Minnesota, South Dakota Partner for Wet Gap Crossing Exercise

Photo By Sgt. Austyn Aagaard | Soldiers of the 200th Engineer Company moved rapidly in their Bridge Erection Boats and advanced forces to the far bank to recon and secure the landing area. The 200th then swiftly placed bridging sections in the water, assembling several floating "rafts," allowing them to transfer additional firepower, including M1 Abrams main battle tanks, Bradley Fighting Vehicles, as well as Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS), over the water to the far-side bank during a Wet Gap Crossing exercise at Camp Ripley Training Center in Minnesota, 18 July, 2022.  

LITTLE FALLS, MN, UNITED STATES

07.21.2022

Story by Maj. David Adams and Staff Sgt. Linsey Williams

34th Red Bull Infantry Division

Senior leaders from the 34th Red Bull Infantry Division convened at Camp Ripley Training Center in Little Falls, Minnesota, to observe a Wet Gap Crossing (WGX) exercise. Red Bull leadership was on hand to observe and show appreciation for the unique capabilities of the South Dakota-based 153rd Engineer Battalion, soon to align under the 34th as the Division shifts its focus to the European Theater and a more traditional battlefield.

Crossing a wet gap means crossing a water obstacle significant enough to prevent traditional ground maneuver, a logistical challenge at any time, but a complex and major operation during wartime conditions. Gap crossing operations require detailed planning and support for proper execution. For this exercise, the 200th Engineer Company of the 153rd Engineer Battalion out of South Dakota provided the unique rafting, bridging, and boat systems necessary to cross a water obstacle. The 1st Battalion, 147th Field Artillery also from South Dakota, along with elements of Minnesota's 2nd Battalion, 135th Infantry, served as the maneuver unit and provided the combat forces to be moved across Camp Ripley's Ferrell Lake.

To set the conditions for a WGX during combat operations, a division tactical command post (DTAC) serves as the command-and-control element of the crossing site. The DTAC contains a fraction of the unit headquarters and controls operations for a limited time. Detailed planning and extensive preparation can ensure success in the fundamental elements of a deliberate wet gap crossing: surprise, flexibility, traffic control, organization, and speed.

"From a brigade perspective, what we’re looking at is teaching our leaders today the importance of synchronizing and coordinating our efforts with other units," noted Col. Phillip Stiles, Commander of the 196th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, South Dakota Army National Guard, the 153rd's higher headquarters. “[Everything] has to happen in synchronization in order for us to be able to get across.”

During this operation, Soldiers of the 200th moved rapidly in their Bridge Erection Boats and advanced forces to the far bank to recon and secure the landing area. The 200th then swiftly placed bridging sections in the water, assembling several floating "rafts," allowing them to transfer additional firepower, including M1 Abrams main battle tanks, Bradley Fighting Vehicles, as well as Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS), over the water to the far-side bank. After rafting significant combat power across the lake, CH-47 Chinook heavy lift helicopters from Minnesota's 34th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade (ECAB) sling-loaded additional bridging sections into the lake, allowing the engineers to assemble a complete floating bridge from one bank to the other. Follow-on maneuver forces then crossed the completed span, which in wartime would allow the 34th Red Bull Infantry Division to continue taking the fight to the enemy.

“The hardest mission that we do as the 34th Infantry Division, the Red Bulls, is to cross a river under combat conditions. There are so many things that have to go right; from your intelligence, to your fire support, shaping the enemy, to the actual technical crossing,” said Brig. Gen. Charles Kemper, commanding general of the 34th Red Bull Infantry Division. “There’s a lot of things that can go wrong, which means there’s a lot of preparation we have to put in to make it go right.”

• Date Taken: 07.21.2022
• Date Posted: 07.21.2022 14:31
• Story ID: 425502
• Location: LITTLE FALLS, MN, US