FORT BRAGG, NC - The Army National Guard Regional Training Site – Maintenance (RTS-M) at Fort Bragg, North Carolina hosted a visit from senior leaders of the U.S. Army Ordnance School on February 17, 2021.
The visiting party included Command Sgt. Maj. Petra M. Casarez, command sergeant major of the Ordnance Corps, Chief Warrant Officer 5 Danny K. Taylor, chief warrant officer of the Ordnance Corps, and Chief Warrant Officer 5 Robert S. Combs, senior Ordnance proponent warrant officer, U.S. Army Reserve.
During the visit, Casarez and Taylor recognized the exemplary service of three RTS-M instructors. Staff Sgt. Patrick Russell, Sgt. 1st Class Kenneth Best and Sgt. 1st Class Walter Brewer were recognized and presented with the Chief of Ordnance coin for their exemplary service and execution of the Wheeled Vehicle Recovery Course (ASI-H8) at RTS-M Fort Bragg in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We are proud of our RTS-M at Fort Bragg,” said Chief Warrant Officer 4 William J. Horne III, the RTS-M’s director. “We are dedicated to providing top-notch training to ensure Soldier readiness and survivability on the battlefield.”
Casarez and Taylor toured multiple areas of the RTS-M, including the vehicle recovery training area and the 139th Regiment Regional Training Institute (RTI) facilities where students stay during training.
RTS-M instructors briefed the Ordnance leaders on best practices for executing maintenance courses and shared lessons learned for hands-on training aids. Their visit also included a sit-down with members of the Army Field Support Battalion, Fort Bragg Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM), who identified their contributions to the RTS-M. TACOM provides field and technical support for the Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station (CROWS) during the RTS-M’s Wheeled Vehicle Mechanic courses.
The Department of the Army approved the concept for Regional Training Sites-Maintenance or RTS-Ms in the late 1980s, and the facilities became operational in the early 1990s. RTS-Ms currently operate under One Army School System (OASS) guidelines, which standardizes training across active-duty, National Guard and Army Reserve training locations, ensuring quality of instruction across all Army components.
There are a total of 17 RTS-Ms within the United States; 13 are operated by Army National Guard, and 4 are operated by U.S. Army Reserve. The RTS-Ms offer military occupational specialty (MOS) reclassification training and additional skill identifier (ASI) courses. Noncommissioned officers can attend professional military education courses such as the Advanced Leaders Course (ALC) and the Senior Leaders Course (SLC) for several MOSs at various RTS-Ms..
The RTS-M at Fort Bragg currently trains MOS reclassification and ALC for Wheeled Vehicle Mechanic, SLC for mechanical and electronic maintenance career fields, and ASI-H8 Wheeled Vehicle Recovery with an overall throughput of 300 Soldiers annually.
“Fort Bragg’s RTS-M personnel are focused on providing the same institutional training and maintaining the same high-quality education standards,” said Casarez. “This location prepares multi-component Army Soldiers and leaders to respond to the global and domestic operational environment, while saving resources due to its geographical convenience.”
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