Operation Falcon Storm 2018
FORT BRAGG, NC, UNITED STATES
02.15.2018
Story by Sgt. Christopher Gallagher
82nd Airborne Division
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The DRE is an extensive training scenario designed to test the overall effectiveness of the Division in its ability to perform an airborne insertion of approximately 800 paratroopers within 18-hours anywhere in the world, and the rest of the Brigade, about 3,700 troops within a time frame of 96-hours as part of the Global Readiness Force.
U.S. Army Col. Pat Work, commander of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division explained why the DRE exists.
"With a Deployment Readiness Exercise, we are exercising all of the systems it takes to deploy the combat potential of the United States of America on short notice,” said Work.
The GRF is a rotational role that is maintained within the three Division Brigade Combat Team's; they make up the main force of the 82nd.
During the 18-hour sequence, the primary focus is to consolidate a single battalion and prepare them with the appropriate personal equipment, vehicles and medical readiness that is required for their specific mission and the location of their insertion. By the 18th hour, the battalion is prepared on the flight line at the Pope Army Airfield and ready to deploy.
By incorporating the assistance of the U.S. Airforce and civilian forces, the readiness exercise is a Joint Service Operation.
“The 82nd is the only Division Headquarters who have deployed as a Joint Task Force both historically and for future operations” stated U.S. Army Capt. Michael Johnson, deputy G3 Air (general staff of operations), 82nd Airborne Division. “Maintaining that capability for the Army is a strategic asset, and it’s one of the reasons why the 82nd is so sought after for deployments and other missions.”
Along with the other services, the 82nd relied heavily on the Combat Aviation Brigade for their support in the air assault missions and critical attacking points. They played a significant role in the preparation and deployment of 2nd Brigade.
After the 18-hour sequence is completed, all attention moves to finalizing the departure of the remaining 3700 troops within 96 hours to reinforce their fellow paratroopers on their assigned mission.
When the DRE began, multiple nodes were activated throughout the division. One example of the nodes include the Initial Issue of Ammunition, where each Paratrooper is issued the basic combat load of ammunition. Another node, the Parachute Issue Facility, remains vigilant in their preparedness to have the numbers of parachutes needed for the mass airborne insertion. The Heavy Drop Rigging Site node consists of specially trained paratroopers that prepare equipment, such as combat vehicles and artillery with parachutes to be airlifted to the specified location and dropped from the aircraft during the initial insertion.
"A lot of our training operations end up in utilizing the same equipment because it's easy to use, easy grab and easy to drop,” said U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Christopher Allais, the aerial delivery office non-commissioned officer with the 151st Quarter Masters, 82nd Sustainment Brigade, 82nd ABN Div., “Where as during a DRE, the equipment we rig is specific to what they need on the drop zone, and so changing that, throws a curveball at everyone, forcing them to react positively."
Though the main force during an immediate airborne insertion is focused and executed by the use of aircraft, much of the non-priority but necessary equipment, including the Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles and Light Medium Tactical Vehicles as well as variations of High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles, convoyed with the assistance of local police forces to the U.S. Navy Naval Weapons Station, Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina. There they would be loaded and transported by ship. Other vehicles and equipment are loaded onto several flatcars at the railhead on Fort Bragg for further transportation needs.
"When you serve in the 82nd Airborne Division, when you're not in the fight, you prepare to fight,” stated Work. “And one of the most valuable qualities of the paratroopers is our flexibility, our ability to go where the Nation needs us, when the Nation needs us."
Once the DRE is completed, the entire Brigade moved to execute their Field Training Exercise, which is to simulate the mission they prepared for during the DRE.
Within the training, spanning over the period of five days, paratroopers immersed themselves in multiple scenarios they might expect to encounter in a hostile environment.
Examples of their training included long-distance movements, mass casualty exercises, a scenario where they must react to a large number of casualties from within their numbers, and reaction to a Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear threats to name a few.
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