FORT HUACHUCA, Ariz. – When you think of a military training exercise to prepare Soldiers for combat, you may picture guns, tanks, bombs and other loud things. But on the 1st Lt. John R. Fox Multi-Domain Operations (MDO) Range last week, the only sounds to be heard were the hum of a generator and the soft whir of a truck-mounted satellite dish as it rotated in a circle, searching for a signal.
That’s because the nearly 140 Soldiers participating were members of the 319th Intelligence & Electronic Warfare Battalion, based out of Fort Liberty, N.C., here to host the annual Cyclone Giant exercise to strengthen signals collection and intelligence gathering tactics, techniques and procedures.
Why would a battalion from North Carolina come all the way to Arizona to train? According to Lt. Col. Kevin Ryan, commander of the 319th IEW Bn., it was because “Fort Huachuca provides a massive training area for us to really spread ourselves out, test our communications, and ensure that we can pass intelligence over large distances.”
He explained that the wide-open spaces here lend themselves very well to electronic warfare and signals collection – important for today’s modern warfighting capabilities.
“[Here] we are able to spread ourselves out across many kilometers, which we really aren’t able to do at our home station. We really haven’t done any training like this in the past, and that is what makes it so unique to come here.”
The 319th provides support to the 82nd Airborne Division, and often deploys out of Fort Liberty with them, so the Soldiers must be well-trained and ready to go at any time.
“The 82nd is a globally deployed unit and needs to be ready on a moment’s notice,” Ryan explained. “As we are preparing ourselves for that mission, we want to make sure that they never have to wait on us, and we want to know that we can deliver world-class support from an electronic warfare perspective.”
Capt. LaDonna Carney, commander of Bravo Detachment, 319th IEW Bn., said the training here at Fort Huachuca gave them unique opportunities.
“The goal out here is to give our Soldier the opportunity, the time and space, to ensure that they are able to provide capabilities to the 82nd Airborne Division,” Carney said. “At this specific range it gives us the opportunity to really train SIGINT [signals intelligence] and EW [electronic warfare] capabilities, something that we’re not typically able to do out at Fort Liberty. The space that’s available [at Fort Huachuca] and the capabilities that this range has, gives our soldiers a more realistic opportunity to get after the training objectives.”
During the week-long exercise, the Soldiers lived in tents on the MDO range, conducting training at all hours of the day and night.
“What we are hoping is that they were able to be tested in both day and night scenarios, and really get comfortable with their skills and be able to perform in a large-scale combat environment, and to really master the basics across the board,” Ryan said.
“I’m hoping that they leave here confident in their skills.”
Ryan went on to explain that everything about this training was unique. Fort Huachuca provided not just a bigger space, but also the perfect environment for many different types of intelligence gathering. And because of that, the unit was able to bring together, for almost the first time, members from every military intelligence occupational specialty.
“We have 10 different sections out here, all different types of specialties from an intel perspective,” he said. “We have Soldiers that specialize in signals intelligence, geospatial intelligence, open-source intelligence, and then we have also some electronic warfare Soldiers that we brought from the 2nd Brigade of the 101st [Airborne Division].” He also said they had human intelligence collectors and linguists conducting training as well.
During the exercise, the Soldiers were able to work together, gathering information from different sources and putting it all together to form a complete picture. In today’s modern warfighting, where the military depends on information, training like this is vital.
“Intelligence really drives operations,” said 1st Lt. Isabella Van Atten, head platoon leader for Alpha Detachment. “The infantry can’t work without the intelligence provided from the intelligence professionals.”
Van Atten explained she has a rather unique perspective now, because she recently reclassified from being an infantry Soldier to now being in intelligence. She said being able to see it from both sides makes this training even more interesting and relevant.
“I think my infantry background helped with my understanding of what was needed on the combat arms side, and for [helping] the commanders, knowing what information they are looking for within the intelligence. So now getting to be on the intel side, it’s really interesting to see how the production side of that intel works.”
Several military leaders in attendance said one of the main purposes of the week-long exercise was to get in “sets and reps.” In other words, to get lots of repetitions so Soldiers could gain comfort and proficiency in their jobs. At the end of the exercise, they said that goal had been accomplished and all signs pointed to the training being a success.
1st Sgt. Ian Watterson said that not only were the soldiers able to prove themselves, but the 1st Lt. John R. Fox MDO Range was able to show its value as well. Since this was the first time this sort of exercise was held on the range, “[Fort Huachuca] is now able to say ‘we are able to support a battalion in its entirety for their mission.’ They wanted us to stress test it, they wanted us to push its limits, and really, it has performed!”
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Javier Urruela, chief of the MDO Targeting Section, summed it up by saying the success of the training showed that it was worth travelling all the way across the country.
“This is the best place for us to come to,” he said. “It’s big, so we can employ not just our section but the entire battalion’s capabilities – from signals intelligence collection teams, the interrogations section, and multiple targeting sections – and [we can] employ electronic warfare capabilities. This is just simply THE best place to go.”
(Editor's note: The entire Flickr album available at 2024-03-26 Cyclone Giant | Flickr with a special video feature at Cyclone GIANT | FORT HUACHUCA PUBLIC AFFAIRS | Flickr.)
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Fort Huachuca is home to the U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence, the U.S. Army Network Enterprise Technology Command/9th Army Signal Command and more than 48 supported tenants representing a diverse, multiservice population. Our unique environment encompasses 946 square miles of restricted airspace and 2,500 square miles of protected electronic ranges, key components to the national defense mission.
Located in Cochise County, in southeast Arizona, about 15 miles north of the border with Mexico, Fort Huachuca is an Army installation with a rich frontier history. Established in 1877, the Fort was declared a national landmark in 1976.
We are the Army’s Home. Learn more at https://home.army.mil/huachuca/.
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