Iowa Soldiers return to Camp Ripley for XCTC rotation

CAMP RIPLEY, Minn. - Over 5,000 Soldiers from eight states gathered at Camp Ripley, Minnesota, for an eXportable Combat Training Capabilities (XCTC) exercise from the beginning of July to August 2024.

Soldiers representing Iowa, Minnesota, Ohio, North Carolina, South Carolina, Oregon, Illinois and South Dakota worked together to create a large-scale, realistic training exercise that exposed Iowa's 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division to simulated warfare.

XCTC aims to increase the skills, competency and readiness of Soldiers at all echelons through authentic representations of tactical challenges.

"The last time the brigade completed an XCTC rotation was up here [at Camp Ripley] in 2019," said Col. Eric Soults, commander of the 2/34th IBCT, Iowa Army National Guard. "The brigade went through this rotation in similar fashion, but the difference between then and now is that…we're adding the complexity that we have all new people in different positions who haven't seen this, so it's really almost like resetting the entire brigade."

Though platoon-centric, the program includes company-level training lanes culminating in a brigade-level exercise to ensure all levels are prepared for the full-spectrum of deployment operations.

Soldiers conducted several training lanes covering live-fire exercises, air assault movements, resupplies, mass casualty care, convoy operations and more.

"I think it's good for the brigade and battalions and companies to see where flaws are now so that we can fix them and train back at home station to be prepared for [the next level of training]," said Capt. Brandon Lindsey, a healthcare administrative specialist with Company C, 334th Brigade Support Battalion, 2/34th IBCT. "So, for example, if a [mass casualty] incident were to happen - it's chaos - but our purpose for a MASCAL is to stay calm and collected, be trained and proficient in our tasks so that when that does happen, we're prepared to take care of patients in a timely and effective manner, and to save as many people as we possibly can."

XCTC represents an opportunity, said Lindsey, for many elements to work together to train and there is a high sense of excitement in the experience for Soldiers involved.

"The brigade's primary goal here is to improve the readiness of our brigade combat team," said Soults. "So, we should come out of here being more proficient in our teams, our squads, platoons…All the way up to myself, the brigade commander, and just be better able to function as a team using all of our systems that will enable us to successfully accomplish our mission."

Observer-coach-trainers (OCT) from First Army oversee the exercises and provide neutral, third-party feedback to Soldiers and leaders. OCTs are trainers who travel to meet the training needs of reserve components.

"So, we're embedded OCTs and we're also on the outside looking in," said Sgt. 1st Class Terrell Francis, a network communication systems specialist with the 1st Battalion, 345th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 157th Infantry Brigade, First Army Division East. "So, we're there to actually roll with the unit out to the site. All of us on our team are there to assist them in any way that we can. So when it is time for them to actually tear it down and do it up again, we can actually tell them, hey, this is what we saw wrong and this is what we saw right."

Francis believes the collective experience of OCTs who have deployed is of the greatest value. The OCTs' goal is to prepare Soldiers for real-world combat, so they create many challenges based on their personal experiences in the field.

"We take all of our deployment experience and we put it into different scenarios so they can understand that you're never going to get the same scenario, ever," said Francis. "That's just not how life is and how deployments are, but we want [them] to have foresight of what they think is going to happen, try to plan as much as possible to save as many people - as many lives - and equipment if possible as we can."

For Francis, who is participating for the first time in an XCTC as an OCT, it's been a highlight to see Soldiers soaking up as much information as possible and applying what they learn in real time.

Active component Soldiers and civilians also act as opposing forces (OPFOR), adding to the realism of the events.

"It's so much better having [others] play the roles rather than creating our own OPFOR out of our organic unit just because it's a lot easier to take it more seriously," said Staff Sgt. Samantha Welch, a squad leader with the 186th Military Police Company, 734th Regional Support Group, Iowa Army National Guard. "Peers that we know may try to make it funny or use inside jokes or things of that nature."

Having outside players acting as enemy forces helps keep the exercises grounded and makes the experience feel more realistic for Soldiers who are training.

"Using outside OPFOR, as I say, is a little bit better just because [they] don't necessarily see it as a game," said Sgt. Jesus Pliugo, an infantryman with the 1st Combined Arms Battalion, 194th Armored Regiment, Minnesota Army National guard. "[As OPFOR] I do have a few buddies over there, but I kind of see it as a challenge and I give it my all."

OPFOR actors Sgt. Eric Ilaug and Spc. Anthony Rozzel, also infantrymen with the 1-194th AR, spoke about how XCTC helps to fill in the gaps in experience for Soldiers within the training units.

"We saw a lot of young guys over on the other side, from our perspective, right out of [Basic Combat Training] pretty much," said Ilaug. "So, there was an experience gap, and it also came down to the individual Soldiers passing through drills."

XCTC can be tailored to the capabilities and needs of those participating, which makes the program especially beneficial to National Guard elements.

"Actually, coming here and seeing the changes and the love that these people are putting into it, I think it was the best thing," said Francis, who has been an OCT for many pre-mobilization training programs for reserve components. "So, the most positive thing [is seeing] that - from the top down, from leadership all the way to the lowest level - they're listening, learning and taking everything that we have given them and actually putting forth the effort."

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