By Sgt. Duke Edwards, 3rd Infantry Division.
Despite the near-freezing rain in Fort Stewart, where tank trails that are usually hardened and sturdy have become mushy and waterlogged, soldiers of the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat, 3rd Infantry Division, showcased their readiness and warfighting capabilities. Dogface soldiers completed a force-on- force and live-fire training exercise known as Marne Focus, with support and validation from the 188th Infantry Brigade, from March 3-13.
To showcase its ability to deploy anywhere in the world and win against any threat, 3rd ID annually participates in Marne Focus, a large-scale training exercise simulating real-world combat scenarios designed to test the division’s ability to fight and win in a complex environment. Marne Focus includes thousands of soldiers and various training scenarios, maneuvers, and live-fire exercises.
By understanding current global threats and combat scenarios, the 188th Infantry Brigade shapes and replicates training exercises that provide a realistic experience of current threats. These exercises enable training units to test their tactics, techniques, and procedures in an ever-changing, complex battlefield while receiving feedback, ensuring units are prepared if called upon.
“It’s about repetitions; every repetition, you’re going to get a little better,” said Maj. Nathan Due, operations and training officer for the 188th Infantry Brigade. “They improved on their ability to plan on time constraints. They were able to do an entire operations order at the brigade level and conduct rehearsals all the way down to the battalion levels within nine hours of receiving a mission. That was impressive to see from the Spartan Brigade. Additionally, the talk among commanders at every echelon was impressive and made them successful in the second iteration.”
The key value added by the presence of observer, controller/trainers throughout Marne Focus is their assessment capability, which allows them to provide feedback in the final after-action review.
“We’re pulling many metrics from the exercise so that we can provide that at the end,” Due said. “In this Marne Focus iteration, we have percentages in the deep fight that the division attrited and percentages of the enemy force that the brigade faced in the deep fight to shape that sustainment metrics. We pull many metrics and will package it up into a final AAR and a take-home packet to allow the brigade to see where they know their strengths and weaknesses are. They can use that to continue their unit training plan.”
External validation is crucial, and having support from others is highly important, said Col. Alexis Perez-Cruz, commander of the 2nd ABCT, 3rd ID.
“The people at the 188th are more than just friends; they are our partners who help keep us accountable,” he said. “This collaboration enables us to identify areas that need improvement. Once we recognize these key issues, we can create a plan to address them and implement the necessary changes in our next training program."
