More than 6,000 troops from across the United States are training at Fort McCoy for the 86th Training Division’s Combat Support Training Exercise (CSTX) 86-18-04 through June 29.
The 86th is conducting the exercise, which began June 9, as part of the 84th Training Command. During training year 2018, the 84th is hosting four CSTXs and a chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear response exercise. CSTX 86-18-04 is the first of two CSTXs that will take place at Fort McCoy this year.
According to the 84th, a CSTX is part of its Combat Support Training Program (CSTP). CSTP exercises are large-scale training exercises where units-of-action experience tactical training scenarios specifically designed to replicate real-world missions.
“CSTP exercises prepare … Army Reserve units to be combat-ready by immersing them in realistic scenarios where they train as they would fight,” an 84th document about the exercises states. “CSTP exercises are an important step in building the most capable, combat-ready and lethal … Reserve force in history. These exercises are developed to improve each units’ training readiness and to assess how they perform in a dynamic operational environment.”
For CSTX 86-18-04, troops are operating all over the installation, including at multiple live-fire ranges as well as other training areas, said Training Coordination Branch Chief Craig Meeusen with the Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security (DPTMS). Improved Tactical Training Bases (TTBs) Liberty and Freedom and TTBs Independence, Justice, and Valor are all serving as hubs of operation for training scenarios as well.
“The presence of troops is noticeable throughout the installation,” Meeusen said. “We’ve also got troops operating from Cranberry, Warrens, and Badger training areas as well as smaller areas.”
At Big Sandy Lake on South Post, quartermaster troops are also operating Reverse Osmosis Water Purification Units (ROWPU) to provide water for the exercise.
A ROWPU can provide potable water from any water source and can process up to 3,000 gallons an hour, according to Army specifications. A ROWPU can not only draw water from a lake, but also from rivers, oceans, or even holes in the ice. The system is built on to an Army trailer and includes its own generator and essentially a lab to operate the system from inside a covered enclosure. The system uses a variety of chemicals and membranes to filter and purify the water.
And, in addition to hundreds of quartermaster troops participating, there’s also medical, military police, engineer, transportation, fuels, and other service members in the exercise.
“Coordination for this exercise has been months in the planning, and we have the facilities, training areas, and support functions to help make this exercise a success,” Meeusen said.
DPTMS Director Brad Stewart said the Fort McCoy team steadily prepares for large training events like this CSTX. The installation is also always looking to expand the post’s training capability and capacity through the installation’s five-year Strategic Business Plan. During fiscal year 2017, a record 155,975 personnel trained at Fort McCoy.
“This training support system enterprise that we have at Fort McCoy comes together every year to work this training synchronization in a superb manner,” Stewart said. “Everyone involved in this enterprise across the installation should be proud of the work that's been done.”
CSTX 86-18-04 also is another indicator of how Fort McCoy continues to help the Army meet its operational demands in support of combatant commanders across the globe, Stewart said.
Fort McCoy has supported America’s armed forces since 1909. The installation’s motto is to be the “Total Force Training Center.” The post’s varied terrain, state-of-the-art ranges, new as well as renovated facilities, and extensive support infrastructure combine to provide military personnel with an environment in which to develop and sustain the skills necessary for mission success.
Learn more about Fort McCoy online at www.mccoy.army.mil, on Facebook by searching “ftmccoy,” and on Twitter by searching “usagmccoy.”