NEW LONDON, N.C. — U.S. Army Soldiers with the 20th Special Forces Group and the 3rd Battalion, 118th Air Support Operations Squadron partnered with the United Kingdom British Army’s 101st Regimental Royal Artillery during a Patriot Training Event at the N.C. Emergency Training Center in New London, on April 17, 2026.
Patriot training events focus on developing junior enlisted soldiers, noncommissioned officers, and squad leaders by enhancing tactical skills and mission readiness.
“We don’t get enough time to train, so we’re looking to change some of the ways we conduct training in North Carolina,” said Chief Warrant Officer 3 Jake Smith, 20th Special Forces Group, 3rd Battalion. “We conduct five to six additional training events per year focused on lethality and survivability.”
While traditional NG Soldiers train one weekend per month and two weeks annually, these events provide additional opportunities for soldiers to improve unit-level proficiency and bring those skills back to their formations. Training includes planning, mounted and dismounted operations, and tactical movement.
These events are low-cost and designed to deliver high-quality training, allowing soldiers to learn through experience.
“It doesn’t just benefit us; this benefits the entire state of North Carolina,” Smith said.
Social Sharing