FORT POLK, La. -- The Joint Readiness Training Center lived up to its name and mission during its latest rotation, demonstrating the true meaning of "joint training."
As helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft buzzed about the training area, convoys traversed difficult, muddy terrain and encampments were established around the fictional village of Dara Lam. The opposing forces took advantage of any distraction or complacency and pushed against the rotational units with dogged determination. Roleplayers served as government officials, local police, refugees and regular citizens, adding complexity to the carefully constructed chaos that is a JRTC rotation.
Several elements from across the services (and the globe) were pulled together to offer myriad support for the exercise, which featured a 15-man contingent from the Ugandan People's Defense Force, or UPDF, serving as battalion staff; about 60 Illinois National Guard Soldiers working in security details and patrol teams under the Ugandans; and a battalion for them to partner with against the opposing forces.
Such joint training is a crucial element of the U.S. Army's policy for Regionally Aligned Forces, or RAF. The concept of RAF is to put the right resources (equipment, personnel) in the right place at the right time to meet the needs of combatant commanders. These commanders oversee the six regions of the world: U.S. Africa Command (Africa), U.S. European Command (Europe, Russia, Greenland), U.S. Pacific Command (the Far East, Australia and Antarctica), U.S. Central Command (the Middle East), U.S. Northern Command (North America) and U.S. Southern Command (middle and South America).
Army brigades, divisions and corps, including National Guard and Reserves, are assigned to a region, then partner with nations in that region for military training, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. The number of personnel that deploy to a region is flexible and based on the combatant commander's needs, ranging from a few Soldiers for an advise-and-assist mission to an entire brigade for more complex operations.
RAF is not a new idea. The "State Partnership Program" led by the National Guard has been teaming states with specific countries for more than 20 years. For example, Alabama is partnered with Romania, California with Ukraine and Kentucky with Ecuador. But the active duty Army and Reserves are now also on board under the RAF initiative. Units are not permanently assigned-- they rotate and remain deployable to areas outside their region.
The intent of RAF is to build relationships with other nations by pre-positioning equipment and personnel in those countries and conducting combined training exercises, creating an understanding of social and cultural concepts and learning each other's military communications and tactics.
To that end, the UPDF participated in rotation 16-06 to learn about the U.S. Army's noncommissioned officer corps, the military decision-making process and how to best utilize military assets provided by partner forces. They assumed the role of battalion headquarters and took the lead in operations planning based on the scenario presented to them. The 333rd Military Police Company, Illinois National Guard, who is also the "State Partner"with Uganda, served as their ground forces, providing security and patrol capabilities. The 1st Battalion, 101st Brigade Combat Team out of Fort Campbell, Kentucky, served as the partner force for the purposes of this exercise, giving the Ugandans a larger military element to use in unilateral operations against the opposing force.
Master Sgt. Michael Ramon M. Dang, U.S. Army Africa, G3 Training NCOIC, explained the importance of bringing the UPDF contingent to JRTC for training:
"They are helping create a partnership with the Regionally Aligned Forces supporting USAFRICOM," said Dang. "Training at JRTC increases the capabilities and capacity of the UPDF by developing their knowledge of the U.S. military decision-making process and tactical operations center operations. They will bring back the knowledge and experience gained during the rotation and share it with other UPDF troops while conducting peace-keeping operations," said Dang.
Lt. Col. Keith Katungi, UPDF commander, agreed. "The UPDF will benefit from this training. It is not the first time we have worked with the U.S. Army," said Katungi.
"The partnership between U.S. and Ugandan forces has been going on for some time. We are deep in the forests of central Africa huntingfor Joseph Kony (leader of Boko Haram, a militant terrorist group) so we have been training and fighting together for a while," Katungi said. "Interoperability and working together is the way to go. Like it or not, we won't see a single army handling a complex situation alone in the future, so interoperability is important for our countries and armies. In this exercise, that (cooperation) comes out well. The simulations here are each unique in their own way, but actually (represent) much of what our forces are handling in Somalia and Mogadishu."
Training with the U.S. Army is also not new to the UPDF.
"We have a training exchange program, and have slots in this country where we do some command courses like at Fort Leavenworth (Kansas), and back home we have training for (U.S. forces) to prepare them for (operations in Africa)," Katungi said.
Maj. Kenneth Nieze Hategekimana, UPDF executive officer and chief of staff, said he has learned much during the rotation.
"Understanding the wider, international view of present conflicts and (considering) those dynamics during training is important. Also, the concerns of the United States as an Army to cooperate with select (countries) like us -- this is something to take home at my level of leadership, and use as a yardstick," Hategekimana said. "Also, the way the NCO corps is used in the U.S. Army is interesting. The NCOs are equipped to build up the Soldiers, and the Soldiers benefit and the Army is better. The role of the first sergeants in the companies, and the planning from that level down is something that I have learned and will take back."
No rotation at JRTC would be complete without the use of mock villages and roleplayers, and the Ugandan contingent was impressed with these vital elements.
"The realism part of the exercise is excellent in two ways: One is the simulation of the town -- building a real town in an isolated military training exercise area -- that is so nice. The (replication) of a town with mayors, mosques, the U.S. consulate, paints a clear picture," saidKatungi.
"The other thing that is excellent about the realism is the people who are role players. The governor, the mayor and others are older people with experience.
"It is not common to find (civilians) at that age still (willing) to play those roles. It brings the exercise into a realistic posture because, in reality, when you go to such towns, you will find that when war begins, (the younger people) are the first to leave, and you find older men still holding on, and they've seen a lot, they've seen (what has happened to their town) and they talk to you about that. So this realism is very good for training," he said.
As rotation 16-06 draws to a close, lessons learned are reviewed at an after action review, equipment and Soldiers are packed, loaded up and shipped off, and the JRTC cleans up and prepares itself for the next cycle of rigorous, relevant and realistic training.
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