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Command prepares 10th Mountain Division for Afghanistan

A USJFCOM team will conduct Unified Endeavor Mission Rehearsal Exercise 10-3, an exercise designed to prepare the 10th Mountain Division for challenges they will face in their deployment to Afghanistan.

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By Army Sgt. Josh LeCappelain
USJFCOM Public Affairs

(NORFOLK, Va. - July 14, 2010) -- Members of U.S. Joint Forces Command (USJFCOM) will conduct Unified Endeavor 10-3 Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) Region Command - South (RC-S) Mission Rehearsal Exercise (MRX) July 14- 30 at Fort Drum, N.Y.

The MRX will help the Army's 10th Mountain Division transition smoothly into Afghanistan as it replaces a multinational contingent, led by British forces currently overseeing operations in RC-S under the command of NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).

The exercise will focus on challenges the division will encounter in Afghanistan, including counterinsurgency and development and reconstruction, said Navy Capt. Dennis Mikeska, USJFCOM Joint Warfighting Center/Joint Training Directorate joint exercise chief.

"For the 10th Mountain Division, their commander (Army Maj. Gen. James Terry) and his staff, this exercise will apprise them of what is ongoing in theatre," Mikeska said. "We come together to create a realistic training environment for them of what's going on. We also turn the knob and project out what they might encounter during their deployment."

USJFCOM provides realistic, relevant training during MRX's by taking lessons learned from previous deployments and applying them into training scenarios that prepare commanders and their staff with hands on experience.

"We produce an operationally-realistic environment that stimulates the senses through touch, feel and communication that they will encounter in theatre. We emulate to the best possible means to create a similar layout, using the same equipment that they will encounter," said Mikeska. "We even try to replicate, when possible, the distances that things will be apart, so that they become accustomed to the setup they will live with."

The 10th Mountain Division will encounter problem sets and day-to-day issues during the exercise requiring coordination with the ISAF Headquarters (HQ), U.S. Central Command HQ and ISAF Joint Command (IJC). The control group, manned by personnel with recent experience at ISAF HQ and others currently assigned to the IJC in Afghanistan, will replicate the ISAF Joint Command headquarters at Fort. The control group also will replicate the U.S. chain of command.

In addition, Afghan nationals will travel to Fort Drum to work with Terry and his team, helping develop relationships that will be critical during the deployment. They will act as role players, representing the armed forces and government of Afghanistan.

"UE 10-3, like its predecessor earlier in the year for the 101st Airborne Division, is bringing Afghan Security Forces to the U.S. to work side-by-side with whom they'll be working in the future. (The Afghans) can best provide perspective on their country and the way to move forward," said Mikeska. "In this case, we've been collaborating with folks in RC-S to ensure that the Afghan's perspective - what they need - shapes our focus in educating, facilitating and ensuring that the folks deploying know the best tactics, techniques and procedures."

Members of the 10th Mountain Division going through the training view it as a valuable tool in their preparation.

"This is the third time I've deployed with the division headquarters," said Sgt. Sam Dillon, a broadcaster. "The first time I went through one of these MRXs, before deploying to Afghanistan in 2006, I was a private first class and didn't know what to expect. The MRX showed me what we'd encounter and raised my awareness of what was expected, as well as what we were getting into. I felt much better prepared when it was over."

"During the second one, prior to our deployment to Iraq in 2008, I readjusted to the deployed mindset and focused on helping my new colleagues who hadn't deployed with a division prepare," he added, saying that he was excited for this MRX and to see the advances in Afghanistan since he was there four years ago.

One of the changes the 10th Mountain Division will see in this MRX is the Afghanistan Mission Network. Twenty-two countries use the system coordinate operations. A simulation of that system will travel to Fort Drum to help the staff become familiar with its operation. .

Participants from the State Department, Defense Intelligence Agency, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, U.S. Embassy Kabul and the U.S Agency for International Development along with international organizations like the U.N Assistance Mission Afghanistan and the International Committee of the Red Cross also will participate in the exercise.