3d Cavalry Regiment validates lethality and interoperability at the National Training Center

Photo By Staff Sgt. Christopher Stewart | A U.S. Army squad assigned to Killer Troop, Thunder Squadron, 3d Cavalry Regiment, stand outside of their assigned Stryker while the galactic center of the Milky Way Galaxy is visible overhead at a remote location of the National Training Center, Fort Irwin, California, May 27, 2022. The squad geared up for a live-fire exercise, one of the culminating events of the rotation. (The photographer stacked two images together to achieve focus in the foreground and the background. U.S. Army illustration by Staff Sgt. Christopher Stewart)  

FORT IRWIN, CA, UNITED STATES

06.22.2022

Story by Staff Sgt. Christopher Stewart 

3d Cavalry Regiment Public Affairs Office

FORT IRWIN, California— The 3d Cavalry Regiment and enabling units completed a month-long training exercise at the National Training Center, Fort Irwin, California, certifying their ability to deploy to an austere environment and support American partners and allies in international conflicts.

Closely replicating unit augmentation during simulated combat operations against a near-peer threat is critical to a rotational unit’s success. 3d CR welcomed enabling units with capabilities ranging from aerial resupply to psychological operations, with units traveling from out of state and one from another country - the Joint Aviation Command, United Arab Emirates Armed Forces.

3d CR combined with Reserve, National Guard, Air Force and the UAE military units to form a robust joint fighting force with the firepower and manning to engage and defeat the formidable opposing forces at the National Training Center. Units often fight alongside allies and partners and other branches to form coalition forces during real-world operations, and the National Training Center is the perfect location to test a unit’s ability to integrate with other units, coordinating capabilities to create a lethal force.

“The United States is entering a new strategic paradigm,” said Capt. Zach Beecher, a team leader assigned to Bravo Company, 450th Civil Affairs Battalion (Airborne). “For the first time in decades, the focus is on large scale combat operations. Keeping ourselves sharp on what this means for each military occupational specialty across the military is vital to ensuring that we can deliver meaningful results for our mission. NTC enables us to pressure test at scale."

Another advantage of enabling units is the ability for commanders to incorporate and integrate combined arms into their fighting strategy. 1-9 Combined Arms Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division, under the command of Lt. Col. Brian Panaro, provided the combined arms element to the regiment’s task organization during the rotation.

1-9 CAV brought armor assets including the Abrams tank and Bradley fighting vehicles to support regimental maneuver operations, increasing lethality and combat reach on the battlefield.

The austere terrain coupled with constant movement throughout the desert proved to be a challenge for sustained communications systems operations, but the regiment’s communications teams kept all systems above 90% operations rate, enabling more than 700 successful indirect fire missions across the regiment –430 of which were from the Regimental Field Artillery Squadron, averaging a firing mission processing time of 1 minute, 42 seconds.

“Comms are important because if we can’t talk, we can’t shoot,” said Capt. Thomas McDermott, fire direction officer for the RFAS. “The saying normally is ‘shoot, move, communicate,’ but for us as field artillery it is really more ‘communicate, move, shoot.’”

Strategic maneuvering and the opportunity to shoot live rounds also attributed to the regiment’s success on the battlefield, a culmination of three quarters of the year’s worth of training. As a whole, the regiment maneuvered 163 kilometers over the battle space, engaged in 259 hours of continuous contact, conducted 6 breaching operations, and improved in lethality each fight; killing more enemies and their assets, while decreasing simulated casualties during each battle period.

“Our platoon was fortunate enough to get to test our battle drills, systems, leadership, and cohesion in a crucible that ended an 8 month training cycle,” said 1st Lt. John Sheridan, platoon leader for Killer Troop, Thunder Squadron, 3d CR. “We were able to grow ourselves not only as Troopers of Thunder Squadron, 3CR, but also as individuals learning to operate in austere conditions.”

For much of the regiment, their first experience at the National Training Center did not disappoint.

“The National Training Center provides world-class training,” said Capt. Demario Lowe, a battle captain assigned to the Regimental Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 3d CR. “There are not many places where we can train with such a large amount of land and the simultaneous support of enablers. The vast training area strains logistics, and working with partners in real time strengthens interoperability.”

The training rotation was also an opportunity to retain combat power in the regiment.

Forty-six Troopers took the oath of re-enlistment during the training rotation. “The number of Soldiers who re-enlisted is unmeasurable because even one contract signifies the efforts given through leadership and counseling that provided the Soldier the information to make an informed decision,” said Staff Sgt. Jennifer Licata, Regimental Field Artillery Squadron career counselor.
Overall, the regiment was able to give their undivided attention to the mission, allowing unwavering focus to the training.

“I saw my platoon and squad become more reliant on each other, the lower enlisted seemed to be putting the pieces of the operations together and understanding the full picture of the operations they were taking part in,” said Staff Sgt. Michael Matthews, a weapons squad leader assigned to Killer Troop, Thunder Squadron, 3d CR. “I feel my squad is more lethal and more well-rounded than they were before we left – that’s why we came here.”

• Date Taken: 06.22.2022
• Date Posted: 06.22.2022 20:17
• Story ID: 423564
• Location: FORT IRWIN, CA, US