Spartans hone Arctic warrior skills during winter training

by Army Staff Sgt. Jeffrey Smith
JBER Public Affairs

2/13/2014 - JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska -- Paratroopers with the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, along with various units and enablers from across Alaska worked together to demonstrate their unique ability to carry out combat, as well as safety and security operations while in an arctic environment during their winter field training exercise Jan. 28 through Feb. 5 at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.

More than 3,000 service members participated in the event. It all started with a forced-entry airborne insertion on Jan. 28.

Situational training exercises, to include mounted and dismounted live fire action and gunneries, along with unmanned aircraft system surveillance of the battlefield, 105-mm howitzer artillery crew certifications and firings, air assaults, and mounted and dismounted security patrols were some of the skills paratroopers executed during the event.

Due to regular deployment rotations in support of the Global War on Terrorism, the winter FTX was a first for the Spartan Brigade since its inception in 2008.

The Spartan paratroopers received training while planning and executing missions, further validating the unit's abilities to respond to contingencies and humanitarian relief efforts in the Asia-Pacific Theater. In addition, the FTX helped ready the Spartan Brigade for their upcoming rotation to the Joint Readiness Training Center, Fort Polk, La.

Battalion commanders were pleased with their units' accomplishments and with the support of the outside enabling units that contributed to the training's success.

"I am real proud of how we, as a squadron, as a troop, all the way down to the platoon, at the section, and squad level have performed up to this point," said Army Lt. Col. Richard Scott, commander of the 1st Squadron (Airborne), 40th Cavalry Regiment. "The guys on the ground performed the way that I expected recon scouts to perform; dismounted recon scouts. I think there is a level of discipline that you need to come into an environment like this, and to this point we have had no issues."

The commander of the 3rd Battalion (Airborne), 509th Infantry Regiment, Army Lt. Col. Patrick Altenburg, said, "This is the first big arctic FTX the brigade has ever done since it stood up, and dealing with the arctic cold, and how to operate.

"I think it is going really well. I think the key is the planning and rehearsing, and when they plan and rehearse, it all comes together, so, each day they are getting better."
Working together internally and externally with outside enablers was a key piece of the training.

"This is great training," said Army Lt. Col. Tobin Magsig, commander of the 1st Battalion (Airborne), 501st Infantry Regiment. "The best part of the training for us though, is the enabler support that we've had, both from our brothers up at Fort Wainwright and [6th Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment]. We had the [B Company, 1st Battalion, 52nd Aviation Regiment] 'Sugar Bear' element ... and then today from the Alaska National Guard providing support with the UH-60 [Black Hawks], and then our own brigade enabler support with the [RQ-7 Unmanned Aircraft System] Shadows, MPs, and human contact teams."

Flexibility is essential for military units as they conduct operations in today's world, Magsig said.

"We're focusing on how the battalion is able to seamlessly transition and react and operate in a permissive, semi-permissive and non-permissive environment," he said. "Our ability to rapidly transition between those three operating environments is really what we are getting after during the last week and a half and into the end of this week."

Army Lt. Col. Christopher Ward, commander of the 2nd Battalion, 377th Parachute Field Artillery Regiment, said his artillerymen benefited from the tough arctic conditions.

"We've trained pretty hard in all of the core artillery proficiency tasks that we have, here last summer and the fall, but now we are doing those same skill sets in an arctic environment," Ward said. "It just increases the level of difficulty. Obviously, colder weather, having more gear on, the mobility is not the same. So just being able to maintain that level of proficiency that we had several months ago in a different environment is always a challenge, and our guys are doing a great job of getting after it."

Combat support and combat service support elements of the brigade played essential key roles during the FTX.

"I believe this is an outstanding event," said Army Lt. Col. Peter Crandall, the commander of the 725th Brigade Support Battalion (Airborne). "It's the first time the brigade as a BCT has come to the field. So, as a support battalion, with co-locating all of the [forward support companies] here with us, and integrating them into synching logistics for the brigade, we've never done this before, so I think going forward, for any exercise, be it Fort Polk, or we deploy to any other country in the [Pacific Command Area of Responsibility] will greatly enhance the [tactics, techniques, and procedures] that we have."

In all, the FTX was a success and integrated systems not often seen and experienced, such as the incorporation of battlefield surveillance provided by one of the brigade's newest assets, the RQ7 Shadow UAS.

The paratroopers gained proficiency and knowledge while operating in the Arctic conditions, and they will carry that experience forward as they continue to train and execute orders handed down to them.

"When push comes to shove, what we're doing, they're (Spartan paratroopers) really excited to do, and it's a challenge," said Army Lt. Col. Kevin Perera, the commander of the 425th Brigade Special Troops Battalion (Airborne). "They have distinct pride in the fact that nobody else in the Army comes and hangs out in the field and does combat training like this, in, you know, seven degrees."

In addition to the upcoming rotation to JRTC, the Spartan Brigade continues to train and conduct missions across the Pacific region with recent operations in Australia for the Talisman Saber 2013 mission and the mission to the Kingdom of Thailand for Exercise Cobra Gold 2014.