'Warriors' deploy to Leader's Field

By Sgt. Daniel Kyle Johnson (2nd BCT, 25th ID )August 23, 2012

Tour
1 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii " Maj. Gen. Kurt Fuller, commander of the 25th Infantry Division, and Col. Thomas H. Mackey, commander of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, and Maj. Timothy Mungie, the brigade executive offier tour the tactical operations cente... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Setup
2 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii " Soldiers of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division setup the tactical operations center for the brigade's command post exercise that started Aug. 6 and will run until the following week. The command post exer... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Training
3 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii " Maj. Gen. Kurt Fuller, commander of the 25th Infantry Division, and Col. Thomas H. Mackey, commander of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, along with various staff discuss the progress of the brigade's command post exercise tha... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii -- Soldiers and leaders of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team simulated a deployment this week as part of their training by deploying the brigade to Schofield Barracks. The command post exercise began Aug 6 and is scheduled to run until the following week. Exercises such as this test the various systems of the brigade in order to prepare for future contingency missions in the Pacific Region.

"We're trying to mimic the situation in Afghanistan," said Sgt. Maj. Joseph E. Camacho, 2 BCT operations sergeant major. "That will allow us to set up a system that is tested and will work when we deploy."

"From this training we will learn how to deploy the headquarters to a field environment rapidly," said Maj. Timothy Mungie, 2 BCT's executive officer. "And deploy the systems we need to inform the commander so he can make informed decisions."

One of the most important and most difficult tasks is to ensure proper communication across the various systems and levels of command.

"The most challenging part was to develop an hourly sequence," Camacho said. "We need to determine what order everything is installed and brought online."

"This is essentially a large systems check," Mungie said. "We will know that all the various systems within our war-fighting functions can communicate with each other."

The ability to share knowledge quickly and effectively can change the tide of an encounter, saving lives and furthering the mission.

"A trained and ready headquarters supports the commander's decision making capability," Mungie said. "This results in combat operations being conducted in a way that saves lives and completes the mission."

"Our knowledge management systems allow near instantaneous communication with the commander," Camacho said. "Rather than sending reports up and down the chain of command, we are able to simply access the information we need on the system as it is updated."

More important than the equipment however, are the people. The Soldiers, NCOs and Officers using this equipment must be subject matter experts in their uses.

"Everyone understanding their function within the headquarters is imperative," Mungie said. "It adds combat capability to the headquarters and the brigade as a whole."

"The training event ensures that all sections of the brigade understand standard operating procedures," Camacho said. "This allows the development of products that are needed to be developed and released in a timely manner."

The personnel are not only the most important aspect of any training mission, they can also lead to some challenges.

"The largest challenge has been taking a new group of people who haven't necessarily done this before and setting up a very large headquarters to communicate with its six subordinate elements," Mungie said.

However, this won't always be an issue as the brigade already has plans to repeat this training multiple times before deployment.

"This won't be the last time," Mungie said. "We will repeat this exercise multiple times, adding to it each time prior to going to the National Training Center. We compare progress against a checklist of systems and their status so that we can measure our success and identify our deficiencies in order to improve upon them."

Training such as this, as well as future training missions will help to ensure that the 2nd Brigade Combat Team stands ready to deploy, engage and destroy enemies of the United States and its allies.

"This exercise directly impacts the brigade's ability to provide security to the Pacific Region," Mungie said. "A trained and ready headquarters that can go anywhere at any time and employ its forces is essential."