Tag: Orchard Combat Training Center

OCTC hosts 17th Field Artillery Brigade for HIMARS training

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The 17th Field Artillery Brigade deployed from Joint Base Lewis-McChord to the Orchard Combat Training Center last week to increase warfighting readiness and hone lethality in a rigorous, realistic training environment aligned with the challenges of modern combat. The OCTC enabled the brigade to collectively train in a contiguous battlespace with unfamiliar terrain and numerous live firing locations.
“The primary focus of our training operation was a HIMARS battalion-level qualification for 1st Battalion, 94th Field Artillery – the first in many years,” said Col. Andrew J. Knight, commander of the 17th FAB. “We also evaluated the training and readiness of the 308th Brigade Support Battalion and the Brigade Headquarters with the help of observers from the 593rd Corps Support Command, 189th Infantry Combined Arms Training Brigade, the 18th Field Artillery Brigade, and the 65th Field Artillery Brigade from the Utah Army National Guard.”
 
The unit also hosted Brig. Nicholas Wilson, commander of the Australian Army’s 10th Fires Brigade, and his senior enlisted leader, Sgt. Maj. Anthony Hortle. The distinguished visitors were in Idaho to observe the battalion’s training.
 
Over the course of the training the brigade was able to evaluate and demonstrate mastery of several essential combat tasks. These included expeditionary deployment operations, controlling field artillery units, massing rocket and missile artillery missions, sustaining logistics requirements, and maintaining command and control of the brigade while operating at the speed and tempo of the modern battlefield.
 
“We routinely campaign in the Indo-Pacific with our Partners and Allies through Operations Pathways.” said Knight. “Capabilities we built here deter potential adversaries and, if necessary, will win our Nation’s wars.
 
The Orchard Combat Training Center is a premier joint combined arms training site. Its world class ranges and four-season climate make the 173,000-acre training center an ideal location to prepare Brigade Combat Teams and other units for combat in a tough and realistic training environment.

Guardsmen, Volunteers Clean Up Birds of Prey National Conservation Area

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The Idaho National Guard, with the help of partners and local volunteers, held a trash cleanup event in the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area June 22.
“Events like this are really helpful to be able to clean up some of that debris, help lessen the impact on either military training or environmental conservation, and really it’s a win-win for both efforts,” said Lt. Col. Allan Whitehead of the Idaho National Guard.
The Idaho National Guard provided four industrial size dumpsters for the event, all of which were filled to the brim. Idaho National Army Guard Environmental Management Office officials estimated 10-12 cubic tons of trash and debris left behind by recreational shooters or dumped by visitors was removed from the area.
“It just looks poor on the landscape and then people see that and they say ‘Oh it’s okay to do this,’ and it reinforces that it’s okay to dump trash, when I think a lot of us know that it’s not,” said Steve Alsup, the President of the Birds of Prey NCA Partnership.

Air Force’s 582nd Helicopter Group trains at OCTC

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The Air Force’s 582nd Helicopter Group, conducted aerial gunnery training at the Orchard Combat Training Center April 15-26 to ensure its pilots and flight engineers are ready and able to provide airborne security operations. 

The squadron, headquartered at F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, Wyoming, is geographically separated with squadrons in Montana, North Dakota and Wyoming, Its members fly security response missions, enabling key Task Force 214 operations supporting nuclear security missions for 450 intercontinental ballistic missile sites throughout the region. 

The training, which incorporated elements from all three states, serves a dual purpose, said Air Force Capt. Nick Curren, a UH-1N Huey pilot and mission commander for the training evolution. Flight engineers are focused on conducting pre-flight weapons checks, remediating weapons malfunctions and engaging targets on the range, while pilots are focused on maneuvering the aircraft to maximize engineers’ opportunities for success. The end result should be a tighter, more proficient crew.  

Curren, along with many of his fellow Airmen, is training at the OCTC for the first time. Most of the squadron’s similar training exercises take place at bases in Canada, Minnesota, Utah and Wyoming, but the OCTC’s reputation and amenities made the decision to train in Idaho an easy one, he said.

“We’ve only ever heard good things about the range,” said Curren. “This is also my first time as a mission commander, and the people here have been great about answering all my questions and helping me make sure we are doing everything we need to do to make this a success.” 

Idaho’s OCTC is a premier joint combined arms training site with 171,000 acres and 23 world-class ranges.