White Sands Missile Range frequently conducts military tests and experiments, and yesterday they conducted the largest training exercise ever held at the range.
The 82nd airborne division flew to New Mexico from North Carolina dropping around 600 paratroops in the second phase of a two-week long Network Integration Evaluation, a training exercise to test new equipment and how well different military divisions can work together.
Jay Hayden, Chief of the Systems to Systems Branch at White Sands Missile Range says about 200 troops from Fort Bliss acted as enemy forces on the ground.
“The Objective of today’s event was to capture and seize an airfield held by enemy forces,” Jay Hayden said. “Once they seized the airfield as you saw, some C-17’s landed with additional equipment and troops. They defeat the enemy forces, and secure the area. So, they can proceed south into another objective at Fort Bliss.”
The rest of the phases will continue over a 10-day period at various locations at White Sands and Fort Bliss. Hayden says they keep the training exercises as realistic as possible.
“It’s very realistic,” Hayden says. “The soldiers are given a mission set, and they are given equipment to use, and it’s up to them to determine how they are going to complete their mission set. And the same thing with the opposition forces, they are given a mission to hinder or counter attack the soldiers. And, again, they are not told how to do it. It’s up to them to determine. So during these exercises and mission events, the army gets to evaluate the training of the soldiers, the tactics that they use. The way they use the equipment and the capabilities of the equipment.”
U.S. forces are not the only ones participating in the exercise. About 150 soldiers for the United Kingdom and Italy were also on hand, and up to 14 nations are expected to participate at different parts of the two-week exercise. Hayden says it’s important to train with your allies in order to be able to fight together.
“It’s always good to train together,” Hayden said. “That way we can test our communications between our allied networks. Can we pass data? Can we talk to each other? And can we share information?”
Hayden says this type of training is meant to evaluate many different things.
“We’re testing the training tactics concepts of the soldiers,” Hayden said. “And during particular mission sets. We’re also evaluating new systems and equipment that the army either currently has in it’s inventory, that they are under development, or in some cases that industry has a brand new idea or concept to meet a war fighting challenge.”
Hayden says large-scale training exercises like this typically occur twice a year at White Sand Missile Range because of close military bases and the ability to provide life-like situations.
“With our vast-terrain and different types of terrain,” Hayden said. “Along with Fort Bliss, and Holloman Air Force Base and our restricted air space. It allows them over 100 miles North to South, and about 40 miles east to west in order to perform these types of training exercises. Larger than any other area within the continental U.S.”
With over 1,000 troops participating in the second phase of the exercise, and close to 9,000 participating overall. This is the largest training exercise to ever be held at White Sands Missile Range.
