FORT CAVAZOS, Texas — The ground shook and dust filled the air as artillery crews and AH-64 Apache pilots with the 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team (Greywolf) engaged simulated targets on Jack Mountain Multi-Use range during a combined arms live fire exercise (CALFEX), Jan. 13, 2025, at Fort Cavazos.
The multilayered training event, in preparation for the brigade’s upcoming National Training Center rotation this Spring, gave the unit an opportunity to test and improve their skills in a complex assault on a small training compound.
Lt. Col. Erik Miller, the 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, commander highlighted how this was the first time several of the junior and senior leaders trained together since arriving to the unit.
“When you start including squads, platoons, companies and having all of the infrastructure and support requirements pulled into one, that creates the friction of first-time experiences,” said Miller. “On the other side of the coin, those friction points have also been the most rewarding as the teams have figured out, learned, proven and grown confidence in themselves.”
During the multi-day training event involving attack aviation crews, combat engineers, dismounted infantry, tank and Bradley Fighting Vehicle crews, heavy artillery, mortar sections and maintenance and logistical support, the crews continued to progress through their gunnery qualification tables.
They completed Table 6 qualification which trains combat Soldiers to be highly proficient on their assigned weapon platforms, mounted or unmounted, to safely and accurately engage the enemy during a time of war.
“This training is the affirmation of the work the squads, platoons and companies have done over the last six months,” said Miller. “To see them execute has been a huge boost for them as they build their confidence and get those repetitions.”
This exercise is not only used as an opportunity for Soldiers to improve their warfighter capabilities, but to demonstrate lethality.
“We have aviation elements and we hope to bring in some electronic warfare training to execute in different lanes as we go through,” said Miller. “We are able to pull in a bunch of different resources that are external to the organization … It's a really good way of creating problem sets that we may encounter at the National Training Center.”
The GREYWOLF Brigade is set to deploy to NTC in the spring.
“Getting out here and working as a team is great,” said Maj. James Hobbs the operations officer with 3rd Engineer Battalion. “It’s going to make us more lethal and help us win every fight.”
The CALFX is scheduled to continue until Feb. 3, on Fort Cavazos, Texas.
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