FORT DRUM, N.Y. (Oct. 6, 2016) -- In preparation for Fort Drum's largest field training exercise, Mountain Peak 2016, the 10th Combat Aviation Brigade, 10th Mountain Division (LI), conducted multiple field training exercises, or FTXs, throughout various training areas on post and Rome, N.Y., Sept. 15-23.
Mountain Peak is an annual two-week field training event that externally evaluates a brigade's readiness on mission essential tasks, such as air movement operations and offensive operations, to name a few. The overall realistic exercise also gives junior Soldiers an opportunity familiarize themselves with the daily operations of a deployment environment.
On par with the Army's crawl-walk-run training methodology, the 277th Aviation Support Battalion and the brigade's Headquarters and Headquarters Company used the past two weeks to identify any operational gaps within the "walking phase" of their internal field event.
As the brigade's support battalion, the 277th ASB focused on honing their tactical troop movement skills and logistical and health services support by assisting the brigade's internal aviation battalions through a fictional exercise called Operation Deter Denovian, while the brigade HHC primarily focused on equipment validation and mission command system operations through their tactical operations center exercise, also known as a TOCEX.
According to Capt. Jeffrey Timmick, 277th Aviation Support Battalion operations officer, before setting up site on Fort Drum's Training Area 5D, the battalion had previously conducted a series of training events during the "crawl phase."
"We've been training hard for Operation Deter Denovian and the upcoming Mountain Peak," Timmick said. "We've conducted crew-served weapons ranges and multiple Reconfigurable Vehicle Tactical Trainer and (Humvee) Egress Assistance Trainer iterations in preparation for convoy operations."
"Our Headquarters Service Company conducted their own off-post convoy to Rome to validate the concept prior to the FTX, and the battalion staff conducted a smaller-level TOCEX in order to ensure all systems were operational," he added. "Also during this time, our A Company conducted multiple (forward arming and refueling point) iterations, while B Company conducted several downed aircraft recovery training scenarios, and C Company focused on new equipment training for upgrades to their communications equipment."
Like 277th ASB, the brigade HHC also has been busy training up for the TOCEX and Mountain Peak.
"At our level, we continuously train our personnel to be fully qualified on their weapons and basic soldier tasks and drills," said Capt. Jeremy Hunter, 10th Combat Aviation Brigade Headquarters and Headquarters Company commander. "But as the brigade headquarters, our main priority is to ensure we have a fully functional operations center, so we focus a lot on technical preparation."
"For example, in late August our Signal team conducted a weeklong communications exercise, also known as a SWITCHEX, in order to assess the brigade's WIN-T teams and systems," he said. "And back in March we set up a TOCEX as the initial point to try to identify essential equipment shortages required for the operations center."
Fast forward to the days of the FTXs, and the sounds of helicopters and simulated rounds are hard to miss around the Fort Drum training areas.
During one particular training scenario, the 277th ASB received fire from "aggressors," which resulted in multiple "casualties" and a MEDEVAC helicopter from the 3rd General Support Aviation Battalion had to be called in.
Not too long after that, the MEDEVAC helicopter arrived on scene and immediate security was set up by 277th ASB personnel so the casualties could be safely unloaded from the MEDEVAC vehicle and into the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter.
As this was all taking place, the Soldiers involved in the scenario were silently being evaluated by the brigade surgeon and the physician assistant.
"This is what it's all about -- gaining experience and building confidence," Timmick said.
When asked if all their expectations had been met and if the battalion was ready for next week's Mountain Peak, he replied "absolutely!"
"In fact, the off-post operations actually exceeded our expectations," he added. "We had six convoys travel between Fort Drum and Griffiss International Airport in Rome, N.Y., with no issues or accidents. Overall, the battalion traveled more than 8,000 miles during this FTX, including one route through the western Adirondack region that took eight hours to complete."
"In all, I'm beyond confident we're ready for Mountain Peak. We have a phenomenal team of agile leaders, with the right skill sets and who are prepared to face whatever challenges come their way."
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