NOVO SELO TRAINING AREA, Bulgaria — The 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, completed their final live fire training exercise of the year on Dec. 9, 2025 on Novo Selo Training Area, Bulgaria.
Over the last four months, the Iron Ranger Battalion progressed from individual to collective training as they prepared for their platoon live fire exercise. During each training event, they are adapting and modifying standard operating procedures to become more efficient and lethal.
The mortar platoon is critical to the success of the mission because of their ability to provide indirect fires in support of the maneuver element. Platoon live fires provide the opportunity for the mortar platoon to coordinate with ground forces to ensure the safety and effectiveness of all pieces on the battlefield to accomplish the desired end state.
“The purpose today is to support platoon [situational training exercise] and to give a realistic combat scenario, while they breach and clear those trenches,” said Spc. Cameron Wilson, a mortarman assigned to 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment.
While training in Bulgaria, the Iron Ranger Battalion executes realistic scenarios to simulate what Soldiers may encounter on the battlefield during large scale combat operations. The training assists the unit in building cohesion and lethality to reinforce NATO’s Eastern Flank.
“This exercise increases warfighting readiness by introducing realistic training on a realistic trench system,” said 1st Lt. Patrick Szceniak, platoon leader of the mortar platoon from the 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment. “Our aspect of providing indirect fire on this trench system is realistic in the fact that infantry platoons are going to need indirect fire to move up to the trench to successfully breach and assault it.”
Throughout the duration of the training, the mortar platoon experienced adverse conditions due to the effects of weather on the terrain. Soldiers learned to adapt and overcome potential obstacles.
"The most challenging part is probably the conditions," said Sgt. Dalton Thomason, squad leader of the mortar platoon from the 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment. “We have to ensure that our tracks and vehicles and everything is fully PMCS (Preventive Maintenance and Service Checks) and fully operational, so that we continue to sustain what we're doing out here.”
Due to the weather conditions, Soldiers from both the mortar platoon and the maneuver element had to be more deliberate in their communication and coordination as they traversed the terrain throughout the mission.
“Each person has to understand exactly what they're doing, so that way, the whole broad picture continues to flow, and it's like a big well-oiled machine,” said Thompson.
Whether it's coordination with indirect fires or movement through trenches, Soldiers with the 1-16th Infantry Regiment learned how to operate under stressful conditions to improvise and adapt regardless of challenges from terrain or weather. As they execute live fire exercises in Bulgaria, the Iron Ranger Battalion continues to strengthen V Corps’ posture of persistent presence — reassuring allies, deterring aggression and reinforcing the U.S. commitment to collective defense.
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