Cavalry Soldiers conduct live fire training at XCTC
Soldiers from the Camp Pendleton-based Troop C, 2nd Squadron, 183rd Cavalry Regiment, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team conduct live fire training June 18, 2014, at Fort Pickett, Va. Col. John M. Epperly, commander of the 116th, visited the training and emphasized the importance of safety with temperatures reaching nearly 100 degrees. The cavalry Soldiers executed an area reconnaissance to determine enemy location and capabilities, then engaged the objective with live fire, including mortars. The training is part of the 10-day eXportable Combat Training Capability rotation designed to train and validate platoons on tasks that support offensive and defensive operations under daylight and hours of limited visibility. Units will concentrate on training selected mission essential tasks in a realistic field environment to refocus junior leaders on tactical field craft. The Army National Guard’s XCTC program provides an experience similar to a Combat Training Center to Guard Soldiers at a home station training center, minimizing cost and time away from home and jobs. XCTC is an instrumented field training exercise designed to certify unit proficiency in coordination with First Army. (Photo Cotton Puryear, Virginia National Guard Public Affairs)
Cavalry Soldiers conduct live fire training at XCTC
Soldiers from the Camp Pendleton-based Troop C, 2nd Squadron, 183rd Cavalry Regiment, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team conduct live fire training June 18, 2014, at Fort Pickett, Va. Col. John M. Epperly, commander of the 116th, visited the training and emphasized the importance of safety with temperatures reaching nearly 100 degrees. The cavalry Soldiers executed an area reconnaissance to determine enemy location and capabilities, then engaged the objective with live fire, including mortars. The training is part of the 10-day eXportable Combat Training Capability rotation designed to train and validate platoons on tasks that support offensive and defensive operations under daylight and hours of limited visibility. Units will concentrate on training selected mission essential tasks in a realistic field environment to refocus junior leaders on tactical field craft. The Army National Guard’s XCTC program provides an experience similar to a Combat Training Center to Guard Soldiers at a home station training center, minimizing cost and time away from home and jobs. XCTC is an instrumented field training exercise designed to certify unit proficiency in coordination with First Army. (Photo Cotton Puryear, Virginia National Guard Public Affairs)