Mountain Peak exercise kicks off at Fort Drum

FORT DRUM, N.Y. (July 24, 2012) -- Monday marked the start of Mountain Peak, one of the largest training exercises in 10th Mountain Division (LI) history. The exercise is also the first time the division has trained as a whole entity since before 9/11.

The training event is designed to externally evaluate subordinate units before their mission rehearsal exercises. The intensive training will give Soldiers the skills needed for future deployments while offering them the know-how to operate in a deployed environment.

Mountain Peak also will be used to evaluate 1st Brigade Combat Team and 2nd Brigade Combat Team's Security Force Advise and Assist Teams.

During the next two weeks, units, including the 10th Combat Aviation Brigade, will transition from garrison to training sites located on Fort Drum. Once the brigades are at these locations, units will train on collective war fighting skills, including convoy movements, setting up field sites, soldiering tasks, command and control, weapons and equipment qualifications, live-fire exercises and air-assault operations.

With 3rd Brigade Combat Team being the most recent returnee from deployment earlier this year, they will take on the role as the opposing forces as well as observer - controllers.

The division will assess the different units in key areas where they might need improvement and provide guidance to the respective unit.

The 10th Mountain Division's (LI) mission is to train, deploy, fight and win. Currently, all of the brigades are in a training phase of operations. They will train on the light infantry critical tasks and fundamentals that will serve the division well in almost any theater of operation.

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