Brigade leans on Air Force, National Guard support

by Sgt. Eric-James Estrada
4-25th IBCT Public Affairs

6/17/2014 - JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska -- More than 400 paratroopers and Airmen participated in a large-scale exercise at Fort Greely June 7 to Tuesday. The Joint Forcible Entry Exercise included an airborne jump and trained paratroopers to get on the ground quickly and efficiently.

Spartan paratroopers with 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, hosted the three-day JFEX at the Donnelly Training Area.

The JFEX included interoperability training to jointly seize an airfield, establish and expand a lodgment to include follow-on missions. Airmen of the Alaska National Guard's 176th Wing provided airlift support, the Oregon National Guard's 125th Special Tactics Squadron controlled the aircraft, and the 736th Security Forces Squadron, 36th Contingency Response Group, based out of Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, provided security and running the airfield in terms of marshaling the aircraft and unloading and offloading all vehicles, pallets and equipment.

"Today demonstrates one, the capability of the joint force, but two, the flexibility," said Army Lt. Col. Tobin Magsig, a native of Nashville, Tenn., and commander of the 1st Battalion (Airborne), 501st Infantry Regiment.

The JFEX started off with a heavy-equipment drop of howitzers and military vehicles parachuting to the ground at the Donnelly Drop Zone for the 2nd Battalion, 377th Parachute Field Artillery Regiment. The Spartan Steel Battalion provided counter fires capability in the event of indirect fire on the airfield. During the drop, three of the 11 loads received some damage as heavy winds pushed them before they landed on the drop zone. The heavy winds, which were within the limits for a heavy drop, were not within safety measures for personnel. A nearby forest fire that began to escalate within the area of the planned airfield seizure forced the Spartan paratroopers and Air Force jumpers to come up with a new plan, and quickly.

"We changed the location of the drop zone over 200 miles away in less than three hours based on hearing word on the severity of the fires," Magsig said. "After the force conducted its airborne operation, we reconvened a team and conducted an air land here at Allen Army Airfield. Although we're getting here a little later then we planned, we're still going to be able to conduct our training and achieve our training objectives."

Since coming back from their recent training rotation at the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, La., Magsig said the brigade has found some areas they can improve on.

"Last month, the battalion went to the [JRTC] and that was fantastic training, but like all our training events there were some things that we could have done better," Magsig said.

"There are several ... training objectives that each company has that we're going to work and weave into this exercise from a groundside. The air component brings their own set of training objectives. What's important is that we work together and maximize our interoperability to achieve each other's training objectives."

For the 36th CRG stationed at Guam, this is their first time working with the Spartan Brigade and training in Alaska.

"This is a new partnership that we have been building, but we do have other airborne units that are security forces that have jumped in through [JFEX] at Fort Bragg and with the 75th Ranger Regiment out of Fort Benning," said Air Force Master Sgt. Somchai Rollins, a member of the 36th CRG. "So for this theater, this is the first time we've done this; but throughout the Air Force, we have done it before."

The 36th CRG is a rapid-deployment unit designed to aid airborne units in securing an airfield and establishing and maintaining airfield operations. Coming from tropical weather, Rollins said he and the rest of the 36th CRG met with some interesting challenges.

"Coming from a tropical island, Guam, and coming here and [54-degree temperature] is a little cold for us, but apparently people are around here having fun," he said. "And the sunlight, that's another thing too. As you can tell, right behind me (sunset) it's about [1:30 a.m.]. For us in Guam we're used to it being dark at [6:30 p.m.] So that's another challenge, we're trying to sleep and get acclimated. It's a little tough."

Air Force Master Sgt. Scott Geisser, an Air Force combat controller, and native of Townsend, Mont., with the 125th Special Tactics Squadron out of Portland, Ore., provides the connection between Army, Navy Special Forces and the Air Force.

"We're the link," he said. "Everything from calling in airdrops of personnel and/or equipment to providing air-traffic control services to bring that equipment into austere landing zones, ... and close air support to bring air power to the ground forces. This is not new to me. It's different because it's a much larger scale than we're used to, but it's been a good experience overall."

Magsig said when it comes to airfield seizures, it can't be done without them.

"The special tactics squadron provides air traffic control and controls the aircraft as it comes in and clears the runways and taxiways, and the contingency response groups helps us set up and run the airfield in terms of marshaling the aircraft and unloading and offloading all of our vehicles, pallets and equipment," the battalion commander said. "They run the aerial port of embarkation and debarkation, marshal aircraft as they arrive, park them, and receive the equipment, and they help us in the security of the airfield as well."
As the Spartan Brigade continues to train, this exercise served as a certification of the Army's contingency-response force for the Pacific Theater.