Training for brigade precedes duty in Iraq
By Chris Roberts / El Paso Times
Posted: 01/10/2009 12:00:00 AM MST


FORT BLISS -- Pyrotechnics and Hollywood-style movie sets populated with Arabic-speaking natives make California's National Training Center -- the destination for a Fort Bliss brigade leaving this weekend -- seem like deja vu for soldiers who have fought and worked in Iraq's towns and cities.

"In general, the chief goal is to leave (the National Training Center) with teams of leaders who can work together and solve complex problems," said Col. Peter Newell, commander of the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division. "At the brigade level, we have to work on improving our intelligence systems."

About 3,400 of the brigade's soldiers will continue to work on skills they polished on Fort Bliss ranges, but on a larger scale. They will confront realistic Iraqi "villages" in which they become familiar with culture and customs so they don't alienate residents who might have useful information for fighting an insurgency.

The brigade is also in the vanguard for creating "company intelligence support teams," Newell said. The teams are trained to connect clues about insurgent activities, allowing quick responses before the intelligence is relayed up the chain of command for the "big-picture" analysis.

"We don't know the scenario, but we have a small idea of what's going on," said Pfc. Ehren Harvey, a brigade intelligence officer.

It also will be the first maneuver unit to fire a new type of precision artillery shell in the continental United States, Newell said. That precision allows the use of substantial firepower while minimizing or avoiding civilian casualties.

Soldiers will continue to work on "moving and shooting" through urban combat zones, which includes exercises involving live ammunition, Newell said, as well as working on bringing in air support in the form of Apaches and other helicopters. The exercise will include Navy and Marines special forces, as well as Army engineers and aviators, he said.

Newell's actions also will be observed. "There will be two or three guys who specifically look at what I do," he said. "The end-state is an organization that can handle change."

Exact times and destinations are not made public for operational security reasons.

In the past, insurgents have coordinated attacks on newly arrived units. However, Newell said, the 4-1 Armored will leave for Iraq sometime in late spring or early summer. A small contingent will leave soon after the final training exercise to scout out the new assignment, he added.

"We'll be talking (with soldiers in the unit being replaced) specifically about the missions we'll be doing," Newell said. "One of the missions I suspect we will have is to mentor some of the border enforcement brigades in Iraq."

The unit also is likely to be working with Iraqi police and provincial reconstruction teams "to continue the improvements in governance and economics," he said.

"I actually feel the brigade combat team is in an excellent position to deploy," said Cpl. Nate Bocker, serving as the brigade's training non-commissioned officer, who served a tour in Iraq in 2005 and 2006.


Chris Roberts may be reached at chrisr@elpasotimes.com; 546-6136.

Ellie