A grader assigned to 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) observes the movements of an Operational Detachment Alpha during exercise War Horse to assess the team’s capabilities in challenging environments in Uwharrie National Forest, North Carolina, Oct. 24, 2026. War Horse is a baseline lethality exercise designed to enhance readiness and develop combat skills through realistic scenarios that foster the decision-making, adaptability and lethality required to operate in complex operational environments. The exercise integrates and evaluates 22 individual and collective baseline tasks to ensure Green Berets are prepared to operate independently in austere, hostile and politically sensitive environments. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Seu Chan)

U.S. Green Berets assigned to 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) maneuver toward a nearby tree line to conceal their movement during exercise War Horse in Uwharrie National Forest, North Carolina, Oct. 24, 2026. War Horse is a baseline lethality exercise designed to enhance readiness and develop combat skills through realistic scenarios that foster the decision-making, adaptability and lethality required to operate in complex operational environments. The exercise integrates and evaluates 22 individual and collective baseline tasks to ensure Green Berets are prepared to operate independently in austere, hostile and politically sensitive environments. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Seu Chan)

A U.S. Green Beret assigned to 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) maneuvers toward a nearby tree line to conceal his movement as graders observe and evaluate his movement during exercise War Horse in Uwharrie National Forest, North Carolina, Oct. 24, 2026. War Horse is a baseline lethality exercise designed to enhance readiness and develop combat skills through realistic scenarios that foster the decision-making, adaptability and lethality required to operate in complex operational environments. The exercise integrates and evaluates 22 individual and collective baseline tasks to ensure Green Berets are prepared to operate independently in austere, hostile and politically sensitive environments. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Seu Chan)

U.S. Green Berets assigned to 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) maneuver towards an extraction site following a 72-hour training scenario during exercise War Horse in Uwharrie National Forest, North Carolina, Oct. 26, 2026. War Horse is a baseline lethality exercise designed to enhance readiness and develop combat skills through realistic scenarios that foster the decision-making, adaptability and lethality required to operate in complex operational environments. The exercise integrates and evaluates 22 individual and collective baseline tasks to ensure Green Berets are prepared to operate independently in austere, hostile and politically sensitive environments. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Seu Chan)

U.S. Green Berets assigned to 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) load into a tactical vehicle for exfiltration following the completion of a 72-hour training scenario during exercise War Horse in Uwharrie National Forest, North Carolina, Oct. 26, 2026. The 72-hour mission spanned 30 kilometers and required the Green Berets to complete three objectives without being detected. War Horse is a baseline lethality exercise designed to enhance readiness and develop combat skills through realistic scenarios that foster the decision-making, adaptability and lethality required to operate in complex operational environments. The exercise integrates and evaluates 22 individual and collective baseline tasks to ensure Green Berets are prepared to operate independently in austere, hostile and politically sensitive environments. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Seu Chan)

Graders assigned to 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) observe an Operational Detachment Alpha execute an assigned mission to assess the team’s capabilities in tactically demanding environments during exercise War Horse to assess the team’s capabilities in challenging environments in Uwharrie National Forest, North Carolina, Oct. 24, 2026. War Horse is a baseline lethality exercise designed to enhance readiness and develop combat skills through realistic scenarios that foster the decision-making, adaptability and lethality required to operate in complex operational environments. The exercise integrates and evaluates 22 individual and collective baseline tasks to ensure Green Berets are prepared to operate independently in austere, hostile and politically sensitive environments. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Seu Chan)

TROY, N.C. — To a camper settling in for the night or a hunter waiting for dawn, Uwharrie National Forest is a place where they can find solitude in the woods of central North Carolina. But this October, the forest has another story to tell. Beneath the full moon, hidden under its canopy among the calls of owls and the distant howls of coyotes, U.S. Green Berets assigned to 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) put their combat skills to the test during War Horse, the Group’s baseline lethality training exercise.

Under the uneven glow of the full moon, light slips through the canopy in scattered patches, leaving stretches of the forest cloaked in darkness to the naked eye. The crunch of leaves beneath boots breaks the silence of the night, a gentle reminder that even the smallest of movements could compromise a Soldier’s position. Moving with rucksacks, weapons and night-vision devices, the Green Berets strategically navigated the steep and densely vegetated terrain, working to remain undetected by the civilian population they shared the forest with for two weeks.

The training conducted in Uwharrie is a part of a larger training objective for exercise War Horse. Multiple Operational Detachments Alpha, the 12-man team that forms the basic construct of the Green Berets, tested their skills across a series of objectives designed to challenge their ability to operate in the most demanding environments, both individually and as a team.

Each ODA spent 72 hours in the forest, quietly moving between three key objectives over the course of the training. The 30-kilometer movement across mountainous terrain required Green Berets to navigate steep, rugged terrain under heavy packs while maintaining tactical movement and remaining undetected. With only 24 hours dedicated to each objective, the teams had to move quickly to complete their assigned missions before advancing to the next stage.

For the 12 highly trained Green Berets, the mission began at 8 p.m. as the sun fell and temperatures began to plunge. Under the cover of darkness, the small team moved into the uneven terrain of Uwharrie National Forest, using the night to conceal their movements as they made their way toward the first objective. With two more objectives ahead, the first night marked the beginning of their three days in the forest.

Upon reaching their initial objective area, the team halted, sinking into a perimeter defense to establish an objective rally point, a location outside of sight and sound from the objective. Hand and arm signals replaced spoken commands. Within minutes, a two-man reconnaissance element broke away, headed toward the wood line, watching every step to avoid the quick sounds of twigs breaking beneath their muddy boots. While one Green Beret knelt in the damp undergrowth to establish security, the other began to set up the team’s surveillance equipment. Working only by touch, eyes illuminated under the iridescent glow of his night vision equipment, he set up specialized surveillance equipment. With the device in place, the pair slowly retreated back into the shadows to reconvene with the rest of the ODA. Without a sound, the first mission was complete.

Mission two brought new challenges: an asphalt road bisecting the ODA’s route to a suspected drop zone. With a timeline to meet, the team carefully maneuvered through exposed ground. After descending a steep hill, guided only by hand and arm signals, three Green Berets quickly maneuvered across the moonlit street, disappearing into the trees that lined the road. Once in place, two Soldiers established security as the third crept onto the perimeter of the wide-open area. Staying low against the dew-soaked grass, he began to take measurements, gauging tree heights and other obstructions that could prevent the deployment of supplies or troops. With just hours before dawn, the three-man element pulled back, vanishing just as swiftly and as quietly as they appeared.

By the third night, the fatigue of carrying 80-pound rucks for nearly three days was setting in, but the ODAs had one final mission: establish tactical communications. After reaching their designated clearing, the ODA dispatched a two-man element to complete the final mission. As security kept watch on the surrounding ridge, the Special Forces communications sergeant, an expert in tactical communications, assembled the equipment, ensuring the transmission could penetrate through the dense vegetation. With the burst transmission sent, the gear was broken down and repacked, leaving no trace of the secretive mission.

By 6 a.m., a shimmer of light began to pierce the pine trees that covered the forest. Punctual to the second, the rumble of a brandless white moving truck rolled down the gravel road. As the truck began to back into the woods, the rear roll-up door opened. After a few short seconds, Green Berets emerged from the brush. Weighted down with heavy rucks, eyes glowing under the night vision and rifles at the low ready, each man quickly climbed into the truck. After a tap on the shoulder as each Green Beret climbed in, the door rolled down and the truck began to drive off, marking the end of the ODA’s 72-hour mission in Uwharrie.

While the training in Uwharrie represents one part of a larger effort, its purpose extends beyond completing individual objectives. Through exercise War Horse, 3rd Group is working to strengthen its baseline lethality, reinforce existing capabilities and adapt its training to the demands of large-scale combat operations. By testing Green Berets in demanding field environments, the Group is sharpening its ability to operate in unfamiliar and austere conditions, ensuring its Green Berets remain prepared for the challenges of future deployments.