FORT DRUM, N.Y. (Oct. 30, 2024) – Soldiers with Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, 10th Mountain Division (LI) wear focused faces as they train on war-fighting functions during an Individual Task Round Robin, Oct. 30, at Sexton Field on Fort Drum.
In preparation for the upcoming “Division in the Dirt” Rotation at the Joint Readiness Training Center on Fort Johnson, Louisiana, HHBN Soldiers work to master foundational skills necessary to face a near-peer threat. During the rotation, Soldiers will face an opposing force depicting the most recent threat model and challenges of large-scale combat operations.
This rotation will serve as a blueprint for the Army's future operations, as it marks the initial implementation of the new force structure and significantly changes how missions are executed at JRTC and beyond.
Spc. Salvador Castro, a public affairs specialist with the 27th Public Affairs Detachment, 10th Mountain Division (LI), expressed the importance of the training.
“Every task that we did in this round robin is essential to keeping us alive in austere environments,” Castro said. “It's important that we’re doing this training because the division is heading off to JRTC here in a few months, and it’s really essential that we’re getting these basic tasks learned and done.”
The JRTC training environment includes simulated journalists, local citizens, elected officials, and religious leaders. Soldiers participating in a JRTC rotation engage in a variety of tasks, including seizing objectives, establishing communications and supply lines, defending and expanding positions, providing medical care and evacuation, and interacting with the simulated civilians.
In preparation, Soldiers trained in essential tasks such as preparing a camouflage net, operating the RT-1523 ASIP Radio, and training with chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear equipment.
Chief Warrant Officer 3 Hall Cordone, 10th Mountain Division (LI) CBRN technician, taught HHBN Soldiers the CBRN portion of the round-robin training.
“They've been very receptive and eager to learn the information,” Cordone said. “While it's always important to know how to protect yourself in a CBRN environment, it's gonna become even more relevant for JRTC getting back to those basic tasks.”
Staff Sgt. David Wise, an intelligence analyst with HHBN, 10th Mountain Division (LI), led instruction about the updated camouflage netting system. Wise emphasized the importance of mastering basic skills for JRTC and how the changing force structure will impact the upcoming rotation.
“It's different because typically it's not the whole division, it would just be your BCT (brigade combat team) going down and doing JRTC. So us doing it as a whole division kind of demonstrates on that scale,” Wise said. “This is demonstrating that we are able to deploy in large scale and still be able to employ our force effectively”
This commitment to developing Soldiers at all levels sets the foundation for future success and prepares the division to face any upcoming threat.
As HHBN Soldiers continue to refine their skills, they steadily improve their readiness for the upcoming JRTC rotation, while upholding the division's reputation of excellence.
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