An official website of the United States government Here's how you know

MCTP Warfighters support historic certification of Army’s newest corps

By Maj. Orlandon HowardOctober 14, 2021

GRAFENWOEHR, Germany - V Corps Soldiers working with Soldiers from the French 3rd Infantry Division as they plan operations for multiple scenarios during warfighter exercise 22-1 at Grafenwoehr, Germany, Sept. 26.. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Devin...
1 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – GRAFENWOEHR, Germany - V Corps Soldiers working with Soldiers from the French 3rd Infantry Division as they plan operations for multiple scenarios during warfighter exercise 22-1 at Grafenwoehr, Germany, Sept. 26.. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Devin Klecan/released) (Photo Credit: Pvt. Devin Klecan) VIEW ORIGINAL
FORT KNOX, Ky.- The first wave of V Corps Soldiers board a plane for Grafenwöhr, Germany, on Sept. 1, in preparation for the upcoming simulation corps-level battle exercise, Warfighter 22-1. Warfighter will be V Corps’ final certifying exercise...
2 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – FORT KNOX, Ky.- The first wave of V Corps Soldiers board a plane for Grafenwöhr, Germany, on Sept. 1, in preparation for the upcoming simulation corps-level battle exercise, Warfighter 22-1. Warfighter will be V Corps’ final certifying exercise to become the U.S. Army’s fourth corps and America’s forward deployed corps in Europe. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Javen Owens/released) (Photo Credit: Pfc. Javen Owens) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kansas –- The Mission Command Training Program executed its first warfighter exercise of the fiscal year to support the training and certification of the Army's V Corps in a training environment distributed across Fort Stewart, Ga., Fort Riley, Kan., and Grafenwoehr Training Area in Germany, September 26 – October 6.

"Warfighter Exercise 22-1 served as the capstone training event for this headquarters, certifying us as the Army's fourth warfighting corps," said Lt. Gen. John Kolasheski, commanding general, V Corps.

GRAFENWOEHR, Germany-  Lt. Gen. John Kolasheski, commanding general of V Corps, delivers comments to V Corps Soldiers during the after action review for the Warfighter Exercise 22-1 at Grafenwoehr, Germany, Oct. 6, 2021. The WFX 22-1 was the...
GRAFENWOEHR, Germany- Lt. Gen. John Kolasheski, commanding general of V Corps, delivers comments to V Corps Soldiers during the after action review for the Warfighter Exercise 22-1 at Grafenwoehr, Germany, Oct. 6, 2021. The WFX 22-1 was the culminating event to validate V Corps as a fully operationally capable warfighting headquarters. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Devin Klecan/released) (Photo Credit: Pvt. Devin Klecan) VIEW ORIGINAL

The exercise involved V Corps commanding the Army's 3rd Infantry Division and 34th Infantry Division in a large-scale combat operations scenario against a peer threat, notionally based in Europe. It allowed V Corps to train and demonstrate its ability to command and control combat divisions and a diverse set of combat enablers to perform multi-domain operations against a formidable adversary.

"The warfighter is a nine-day sprint in large scale ground combat operations," said Col. Robert Molinari, Chief of Operations Group A, Mission Command Training Program, U.S. Army Combined Arms Center. "It is rigorous, complex, and very time intensive."

"It's the only time our corps and divisions are collaboratively immersed against an unfriendly competitor, where they're forced to really understand and improve their wartime mission."

Leaders, senior mentors, and observer-coach trainers from Operations Group A, Mission Command Training Program, conduct an “azimuth check” meeting, October 4, 2021, at Grafenwoehr Training Area in Germany during warfighter exercise 22-1. The...
Leaders, senior mentors, and observer-coach trainers from Operations Group A, Mission Command Training Program, conduct an “azimuth check” meeting, October 4, 2021, at Grafenwoehr Training Area in Germany during warfighter exercise 22-1. The meeting was a daily briefing on the progress of the training audience’s battle against the World-Class OPFOR. The exercise involved V Corps commanding the Army's 3rd Infantry Division and 34th Infantry Division in a large-scale combat operations scenario against a peer threat, notionally based in Europe. (The personnel depicted were all vaccinated and had negative COVID testing results before the exercise.) (Photo Credit: Maj. Orlandon Howard) VIEW ORIGINAL

The simulation presented some challenging scenarios for V Corps against MCTP's world-class opposing force. It allowed them to experience first-hand the complexity of conducting multi-domain operations and the gravity of large-scale combat operations.

It exercised all of V Corps’ warfighting functions and elements of combat power across domains with heavy emphasis on lethal and non-lethal fires and employment of all its information-related capabilities. It even allowed replication of military deception that V Corps and the OPFOR performed against one another.

Maj. Gen. Michael Wickman, commanding general of the 34th Red Bull Infantry Division, has his media skills tested with role-playing media members at Ft. Riley, Kansas. The 34th ID participated in a three-week Warfighter Exercise with units from...
1 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Maj. Gen. Michael Wickman, commanding general of the 34th Red Bull Infantry Division, has his media skills tested with role-playing media members at Ft. Riley, Kansas. The 34th ID participated in a three-week Warfighter Exercise with units from across active, reserve, and National Guard components stationed around the U.S. and Germany. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Blair Heusdens) (Photo Credit: Staff Sgt. Linsey Williams) VIEW ORIGINAL
GRAFENWOEHR, Germany – Soldiers from V Corps participated in a mass casualty training event as part of the Warfighter exercise 22-1 at the main command post at Grafenwoehr, Germany. The WFX 22-1 is V Corps' final certifying exercise in becoming...
2 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – GRAFENWOEHR, Germany – Soldiers from V Corps participated in a mass casualty training event as part of the Warfighter exercise 22-1 at the main command post at Grafenwoehr, Germany. The WFX 22-1 is V Corps' final certifying exercise in becoming the U.S. Army's fourth corps headquarters and America's forward deployed corps in Europe. (U.S. Army photos by Pfc. Devin Klecan/released) (Photo Credit: Pvt. Devin Klecan) VIEW ORIGINAL

Multi-domain operations entail operating in all domains (sea, land, air, space, cyber) simultaneously. The new operating concept has driven the Army to modernize its training for great power competition. Warfighter exercises' newest capabilities are a product of MDO modernization efforts by Training and Doctrine Command to keep pace with evolving operational environments and Army doctrine.

"The rigor and complexity of the warfighter allowed them [V Corps] to build their team and better understand each other," said Molinari. They gave 110 percent daily and were receptive to coaching and observations.

"Every single day, across the board, they got better, which I know will assist them going forward with whatever requirements U.S. Army Europe-Africa has for them," said Molinari.

GRAFENWOEHR, Germany – Sgt. Fernando Washington, from Birmingham, Alabama, works at V Corps' main command post during Warfighter 22-1 in Grafenwoehr, Germany, Oct. 4. The WFX 22-1 is V Corps' final certifying exercise in becoming the U.S. Army's...
1 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – GRAFENWOEHR, Germany – Sgt. Fernando Washington, from Birmingham, Alabama, works at V Corps' main command post during Warfighter 22-1 in Grafenwoehr, Germany, Oct. 4. The WFX 22-1 is V Corps' final certifying exercise in becoming the U.S. Army's fourth corps headquarters and America's forward deployed corps in Europe. (U.S. Army photos by Pfc. Devin Klecan/released) (Photo Credit: Pvt. Devin Klecan) VIEW ORIGINAL
GRAFENWOEHR, Germany – Staff Sgt. Kyle Mcguigan, left, from Brooklet, Georgia, prepares to assist Chief Warrant Officer 3 Chris Hoaglin, center, from Hastings, Michigan, and Maj. Daniel Pickering, right, from Sanford, Maine, with the unloading...
2 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – GRAFENWOEHR, Germany – Staff Sgt. Kyle Mcguigan, left, from Brooklet, Georgia, prepares to assist Chief Warrant Officer 3 Chris Hoaglin, center, from Hastings, Michigan, and Maj. Daniel Pickering, right, from Sanford, Maine, with the unloading effort of one of V Corps' tents used during Warfighter 22-1 in Grafenwoehr, Germany, Oct. 1. The WFX 22-1 is V Corps' final certifying exercise in becoming the U.S. Army's fourth corps headquarters and America's forward deployed corps in Europe. (U.S. Army photos by Pfc. Devin Klecan/released) (Photo Credit: Pvt. Devin Klecan) VIEW ORIGINAL

Established only a year ago, V Corps is now officially trained and ready as it assumes its new post as the U.S.'s forward-deployed corps in Europe. The new formation gives the U.S. European Command a command and control capability to support U.S. interests, allies, and partners in the region, according to Army officials.

The warfighter exercise proved to be a historic milestone in the renewed history of the organization.

"The difference between this exercise and the last exercise is that this is like our exam," said Sgt. Maj. Michael Lamkins, operations, training, and plans (G3/5/7) sergeant major, V Corps.

"Coming through this exercise successfully and meeting our training objectives signals to the United States Army, the Department of Defense, and, frankly, to the whole world that V Corps is ready to assume its role as a warfighting headquarters," said Lamkins.