Tennessee Army National Guard & 101st Airborne Division used VBS3

[Asid]

In a recent training exercise, soldiers with the Tennessee Army National Guard and the 101st Airborne Division used Virtual Battlespace 3.



Soldiers from 1176th Transportation Company from the Tennessee Army National Guard practice grenade machine gun marksmanship, July 12, with the help of 541st Transportation Company, 129th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 101st Airborne Division Sustainment Brigade, 101st Abn. Div., during 1176th TC’s annual training exercise.


Soldiers of 1176th Transportation Company from the Tennessee Army National Guard recently trained with the 129th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 101st Airborne Division Sustainment Brigade, 101st Abn. Div., during their annual training exercise.

As part of a new three-year associated unit pilot program, units from the Army National Guard are being paired up with active-duty units to improve readiness in the reserve components.

The 1176th TC arrived July 7 and immediately began a five-day convoy crew academy that culminated with convoy situation training exercise lanes.

Personnel from 129th CSSB supervised and performed observer/controller functions as well as opposing forces.

Various scenarios were planned by the 129th CSSB intelligence section while the operations section put together scenarios on the first day in the training areas and culminating with a Craig Village event with small arms fire and improvised explosive device simulators to test the mettle of the Soldiers coming through.

The Soldiers also attended defense advanced GPS receiver and joint capabilities release-logistics software classes at the Kinnard Mission Training Complex.

Soldiers completed a .50 caliber and grenade machine gun range while other Soldiers in the company went through rollover, reconfigurable vehicle tactics trainer and virtual battlespace three training to better prepare them for future deployments.

Sergeant First Class Jeremy Manning, a training noncommissioned officer with 1176th TC, attended annual training with 129th CSSB.

“It was an eye-opening experience,” Manning said. “Many of the new National Guard Soldiers had never had hands-on experience with this equipment.”

During the last two days of training, Soldiers practiced multiple convoy scenarios.

“It helped to run the convoy lanes and put not only me under pressure, but my fellow Soldiers who have never deployed in positions they were unaccustomed to with decision-making and judgment calls,” said Spc. Joshua Wilford, a motor transport operator assigned to 1176th TC.

The Guard Soldiers put their communication skills, hasty recovery skills and reporting procedures learned at the crew academy to use during the training.

For Soldiers of 129th CSSB it was a chance to spend extra time to train with their associated unit pilot program partners for future successful operations in October, when they return for another field exercise.