Piñon Canyon exercise prepares Fort Carson soldiers for fall trip to National Training Center
Piñon Canyon exercise prepares Fort Carson soldiers for fall trip to National Training Center
Fort Carson soldiers on Monday commenced a two-week mock war at the Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site in preparation for a trip to the Army’s National Training Center in California this fall.
The event, dubbed Iron Strike 18, pits 3,500 soldiers of the 4th Infantry Division’s 3rd Brigade Combat Team against 1,500 soldiers and civilians role-playing the enemy.
“Piñon Canyon allows us the opportunity to operate the entire brigade all at once,” said Col. Mike Simmering, 3rd Brigade’s commander. And the training includes “every problem set you could face during a war wrapped up into a single scenario.”
One hurdle was tackled before training could even begin, Simmering said. The brigade had to make the journey from Fort Carson to the 235,000-acre training area east of Trinidad.
“We moved the brigade 150 miles in a week and brought everything we needed for training,” said Simmering, as streams of supply-laden trucks rumbled behind him Monday.
For a fully equipped armored brigade, “everything” means 1,200 vehicles and all the fuel, oil and spare parts needed to operate them in the field, Simmering said. Those vehicles include Abrams tanks, Bradley Fighting Vehicles, Paladin self-propelled guns, the ubiquitous Humvees and several Black Hawk helicopters on loan from the 1st Armored Division based at Fort Bliss, Texas. Fort Carson’s air unit is deployed to multiple overseas locations.
The array of equipment allows the brigade to tackle challenges across the “spectrum of conflict,” said Simmering, “from counterinsurgency operations to engaging near-peer adversaries.”
Unsure of what his soldiers would face over the coming days, the commander spent Monday mentally preparing for a nightmare combination of evacuating civilians, defending against enemy tank assaults and suppressing insurgent activity — all orchestrated by his boss, Maj. Gen. Randy George, commander of the 4th Infantry Division.
George commands the “opposing forces,” composed of one battalion from the brigade, soldiers from other division units and civilians all ready to assail the brigade day and night.
The exercise is meant to sharpen the brigade’s tactical skills. Therefore live ammunition was replaced with the Army’s multiple integrated laser engagement system — military-grade laser tag — allowing the soldiers to shoot, move and communicate as they would in real-world operations without worrying about friendly fire.
The Piñon Canyon training exercise is the brigade’s final step before it heads to the National Training Center in California in the fall, Simmering said.
“These are some of the most professional and most disciplined soldiers I have worked with in my life,” he said. “It is just fun to stand back and watch them work.”
An Army Bradley Fighting Vehicle and an Abrams Tank turn around at Pinon Canyon on Monday, August 27, 2018. (Photo by Kelsey Brunner/The Gazette)
Sgt. Emanuel Burgoscarrillo looks out from the top of a Bradley Fighting Vehicle during training exercises at the Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site.
Sgt. Emanuel Burgoscarrillo adjust his sunglasses in the back of the Bradley Fighting Vehicle at Pinon Canyon on Monday, August 27, 2018. (Photo by Kelsey Brunner/The Gazette)
Spc. Thomas Hutton looks out from an Abrams tank during training exercises at Piñon Canyon in August. Hutton is a tank gunner and has been in the Army for three years.
Tank Commander Staff Sgt. Erich Vielhauer directs his tank driver at Pinon Canyon on Monday, August 27, 2018. Staff Sgt. Vielhauer has been enlisted for more than 5 years. (Photo by Kelsey Brunner/The Gazette)