Training the force, anywhere

By Staff Sgt. William SalletteMarch 10, 2015

Training the force, anywhere
1 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Col. Scott Kelly, 3rd Brigade Combat Team commander, 25th Infantry Division, and senior staff receive the Lightning Forge 2015 after action review from Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Capability staff March 6. The JPMRC is a Department of the A... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Training the force, anywhere
2 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Soldiers from the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, guard an intersection while conducting a mission during exercise Lightning Forge 2015. LF 15 was an exercise conducted Feb. 23-March 6 on the islands of Oahu and big island Hawaii in ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Training the force, anywhere
3 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Soldiers from the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, clear a building while conducting a mission during Lightning Forge 2015. LF 15 was an exercise conducted Feb. 23-March 6 on the islands of Oahu and big island Hawaii in conjunction wi... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT SHAFTER, Hawaii - The 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, recently concluded exercise Lightning Forge 2015 March 6 as part of a culminating home station training event as well as a proof-of-concept mission for the Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Capability, a training and evaluation program run by the 196th Infantry Brigade.

LF 15 was conducted at training areas around the island of Oahu and at the Pohakuloa Training Area on the Island of Hawaii from Feb. 23 to March. 6. The exercise included the entire 3BCT as well as a support element composed of more than 800 Soldiers from 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th ID; the Guam National Guard; 189th Infantry Brigade, Fort Lewis, Washington; and the Joint Multinational Readiness Center from Hohenfels, Germany.

The JPMRC is a U.S. Army Pacific initiative that consists of a mobile package of personnel and equipment designed to support training exercises across the Pacific theater.

JPMRC provides the capability to travel to an exercise anywhere in the Pacific, integrate and evaluate within the regional exercise scenario and train units up to the size of a brigade combat team, while providing in-depth after action reviews and take-home packages to the units being evaluated.

JPMRC is not intended as a replacement for the full training experience available at a combat training center (CTC) such as those located in the continental United States; however, the JPMRC concept is similar in style and purpose. It will reduce the frequency with which entire BCTs have to rotate stateside from their home-stations in the Pacific.

"In terms of the [NTC's] ability to use terrain and conduct widespread operations and training, I would say that quality is greater," said Col. Scott Mitchell, 196th Infantry Brigade commander. "However, for certain opportunities and contingencies, this is a great example of how you can enhance mission readiness to accomplish a future mission or enhance the readiness of our partners and their integration across the Pacific area of operations."

By remaining in theater, not only will units remain more available to respond to sudden contingencies or to be called upon by the combatant commander to meet strategic requirements, but they will also to be able to complete training certifications at considerably less expense.

"The cost savings are invaluable," said Col. Scott Kelly, 3rd BCT commander. "I cannot replicate a CTC-like environment at home station and the JPMRC gives me the best ability to do that."

The outside support element's role during this exercise was to act as role players on the battlefield as well as observer/controllers, which would provide control to the exercise scenario as well as providing an immediate reporting and evaluation to the units on the ground. Once the JPMRC completes its proof-of-concept phases, it will have an internal, battalion-sized, support element permanently assigned to conduct the observer/controller and analysis mission.

JPMRC isn't limited to training and evaluating U.S. units. When integrated with a security cooperation exercise and other partnership programs, it can also expand existing exercises with USARPAC's multinational partners. The JPMRC allows an increased interaction with joint, interagency, intergovernmental and multinational forces in a realistic, instrumented-systems environment that will provide real-time and constructive feedback during such programs.

"No country can replicate what we do at our CTCs," said Kelly. "This raises the game for not only U.S. forces, but also our partner forces, and I think the more we can bring that to the table for them, that will just strengthen the relationships with our partner nations."

"The uniqueness of the capability is that it is exportable," said Mitchell. "Providing the same kind of quality feedback and real-time feedback training that we have at our CTCs, across the Pacific in our multinational exercises, using our multinational partners, so that we learn how to better integrate training with them and also increase their capability through our [AAR] process."

The system itself not only allows the exercise controllers the ability to monitor the exercise more closely, but it also allows for the collection of scenario-based data to produce and analyze performance feedback to unit commanders.

"I was absolutely blown away at the level of the after action review," said Kelly. "It was extensive, professional and extremely well-organized."

Currently the JPMRC is in phase two of their proof-of-concept plan, a phase that should have involved the training and evaluation of only two battalions. However, with Pacific Pathways on the horizon for the 3rd BCT, 25th ID, the commander thought this would be a perfect opportunity to exercise the full capabilities of the JPMRC and evaluate the entire 3BCT before their scheduled rotation to the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, Louisiana.

"Having the opportunity to work with the JPMRC and the 196th has been fantastic," said Kelly. "The observer/controller coverage has been extremely professional and well done. They are here to help us learn and be a better unit and we are grateful to have them."