CAMP ATTERBURY,, Ind. – The 555th Engineer Brigade, Triple Nickel, arrived at Camp Atterbury, Indiana, Jan. 27 to participate in Warfighter 15-03, a two-week exercise. Warfighter exercises are digital training events using war simulations to allow large formations to exercise combat actions, without the need to deploy whole divisions into the field. The Warfighter exercise is also an opportunity to incorporate different formations and forces that would not normally be able to train together.



In the Warfighter, the 555th Engineer Brigade was attached to the 38th Infantry Division, Indiana Army National Guard. The brigade arrived at Camp Atterbury with approximately 100 soldiers, along with soldiers from the 35th Engineer Brigade from the Missouri Army National Guard, the 301st Maneuver Enhancement Brigade from the U.S. Army Reserve out of Washington, the 4th Canadian Engineer Support Regiment, and three soldiers from the 1st Combat Engineer Regiment of the Royal Canadian Engineers. These soldiers participated in the exercise as part of the 555th Engineer Brigade subordinate battalions and on the brigade staff, giving their soldiers an opportunity to train on new systems and operate in a large scale training event.



The exercise presented multiple obstacles, not the least of which was the fact that the Canadian and U.S. systems did not communicate directly. To overcome this challenge, the brigade established liaison officers, with soldiers from the 2nd Canadian Mechanized Battle Group working in the 555th Engineer Brigade operations center, allowing them to access their systems and communicate directly with the brigade, ensuring operations were coordinated.



Maj. Benjamin Lafave, officer commanding 2-4 Field Squadron, 2nd Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group, served as the liaison officer and was the critical link between the 555th Engineer Brigade and Canadian forces during the operation.



“Liaison officers are the key link for interoperability, computers break and systems don’t communicate. Ensuring the person in that position understood their commander’s intent and is a knowledgeable expert, as a link between formations was extremely important to us,” he said.



The link Lafave provided showed during the exercise; throughout the planning and execution of the mission objectives, the brigade and the Canadian forces coordinated their efforts effectively and with minimal friction.



One of the critical objectives was a river crossing. Triple Nickel Soldiers and Royal Canadian engineers worked closely to develop a crossing plan, worked with the division staff to synchronize the plan, and enabled the division to cross its forces rapidly. Clearly establishing the forces to be sent across allowed the brigade to allocate the needed assets to ensure the crossing was properly supported and the operation did not falter. With no fires section, officers from the Canadian 4th Engineer Support Regiment were embedded in the brigade’s operations and formed the fires coordination cell to support the crossing.



Lt. Neil Sinclair, one of the officers in the fires coordination cell stated, “I learned a lot about the fires coordination piece, MSG Scuesa was a great help in keeping us on track.”



The cell was able to coordinate the fires for the crossing site, ensuring each site had adequate coverage for the operation. The brigade integrated the fires into the crossing schedule, ensuring that the sites were established with fire support and supporting the crossing as the operation continued.



The coordination for a division level river crossing is critical to ensure its success, if the schedule falls behind units can sit waiting to cross, exposed to enemy fire. The brigade played a significant role in synchronizing the crossing plan, and ensuring units from multiple brigades were able to cross to the other side of the river and continue the operation.



Though the exercise was a simulation, the pressure was real, decisions had to be quickly made and battle plans adjusted to overcome an enemy that was smart and capable. The command and staff of the 555th Engineer Brigade adjusted to the new challenges presented and overcame them. In the end, the brigade established a total of six crossing sites along the river, which allowed the division to rapidly cross its forces and continue its mission. Lessons were learned and while losses were suffered in the simulation. The training will ensure the same mistakes will not be made during a real deployment.

NEWS INFO Date Taken: 02.13.2015 Date Posted: 02.18.2015 20:25 Story ID: 154793 Location: CAMP ATTERBURY, IN, US Web Views: 761 Downloads: 0 Podcast Hits: 0 PUBLIC DOMAIN This work, Engineer brigade integrates Canadian engineers into Warfighter Exercise, by CPT Bryan Perrenod, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.