U.S. Army Reserve And Army National Guard Soldiers Unite To Augment Active Duty Soldiers During Combined Resolve

The overall mission of Combined Resolve is implementing the Continuous Transformation Initiative, utilizing new technologies and systems designed to enhance warfighting readiness and the ability to respond to crisis or conflict. The Continuous Transformation Initiative is grounded in one principle - increasing the lethality of U.S. Army formations by creating more agile and mobile units capable of responding to complex combat scenarios.

Army National Guard and Reserve Soldiers support exercise Combined Resolve 26-07 by maintaining tactical vehicles, treating real-world and simulated casualties, constructing obstacles for maneuvering units, and other combat support functions.

The JMRC relies heavily on the critical support of Army Reserve and National Guard Soldiers to maintain its rigorous training tempo. As logistical experts on the ground have noted, without the dedicated integration of the Army National Guard and Army Reserve, the training center's complex, multinational exercises would struggle to function.

“Reserve Soldiers bring a lot of civilian experience to active duty training that helps Soldiers look at some of the situations they may face more effectively,” said Capt. Mark Crawford, Chief Medical Officer, assigned to 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment.“Instead of looking at patient care from a tactical or long-term field care perspective, they bring a lot of expertise on in-patient and hospital care.”

Four medical detachments from Florida assisted the 1st Bn, 4th In. Regt.“World Class” Opposing Forces (OPFOR) while conducting a subterranean role one battalion aid station. This is an aid station constructed as part of an underground tunnel system to allow movement of patients and equipment under cover. According to Crawford, the main objective for this training is to minimize exposure to the enemy's unmanned aerial systems' (UAS) signaling and surveillance.

“The capabilities of the United States Army's Medical Commands are being tested for the first time to see if they can actually work in underground environments,” said Crawford. U.S. Army Spc. Andres Ramirez, assigned to the 349th Medical Hospital Augmentation Detachment, Jacksonville, FL was one of several citizen-soldiers working with the combat medics. He further echoes how active duty and Reserve Soldiers' experiences combined help shape training for everyone involved.

“We are mostly working in out-patient care or in a hospital with a non-tactical environment. While here we can compliment that, and they are the ones teaching us how to adapt to this environment.”

He describes the confined space and low visibility as one of several challenges in the underground tunnels.

“It's not what we are really used to when we are in AIT, and also field exercises,” said Ramirez. “This time we were downstairs going through a tunnel with red light, so it makes it harder because you have to have special awareness, so you don't injure your casualty further. You have to take care of yourself not to get injured in the process.”

While Army Reserve medics were working to save lives with the OPFOR, National Guard engineers were using the same level of precision emplacing an anti-tank trench to prevent the enemy from advancing on U.S. and our allies' territories.

“As a construction engineer, our job is to be an asset to other units, so we either build fighting positions or defensive positions that assist in attacking or deterring enemies,” said Sgt. Nykeytrick Parrish, noncommissioned officer in charge (NCOIC), with the 844th Engineer Company, Louisiana National Guard.

Parrish further expresses his thoughts on his feelings about the mission's objective.

“Once you accomplish the mission, and you've known that you assisted in some type of way to assist others, you know, you kind of want to move on to the next thing,” Parrish said.“What more can we do? So it's always rewarding when you can actually accomplish the mission.”

Additionally, other National Guard Soldiers work equally important jobs from a different angle to help support the mission of Combined Resolve 26-07.

The mission of South Dakota's National Guard Soldiers assigned to the 665th Support Maintenance Company (SMC) is to perform maintenance and repairs on military vehicles such as the Humvee, at the Consolidated Maintenance Activity (CMA), ensuring unit readiness. The 665th SMC is currently deployed to Grafenwoehr, Germany on a nine month rotation, with seven of its members stationed at the JMRC, Hohenfels, Germany, to assist active duty Soldiers and German contractors.

“We've worked on 22 different Humvees since we've been here,” says U.S. Army Sgt. Levi Karn, assigned to the 665th SMC, South Dakota National Guard.“We've worked on everything from valve cover gasket replacements, to flywheel replacements and bi-annual services.”

Although duties can be challenging for National Guard Soldiers, due to limited training time at their home station, it is very interesting according to Spc. Brittany Uses The Knife, a wheeled vehicle mechanic, assigned to the 665th SMC, South Dakota National Guard.

“Being in the Guard we're there once a month, you know, and we kind of learn slowly how to PMCS and other things,” said Uses The Knife.

She further explained that by being here doing the work and services on the vehicles, and“getting your hands dirty”, she gained a lot of knowledge.

Furthermore, behind the integration of the Army Reserve and Army National Guard components at the JMRC's operations in Germany, is the Sentinel Team. The Sentinel Team is a dedicated three-person cell comprised of Reserve Soldiers that serve as the crucial link between the active-duty training center, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard components. Tasked with sourcing and organizing the logistics for 30 to 40 units annually, the Sentinel Team ensures that essential Army Reserve and Army National Guard enablers, ranging from combat engineers, to military police, to medical, public affairs, and civil affairs detachments, seamlessly integrate into massive multinational exercises.

By leveraging their vast institutional knowledge to manage everything from international travel, to on-the-ground support, this small team guarantees that the JMRC has the essentials that Reserve and Guard personnel require to maintain its“world-class” training operations.

“So, we are the ones that are constantly maintaining communication with the unit to make sure that you are here when you need to be here, and that we maximize your capabilities through the time that you're here, with the limitations that face the National Guard and Reserve,” said Capt. Lizette Sierra, Operations Officer for the Sentinel Team at the JMRC.

Sierra states that she often works late hours to ensure communication is always kept between Army Reserve and National Guard units stateside, so that the Soldiers know they always have someone they can reach out to, who understands their lifestyle and mission.

“Everybody is in it to win it,” says Sierra.“Our motto here is train to win. That is the JMRC's motto, but I really do feel like people embody it here because everything we do here is to support every training rotation that we have here.”

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