Photo By Melissa Dubois | An aircrew with the 1st Battalion, 147th Aviation Regiment of Madison, Wis., operates...... read more read more
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Fort McCoy completed another busy year supporting troop training with 109,962 troops training at the installation in fiscal year (FY) 2025.
The FY 2025 number is more than the 73,991 troops who trained on post during FY 2024 and the 86,090 troops who trained at the installation in FY 2023, said Brooks Lundeen, range officer for the Fort McCoy Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security (DPTMS).
“The increase in numbers was from the addition of the strength report for units that utilized facilities in cantonment,” Lundeen said. Training support by Fort McCoy included not just ranges and training areas but also use of barracks, food, buildings, and more.
“Overall, a very successful year,” Lundeen said.
DPTMS officials said the training numbers include Army Reserve Soldiers; National Guard service members; and active-duty troops from not just the Army but also other services, such as the Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force.
Training statistics also reflect many types of training opportunities that take place at the installation by active- and reserve-component forces and other governmental agencies, according to DPTMS.
During fiscal year 2025, training included battle-assembly (weekend) training; annual training; mobilization; institutional training; and numerous exercises, including a Combat Support Training Exercise, Global Medic, and numerous other training events.
Lundeen said the training numbers were split as 46,047 troops completing annual training, and 63,915 troops completing battle assembly training.
Exercises are counted as annual training, and institutional training is also mixed in, officials said.
Training in FY 2025 started immediately. On Oct. 10, 2024, for example, dozens of Soldiers set up for training at the Range 2 live-fire range to complete weapons training.
Fort McCoy has 31 live-fire ranges, 17 of which are automated or instrumented; 21 artillery firing points; 12 mortar firing points; and an 8,000-acre impact area, DPTMS officials said. Ranges supporting collective live-fire training include two multipurpose training ranges, a convoy live-fire range, an infantry platoon and squad battle course, three multipurpose machine-gun ranges, two live-fire shoot houses, and a live-fire breach facility.
More training took place on Oct. 18-19, 2025. Not only were units completing training at live-fire ranges, but Army ROTC detachments also gathered at Fort McCoy with hundreds of cadets to complete a Ranger Challenge.
“The competition was the Task Force McCoy Ranger Challenge,” said Maj. Michael Centola, associate professor of military science and executive officer with the University of Wisconsin-Madison ROTC program. “The winner of the competition goes on to compete in our brigade’s competition (3rd ROTC Brigade). Winners from that competition compete at West Point in the Sandhurst Military Skills Competition.
Also, throughout October, the Fort McCoy Noncommissioned Officer (NCO) Academy continued with a new set of training courses. They held their first Basic Leader Course of fiscal year 2025 as well as the first Battle Staff NCO Course.
On Oct. 17 and 22, 2024, U.S. Marines with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 161 from Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, San Diego, Calif., practiced taking off and landing in their V-22 Osprey aircraft at Fort McCoy. According to its fact sheet, the Osprey is a multirole combat aircraft that utilizes tiltrotor technology to combine the vertical performance of a helicopter with the speed and range of a fixed-wing aircraft.
During November 2024, the second month of fiscal year 2025, Fort McCoy supported thousands of troops training from several Army Reserve units as well as others in institutional training.
Among the larger units training at McCoy was the 687th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, which is headquartered in Wausau, Wis., and has sub-units throughout Wisconsin as well as Ohio.
Fort McCoy Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security (DPTMS) officials said the 687th brought more than 450 Soldiers for training, covering a wide variety of training.
Another Army Reserve unit, the 389th Engineer Battalion, which is headquartered in Dubuque, Iowa, also sent nearly 500 Soldiers to train at Fort McCoy during November 2024.
The 389th has trained at Fort McCoy many times before, especially coming to the post to support a wide array of troop projects. In 2023, for example, the company completed several new projects. On the Fort McCoy cantonment area, the 389th Soldiers removed and poured a new section of sidewalk near a walking bridge. At Logistical Support Area Liberty, the company installed a 400-amp breaker along with the supporting electrical lines. And at the Fort McCoy Central Receiving Shipping Point parking lot, company Soldiers worked with Fort McCoy personnel to install new energy efficient light poles throughout the parking lot.
In December, training also continued, and it also included Fort McCoy NCO Academy staff getting in some cold-weather instructor training. From Dec. 16 to 20, 2024, the Basic Leader Course cadre from the academy achieved their Cold Weather Induction and Certification (CWIC).
According to the academy, throughout the training, the students covered critical topics such as analyzing terrain in cold regions; protecting themselves and fellow Soldiers from cold weather injuries; managing risks in cold-weather operations; planning small unit movements over snow-covered terrain; and operating military vehicles in extreme cold weather.
In January, more than 20 students — all Army civilian supervisors in grades GS-10 to GS-12 — participated in the first on-post session of the Army Civilian Education System Intermediate Course at Fort McCoy from Jan. 6-24.
Workforce Development Officer Mike Modawell with the Fort McCoy Directorate of Human Resources (DHR) said the training is helping many Fort McCoy employees get the training they need, and it’s helping provide an additional avenue for training. According to a course description available at https://armyuniversity.edu/amsc/courses/intermediate, the course “prepares current and aspiring Army civilian leaders (GS 10-12) to become more innovative, self-aware, and prepared to effectively lead and care for personnel and manage assigned resources at the organizational level.”
On Jan. 25, 88th Readiness Division Soldiers hiked the Whitetail Ridge Ski Hill during snowshoe training at Fort McCoy. According to the organizers, training like this ensures that Soldiers can operate effectively in harsh environments, maintain readiness for deployments in diverse climates, and build resilience in extreme conditions.
On Feb. 21-22, 54 teams of ROTC cadets competed in the Northern Warfare Challenge event held at Fort McCoy and La Crosse, Wis. ROTC teams with U.S. Army Cadet Command came from all around the United States as they battled through a wide variety of challenges and long ruck marching courses in cold and snow to fight for the top spot as challenge champion.
Lt. Col. Brian Knutson with University of Wisconsin-La Crosse’s Military Science Department said at Fort McCoy cadets faced a variety of challenges during the competition. The cadets then did a 12-mile ruck in La Crosse, Wis., on the second day of their competition.
Final Results included West Point taking first, Wheaton College earning second, and the University Wisconsin-Madison taking third.
“The competition is designed for Army ROTC teams to compete against each other in cold-weather survival skills that also test their physical endurance,” said Knutson, whose ROTC team from La Crosse won the title two years ago. “The first day … at Fort McCoy, we were testing various skills related to cold weather. They were being tested on their knowledge of weather, knots, cold-weather injuries, and then how to evacuate a casualty in cold weather.
“And then … the 12-mile race was through the bluffs of La Crosse,” Knutson said. “That’s one of the more enduring things of this challenge.”
The 2025 Northern Warfare Challenge offered a better experience for the cadets to compete in than 2024 because of the weather. “Compared to last year where we had no snow, this year we’ve got a little bit more snow. So, that (could) slow down the teams a little bit. Maybe also create some ice out on the trails around the bluffs to add a little bit more of a challenge for the teams.”
On March 13, the Air Force was back on Fort McCoy completing training. A C-130 Hercules aircraft completed airdrop training and landings. The C-130 Hercules primarily performs the tactical portion of the U.S. Air Force's airlift mission, and Air National Guard C-130s often conduct training at Fort McCoy with austere landings as well as airdrop practice.
The aircraft is capable of operating from rough, dirt strips and is the prime transport for airdropping troops and equipment into hostile areas. The C-130 operates throughout the U.S. Air Force, serving with Air Mobility Command, Air Force Special Operations Command, Air Combat Command, U.S. Air Forces in Europe, Pacific Air Forces, Air National Guard and the Air Force Reserve Command, fulfilling a wide range of operational missions in both peace and war situations, according to the Air Force C-130 fact sheet.
From March 12-14, the 181st Multi-Functional Training Brigade at Fort McCoy held its 2025 Brigade Best Observer-Controller/Trainer competition and on March 13 as part of the competition a pair of UH-60 Black Hawks and crews helped support the competition.
Black Hawks and crews with the Wisconsin National Guard’s 1st Battalion and 2nd Battalion, 147th Aviation Regiment supported a competition event from the open field next to Rumpel Fitness Center on the installation’s cantonment area.
Students and staff with the Air Force’s Air Mobility Liaison Officer (AMLO) Qualification Course traveled to Fort McCoy to train April 15-18 at the installation’s Young Air Assault Strip.
Lt. Col. Andrew Baker, course director with the 435th Training Squadron at Scott Air Force Base, Ill., said the class previously conducted this training in Colorado, but for the first time brought the AMLO students to Fort McCoy because of the capabilities found on the post.
“What we found at Fort McCoy was the type of runway that we were going to be operating on, the dirt runway,” Baker said. “The runway — it was great. It was better for training because … it gave us a lot of opportunity for students to see the impact of landing operations. It was significantly better than (training) on a very hard, compacted dirt runway.”
The students also utilized Badger Drop Zone to complete specific training events. “The drop zone was much bigger and much better for our students to kind of see that,” Baker said.
Baker described the types of training the AMLO students focused on during their week at McCoy.
“During the week, we focused on … drop zone control and also landing zone safety officer (training),” Baker said. “The drop zone control was essentially just calling airdrops in, directing the aircraft to a point of release, and then they threw out a 15-pound sandbag. That would score how well the student directed that aircraft to a release point. It's called verbally initiated release system, or VIRS.”
From April 11-13, Soldiers with the 1st Battalion, 147th Aviation Regiment of the Wisconsin National Guard brought more than a dozen helicopters as well as crews and support personnel to hold a drill training at Fort McCoy.
Helicopters included UH-60 Black Hawk medivac helicopters from the battalion’s West Bend, Wis., location as well as Light Utility Helicopters (UH-72A Lakota) from the same location. Personnel and equipment also were on hand from the 147th location in Madison, Wis.
“We were doing a field training exercise to help get ready for an upcoming mobilization,” said Capt. Cole Hamilton, operations officer and more with the 147th who helped organize and conduct the drill training.
Soldiers with the Army Reserve’s 13th Battalion, 100th Regiment held slingload training at Sparta-Fort McCoy Airport on May 22 at Fort McCoy with the support of two UH-60 Black Hawks and crews from the Wisconsin National Guard.
Leading the preparations for the training was Sgt. 1st Class Colter Lee Kincaid with the 13th Battalion, 100th Regiment. Kincaid, who said the slingload training they were completing best could be described as “cross-level” training for unit personnel who aren’t associated with the 89B military occupational specialty (MOS) of ammunition supply specialist.
“I’m here … to present to some different MOS’ to do some cross-level training and also try to share our experience and our knowledge base with what we do and why we do it,” said Kincaid, who regularly serves as an 89B instructor, during the training. “So that way, not just our MOS gets it, but other MOS’ understand why we do what we do, and how we put it together. So, it’s kind of a knowledge sharing experience.”
Aircrews with the 7th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment of New Century, Kansas, operated CH-47 ChinookS during the helocast event May 15 for the 2025 Army Reserve Best Squad competition at Big Sandy Lake on South Post at Fort McCoy, Wis.
In early June, Soldiers with the 2nd Battalion, 127th Infantry Regiment, 32nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, completed training at Fort McCoy and among the many Soldiers in the unit completing training were Army medics and related medical personnel.
Soldiers with the 127th were getting ready for deployment, and more, said Staff Sgt. Mitchell Fromm, a 127th medic who helped lead the training.
“So as a platoon of medics, we cover an infantry battalion,” Fromm said about what his medic platoon will do while deployed. “We’ve got about 45 medics in total. Of that we disperse them among five different companies, and we run a (field) hospital.”
Fromm added that his team has ambulances and more that they operate to support the fight.
“We support the infantry, so when they’re out fighting, we’re as close to the line as possible, and we run our field medical tent,” Fromm said. Then when there’s casualties, we'll bring them in.”
In their training at Fort McCoy, Fromm described what the importance is for his team is to come to McCoy, to train together, and get that camaraderie and that knowledge of each other built up right before they deploy.
In August, Soldiers with the 469th Combat Engineering Company (Infantry) and 402nd Combat Engineering Company held a large detonation on Fort McCoy on Aug. 3 on the installation’s impact area on North Post.
Both engineer companies are with the Army Reserve and train regularly at Fort McCoy. Staff Sgt. Nathan Schulke said in an interview with Greg Mason of the Fort McCoy Multimedia-Visual Information Office right before the blast what they had planned to do.
“Today we’ll be firing off a MICLIC, or a Mine Clearing Line Charge,” Schulke said. “This is a breaching tool that the Army and the Marine Corps use to breach minefields.
“Basically, it’s going to be firing a rocket followed by a line of over 2,000 pounds of explosives, and that will clear a path through the minefield,” Schulke said. “It’s a pretty big deal because firing a live rocket and a live charge is rarely seen in a training environment.”
The pre-planned effort was completed in the pre-determined location just as expected. The resulting explosion could be heard not just on the installation but in areas outside the post’s borders as well.
Soldiers with the 1st Battalion, 121st Field Artillery Regiment, a Wisconsin Army National Guard unit that operates the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), conducts training at Fort McCoy, Wis., on Aug. 25, 2025, at a live-fire range at Fort McCoy.
The unit conducts training and live-fire exercises with HIMARS regularly at Fort McCoy as well as Camp Ripley, Minn. The unit has been involved in international training, such as rapid deployment operations with the Swedish armed forces.
Also in August, approximately 7,000 Army Reserve Soldiers, alongside allied and partner forces, converged on Fort McCoy for Global Strike and Global Medic during the 2025 Combat Support Training Exercise — a large-scale, multi-domain training event designed to prepare units for the transforming battlefield of the future.
Multiple Army units as well as other Guard and Reserve troops completed a wide variety of training at Fort McCoy during September.
Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security officials at Fort McCoy noted lots of training took place on weekends in early September. This included training by the 1158th Transportation Company of the Wisconsin National Guard as well as other Wisconsin National Guard units and troops.
Mid-September saw the second straight year the the U.S. Army Nurse Corps Operational Nursing Event took place at Regional Training Site–Medical at Fort McCoy from Sept. 12-14.
"Over 100 Army nurses from active duty and Reserve components gathered for the symposium which was specifically designed to inform nurses on a variety of military and medical topics," states a story by Lt. Col. Valerie Palacios with Army Reserve Medical Command at https://www.dvidshub.net/news/549862/warrior-medics-acquire-new-skills-knowledge-anc-operational-nursing-event.
At the Fort McCoy Noncommissioned Officer (NCO) Academy, dozens of Soldiers trained and graduated from the Basic Leader Course Class 008-25 and the Battle Staff NCO Course Class 008-25.
DPTMS officials project similar training numbers or higher at the installation in fiscal year 2026.
Fort McCoy’s motto is to be the “Total Force Training Center.”
Located in the heart of the upper Midwest, Fort McCoy is the only U.S. Army installation in Wisconsin.
The installation has provided support and facilities for the field and classroom training of more than 100,000 military personnel from all services nearly every year since 1984.
Learn more about Fort McCoy online at https://home.army.mil/mccoy, on Facebook by searching “ftmccoy,” on Flickr at https://www.flickr.com/photos/fortmccoywi, and on X (formerly Twitter) by searching “usagmccoy.”
Also try downloading the My Army Post app to your smartphone and set “Fort McCoy” or another installation as your preferred base. Fort McCoy is also part of Army’s Installation Management Command where “We Are The Army’s Home.”
| Date Taken: | 11.23.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 11.23.2025 21:16 |
| Story ID: | 552153 |
| Location: | FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, US |
| Web Views: | 5 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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Training operations at Fort McCoy for fiscal year
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