FORT BRAGG, N.C. - Six months after redeploying from Iraq, the XVIII Airborne Corps headquarters staff was busy training and rebuilding the team during a command post exercise at the Joint Task Force Compound on Fort Bragg, Oct. 26 through Friday.
The exercise was designed to train new staff members on the corps' ability to command and control joint operations.
"We are rehearsing our capability to respond anywhere in the world to an emergency, disaster or combat operation where action is necessary," said Sgt. Maj. Billy L. Cheney, the XVIII Abn. Corps current operations sergeant major.
During the CPX, Soldiers set up the Joint Operations Center, which consisted of representatives from each section involved in the operation as well as other servicemembers from the Air Force, Navy and Marines. The function of the JOC is to provide command control of the ground and air forces involved in a contingency, said Cheney.
The JOC is a critical communication node for the corps that synchronizes and integrates operations.
"It went pretty well," said Maj. Scott Meyers, the XVIII Abn. Corps operations battle major. "We've dealt with a lot of different systems and trained on how a JOC runs in these types of situations."
"From my perspective, we're building a lot of capabilities," said Meyers about the progress made. "I think we're getting to where we need to go."
One of the keys to the corps' success is working and training as a joint team.
"A joint environment is pretty much about communication, just knowing how to communicate with your counterparts, because the cultures are totally different," said Air Force Capt. Dawn Hildebrand, the functioning air mobility liaison officer for the CPX.
The CPX scenario was tied to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team joint forcible entry exercise which afforded the staff the opportunity to command and control a complex operation.
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