III Armored Corps concludes Warfighter 25-4, assuring readiness, allied strength

FORT HOOD (THEN CAVAZOS), Texas – III Armored Corps concluded its nine-day warfighting exercise, WFX 25-4 June 3. The six-nation simulated training event reaffirmed a shared commitment to decisive action and strengthening strong bonds, which is vital to deterring aggression and ensuring global stability.

The exercise was conducted May 26-June 3, involving over 7,000 personnel—roughly the size of two brigade combat teams—from multiple nations including the U.S., Belgium, Netherlands, France, Germany and the U.K. Participants operated from bases in Texas, Colorado, France and Germany. Participating divisions included the 4th Infantry Division (U.S.), the 10th Panzer Division (Germany), 1st French Division and the 3rd United Kingdom Division.

“The power of the alliance and the power of integration shows that the whole is more than the sum of the parts,” stated U.K. Maj. Gen Andy Cox, III Armored Corps’ Deputy Commanding General-Support.

WFX 25-4 scenario presented a challenging, near-peer threat attempting to rapidly seize key terrain and disrupt lines of communication. The exercise was deliberately designed to stress systems and processes across the battlespace, requiring participants to operate under conditions of constant pressure and uncertainty.

To effectively address this threat, III Armored Corps established simulated and real-world operational nodes representing rear operations (focused on sustainment and force protection), forward operations (concentrating on close combat and maneuver) and deep operations (targeting enemy strategic assets and disrupting their command and control).

“Warfighter ensures that one - we’re experienced at operating in environments where other countries are setting different conditions and standards and two, that were prepared to fight over long distances,” said U.S. Army Maj. Michael Mulligan, III Armored Corps future operations planner.

Mulligan gave a historical example of how the U.S. military fought across most of the world on almost every continent during World War II, and how the Corps needs to be prepared to fight the same kind of conflict in the future. Mulligan also said warfighters most importantly address the challenge of integrating multiple forces and identifying friction points to guarantee operational success.

Central to maintaining situational awareness and command and control across these dispersed nodes was the utilization of the Virtual Joint Operations Center (VJOC) and the Multi-Agent Virtual Environment (MAVEN). VJOC enabled real-time collaboration and information sharing between geographically separated headquarters, while MAVEN tracked unit movements in real-time which provided a realistic and dynamic operational picture for commanders and warfighting functions (WFF) at echelon for informed decision making.

Relatively new to III Armored Corps, MAVEN helped the staff at various levels of command, like U.S. Army Europe and Africa to coordinate planning across the multinational force.

The three dimensions of interoperability defined in Joint Publication 1-0—human, technical and procedural—were central to the exercise’s success. Achieving these principles allowed for seamless coordination and a unified response to the complex challenges presented by the scenario.

“From a technical aspect it’s interesting to see how our different IT services work and how data and information are shared within the different multinational systems so that our commanders and their subordinate units have a similar operational picture and support for a decision-making process,” expressed German Army Lt. Col. Stefan Schoenberger, 10th Panzer Division liaison officer.

Schoenberger said while he had been to the U.S. several times, this was his first time participating in a warfighter as a soldier and he valued being a member of the team at and would take his lessons learned back to Germany.

Each WFF—maneuver, intelligence, fires, sustainment, protection, command and control—played a critical role in planning and executing operations across all phases, from shaping the environment to decisive engagement and consolidation of gains. The synchronization, balance and sequencing of these functions was constantly tested during the warfighter.

The exercise focused on integrated air and ground maneuver and leverage lethal and non-lethal fires technologies such as information operations, civil affairs, cyber electronic warfare, space capabilities and munitions like short and long-range precision fires.

“The group we have in future operations (FUOPS) is a very lethal team,” said Maj. Brent Green, fire-support officer in the Multi-Domain Integration Cell (MDIC), Headquarters and Headquarters Company, III Armored Corps. “We bridge the gap between future operations and current operations.”

Green explained the idea of FUOPS is to find windows of convergence—effectively, exploiting where in time and space the enemy is most vulnerable. Green also discussed some challenges when conducting multinational operations and how NATO doctrine and interoperable systems help synergize artillery effects.

“For example, we use AFATADs (Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System) in the American army. The German army, the French and British all use different systems, so ASCA (Artillery Systems Cooperation Activities) allows the partner nations to integrate with the American systems and talk and interoperate with allied field artillery systems,” continued Green.

While technologies like MAVEN and VJOC enabled cross-continent communications, planning and simulated actions across all domains, technology alone is only one dimension of interoperability. The other invaluable human dimension comes from face-to-face interactions, the shared meals and the collaborative problem-solving that build trust and cohesion.

“Interoperability for the United States and France army is a key challenge because of so many security challenges around the world,” said Col. Thomas, French Liaison Office to Headquarters Department of the Army.

Thomas emphasized both Armies needed to be ready to intervene wherever needed and that warfighters are a unique opportunity to increase understanding of how the U.S. corps works, how the staff is organized and its expectations to make the fight better.

Participants noted it was the human element—the direct interaction and shared understanding forged during this exercise that truly amplified the multinational corps’ capabilities.

Following the exercise, a comprehensive after-action review was conducted, to identify key lessons learned and inform future training initiatives. III Armored Corps remains steadfast in its commitment to incorporating these insights into its ongoing preparations for potential contingencies and future allied training events.

The III Armored Corps has a long history of responding to the nation’s call. Activated on May 16, 1918, the corps went on to win battle streamers for the Aisne-Marne, Lorraine, and the Meuse-Argonne campaigns during World War I, gained notoriety for the Battle of Remagen during World War II, and its contributions to the Global War on Terrorism.

More recently, elements of the Corps, including the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, deployed to Poland in early 2024 as part of Operation Atlantic Resolve, bolstering NATO’s eastern flank.

Similarly, the 1st Cavalry Division, a key component of III Armored Corps, completed a rotational deployment to South Korea in late 2024. These deployments underscore the Corps’ enduring commitment to forward presence and collective defense.