Artillery Soldiers increase accuracy during XCTC - June 24, 2014

Soldiers of Hampton-based Battery B, 1st Battalion, 111th Field Artillery, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Virginia Army National Guard conduct live-fire platoon validations June 24, 2014, at Fort Pickett, Va. The exercise was 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. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. JoAnna Greene/Released)