Photo By Norman Shifflett | Community members came out to look at vehicle and weapon static displays and interact...... read more read more
FORT CARSON, Colo.— Southern Colorado community leaders, members and media were invited to Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site (PCMS) to observe how Soldiers are training with the Next Generation Command and Control system (NGC2) May 19 and 20, 2026.
Maj. Gen. Patrick Ellis, commanding general, 4th Infantry Division and Fort Carson, reiterated the importance of PCMS to the U.S. Army mission.
“A lot of infantry climb out of the back of those Stryker vehicles and they need a lot of land to train on,” said Ellis. “It’s a little bit bigger than what we have at Fort Carson and with three Stryker brigades this gives us that extra space to train.”
Community members were given the opportunity to visit PMCS to view static display vehicles and the new NGC2 equipment while Soldiers explained how the technology has improved their ability to accomplish their mission.
Joscelyn Lewis, a community member, came out to come see what the Soldiers had on display.
“I want to learn more about the military, so I can understand what they do and how they help our country stay safe,” said Lewis.
Community leaders visited PCMS May 19 to see what was going on in the training area. They were greeted by Ellis and given an overview of what 2nd SBCT, 4th. Inf. Div. Soldiers have been training on during Ivy Mass, the 4th Inf. Div.’s recent exercise.
“We drove down here from Fort Carson with three battalions and moved into PMCS while having one battalion already here defending,” said Ellis. “Three battalions were attacking against one battalion defending, and the fight went back and forth through the training areas for almost six days.”
Ivy Mass gave the brigade the opportunity to train on a larger scale in preparation for the next training event at the National Training Center (NTC), Fort Erwin, California scheduled for July.
Community leaders went out to a training site where the 4th Inf. Div. and Fort Carson built a trench complex complete with bunkers and automated targets. The site was large enough for a company size element to train assaulting an objective. Soldiers also built a temporary impact area that allowed them to fire artillery and mortar training rounds.
As leaders visited the training site, Ellis talked about the importance of this temporary addition to PCMS.
The added impact area allowed artillery and mortars to fire in support of the assault on the objective, enabling units to work together the way they would on the battlefield.
Phil Rico, 4th Inf. Div. and Fort Carson Good Neighbor and former Mayor of the City of Trinidad Colorado, said every time he comes out to PMCS there is always something the Army has done to improve it.
“I have been to PCMS numerous times and each time I see something different which just adds to the reason this property is so important for training,” said Rico.
On the second day, May 20, local media were invited to observe training to show the public what Soldiers do at PCMS.
4th Inf. Div. and Fort Carson Deputy Commanding Officer – Support Col. Edwin Matthaidess lead media through the training area to observe Soldiers assaulting an objective.
“What you are watching is Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry,” said Matthaidess. “They are attacking an infantry platoon in a fortified trench position augmented with armor.”
Matthaidess went on to explain that the Soldiers were conducting their company combined arms live fire exercise while using the NGC2 system.
They began by assaulting the objective with blank ammunition to validate their safety measures before using live ammunition. After the blank fire portion, they would do two more assaults using live ammunition— one in the afternoon and one at night.
Staff Sgt. Charles Congleton, 2 SBCT, 4th Inf. Div., participated in the attack using the technology system.
“Being able to track everybody’s whereabouts on the battlefield is huge,” said Congleton. “The radios are working the way that they should, so I think the NGC2 is effective.”
Ivy Mass was the largest exercise the division had put on in years. Approximately 9,500 Soldiers participated in the exercise either at Fort Carson or at Piñon Canyon.
“It’s a chance to exercise our Next Generation Command and Control but it is also an opportunity to build readiness in our formation,” said Matthaidess. “PCMS allows us to do all those things.”
| Date Taken: | 05.26.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 05.26.2026 14:37 |
| Story ID: | 566131 |
| Location: | FORT CARSON, COLORADO, US |
| Web Views: | 26 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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