FORT RILEY, Kansas -- With the recent exercises -- Warfighter from April 6 to 15, and Danger Focus in progress throughout May -- a constant is the simulation technology used by the Fort Riley Training Division of the Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security.
On March 29, as 1st Infantry Division and garrison personnel were preparing for both exercises, Col. William Canaley, project lead, Field Operations for the U.S. Army Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation, visited Fort Riley.
The organization's staff develops, acquires and sustains simulation, training, testing and modeling solutions for Fort Riley and other posts.
The importance simulation training plays in preparing 1st Infantry Division Soldiers to fight and win was evident as the division prepared for the exercises. According to Capt. Joseph Codichini, 1st Infantry Division, G3 assistant training officer, Maj. Gen. W. Wayne Grigsby Jr., commanding general, 1st Inf. Div. the emphasis on all Big Red One Soldiers, from senior leadership to junior enlisted ranks is unequivocal and is a key theme for every exercise.
"Through Danger Focus," Codichini said at the time, "Maj. Gen. Wayne W. Grigsby Jr., requires all Soldiers, from senior leaders to privates, to be fully trained and certified prior to attendance (to the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California)."
All 1st Inf. Div. Soldiers attend training at NTC before heading overseas.
Training at Fort Riley in comprehensive, simulated environments is essential to preparing not only the 1st Inf. Div. Soldier but also Soldiers with other components.
Using PEO STRI technologies, the garrison training division strives to produce what Bill Raymann, the training division's chief, calls "unique training environments."
Much of the virtual technology available at Fort Riley's Seitz Training Campus' Mission Training Complex was developed by PEO STRI staff and they continue to maintain it.
The systems at the MTC are diverse and complex. Mark Wilson, a PEO STRI liaison representative, has been with the training division on a permanent basis for more than 10 years.
"Our relationship (with PEO STRI) is very important for us," Raymann said. "They enhance our ability to support not only the 1st Infantry Division, but our regional partners as well."
Since leaders and missions at each post have different goals and requirements, Canaley tries to determine needs.
"He's visiting installations with significant support footprints to gain a better understanding of the unique training challenges each location experiences," Wilson said.
Aside from providing realistic simulations, the technology allows training to take place without the high cost of physically moving Soldiers and equipment.
Over the past year alone, the training division has created approximately 24,000 training opportunities. That number, Raymann points out, is not necessarily a total number of individual Soldiers. Rather, the number refers to training places or opportunities, which could be for a Big Red One Soldier, Army National Guard or Reserve Soldier, or other component.
In the larger view, Fort Riley's capabilities support the Total Army concept developed and implemented by senior Army leadership.
Grigsby's pursuit of the Total Army concept has been far reaching, supporting the vision of Fort Riley as a regional training hub for all kinds of military components.
According to Steve Crusinberry, director of the Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security, in 2016, the 1st Infantry Division and Fort Riley have supported the training of not only its own forces, but those of Kansas, Nebraska and Oklahoma National Guards. In addition, Crusinberry said, Grigsby has "reached out to TAGs (Adjutants General) for Minnesota, Iowa and Missouri."
"Fort Riley has a tremendously robust training capability," Canaley said at the conclusion of his visit. "It is amazing just how much of the installation they are able to utilize without constraints usually encountered at military instillations."
Canaley also focused on the "synergy between the Fort Riley team, the Warrior Training Alliance and the PEO STRI liaison representative. All involved are focused on providing quality on-time training and training support to the 1st Infantry Division Soldiers. The Training Support Center had a locally developed and exceptionally efficient ordering and management system that makes drawing required equipment and support items a breeze."
Canaley recognizes the budgetary challenges Fort Riley garrison faced in providing realistic simulation environments.
"Budgetary challenges are very real and are likely to continue to exist for a number of years. PEO STRI provides a level of support directly related to the established training requirements. We don't decide what the requirements are, but we do understand the impact of fiscal constraints ... As the Army adjusts training requirements, the real level of training requirements will emerge. But it will take a number of iterations before we settle on the right level of support for training. At the end of the day, division commanders across the Army will have a significant influence regarding what right looks like."
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