As the U.S. prepares to withdraw from Iraq, the National Training Center stands ready to meet the Army's changing training requirements, said Gen. Robert Cone, commander of U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, during an Aug. 16 visit to the NTC.
Cone served as commanding general of the NTC and Fort Irwin from Sept. 2004 to June 2007. During his visit, he observed Soldiers from 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, conducting an urban mounted patrol lane in the NTC's Shaar-e-Tiefort Village. Brig. Gen. Terry Ferrell, commander of the NTC and Fort Irwin, Col. Antonio Aguto, commander of the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, and Col. Tobin Green, commander of Operations Group, briefed Cone on the design behind rotational training schedules. Cone also met with team leaders from the NTC's Operations Group to listen to their thoughts on some of the challenges facing RTUs and ways those challenges could be overcome. Cone thanked the team leaders for their input.
"I have the utmost respect for what you do," Cone said. "I know what it means to the quality of our force."
Cone said one of the biggest changes to training at the NTC after withdrawal from Iraq and, eventually, from Afghanistan, will be a shift toward training for situations that could arise, rather than definite combat.
"We have to capture the imagination of this generation of young officers and non-commissioned officers to get (them) excited about training for a contingency versus the certainty of going to combat," Cone said. "That's all they've known for the last 10 years. The NTC has always led the way in thinking about potential future threats and the requirements for training and readiness for our units. So what they're capable of portraying here will set a standard across our Army."
Cone praised the commitment of his successors, Maj. Gen. Dana Pittard, Maj. Gen. Robert Abrams, and Brig. Gen. Terry Ferrell, to continuing to support Fort Irwin families while developing state-of-the-art training facilities. He added that he was impressed by the changes that had taken place on the installation since his tenure as commanding general.
"They've done an excellent job," Cone said. "It's important in a time of war that the NTC is a good place to live for the great people that work here and support these rotations."
Cone said he and his wife thoroughly enjoyed their time at the NTC and Fort Irwin.
"I think most of us who have served here know that this is a well-kept secret," he said. "What (Soldiers) have done here, and what they do every day has led to thousands of Soldiers succeeding in combat and living to fight another day. There's no place like it."
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