Infantry Division, and the New York Army National Guard to our families is that we will do everything within our power to train aggressively and train well,” said Col. Sean Flynn, commander of the 27th IBCT.
The following day focused on teaching the Army’s emerging operational concept of Multi-Domain Operations, in which land, sea, air, space and cyberspace capabilities are employed simultaneously, rapidly, and continuously against an enemy.
But this was no ordinary professional development seminar. The 27th took a unique approach.
We’re attempting to put [Multi-Domain Operations] into a historical perspective by looking at the Battle for Saipain in [June] 1944 in the Pacific [theater] of World War II,” explained Lt. Col. Marshall Hunt, the 27th’s Executive Officer.
After learning how their predecessors in the 27th Infantry Division conducted the battle, the brigade’s staff, along with its infantry, field artillery, engineer, and support battalions, and its cavalry squadron were tasked to think through how they would conduct the operation using today’s units and equipment against a current peer competitor.
“We have to think about fighting in an environment where our enemy has every advantage that we do. In some cases, they may have more advantages than we do. We have to change that mindset,” Flynn said.
Flynn also explained that leaders from the 27th IBCT have long studied operations in World War II in the Pacific, and that the campaign on Saipan offers a particularly good context for understanding the maneuver warfighting function.
“The fact that there’s three divisions maneuvering with air and sea support makes it a very good operation to use to visualize, to practice and, of course, since it’s our own heritage, it’s good to know what our grandfathers did and, in some cases, our great-grandfathers,” Flynn said.
After a day spent in combat uniforms, the group put on their dress blues for a formal dining dedicated to building camaraderie and esprit de corps.
Major General Thomas Spencer, commander of the 42nd Infantry Division, took the opportunity to share his views on the Army values and the Warrior Ethos, explaining how important it is for today’s Soldiers to exemplify them.
“I ask every Soldier to reflect on the Army Values – how they impact you from a national level to you as an individual Soldier, because it takes all of us to show our country that we are honorable and should have their confidence that we will do the right thing when faced with a difficult decision or action,” Spencer said.
The 42nd Infantry Division, is the 27th brigade’s higher headquarters.
The weekend concluded with separate talks amongst officers and NCOs on best practices in developing Soldiers and their careers, as well as selecting the most qualified candidates for key leadership positions in companies and battalions.
That talk was followed by a panel discussion on balancing careers in the National Guard with civilian work and family life, with Spencer, Brig. Gen. Jack James, 42nd Infantry Division Deputy Commander for Operations, and Brig. Gen. Joseph Biehler, commander of the 53rd Troop Command, sharing their experiences from the start of their careers through present day.
For some, including 1st Sgt. Alexander Gomez, the senior NCO officer for Fox Company, 427th Brigade Support Battalion, the full weekend’s training was a first.
“It was really interesting to see how leaders get together, and how generals see the big picture and the overall mission of the National Guard,” Gomez said.
“It boils down to how we’re going to take all this training and all this mentorship back to our junior Soldiers and NCOs to make them better. I feel that this makes me better, stronger, and a better leader for the future.”
| Date Taken: | 02.28.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 03.03.2022 00:57 |
| Story ID: | 415659 |
| Location: | SYRACUSE, NY, US |
| Web Views: | 1,058 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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