Operation Highland Warrior

New Exercise Immerges Summer Camp Cadets in Demanding, Difficult, and Realistic Training

by Capt. Scott Abram

          The Department of Military Instruction (DMI) undertook an effort two years ago to make Cadet Field Training (CFT) at Camp Buckner, New York, more relevant based on current Army operations worldwide.  The result was Operation Highland Warrior (OHW), an 18-day exercise designed to immerse the CFT Regiment in a demanding, difficult, and realistic series of events that helps to prepare cadets for the duties they will face once they are commissioned.  OHW begins by transforming Camp Buckner into a Forward Operating Base (FOB), complete with secured gates, as a base of operations for the Regimental Headquarters and eight cadet companies.  The exercise begins in mid-July with the change of detail ceremony between the outgoing and incoming chains of command from the first and second class.  The incoming chain of command immediately begins troop-leading procedures in preparation for future operations within the next 48 hours. 

     Operation Highland Warrior “deploys” the CFT Regiment to the fictional country of Cortina, where U.S. forces are present to fight an insurgency and create a stable environment for the democratically-elected government to take control and exert authority.  The enemy is waging an insurgent campaign against US and Cortinian forces.  Some of the primary tools used by the enemy during the operation are Improvised Explosive Devices (IED), mortar attacks, intimidation of the local population, direct attacks against FOB Buckner, suicide bombers, and ambushes against patrols or convoys.  The insurgent force presents cadets with a thinking enemy that continues to adapt and react throughout the 18 days of operations.

          The goal of Operation Highland Warrior is not to make cadets experts on any particular type of operation.  Instead, the operation seeks to place cadets in stressful and unfamiliar situations that force them to make decisions and execute operations in a fluid and changing environment.  They are stressed physically and mentally by the pace of operations, and the cadets are also confronted with moral and ethical dilemmas that they must resolve in accordance with the Rules of Engagement and the Laws of Land Warfare.   

          Overall control of the operation is exerted by DMIs Cadet Summer Training Headquarters, which acts as the higher headquarters to the CFT Regiment.  Officers and NCOs from DMI work to ensure fidelity across the entire battlefield so that there is a seamless transition between missions and so the cadets feel immersed in the operation.  DMI strives to keep the scenario realistic by adapting it based on actions taken by the cadets during their missions or adjusting it based on identified strengths and weaknesses of the cadets.  The actions of a company on one training site will impact the response from the insurgent role players on some or all of the other training sites.

          Each company is comprised of approximately 190 cadets from the U.S. Military Academy, ROTC, other service academies, and foreign exchange cadets.  They are broken down into four platoons of three squads each.  Third class cadets are the majority of each company, but first and second class cadets constitute the chain of command from squad leader through regimental commander.  During OHW, the companies conduct five, two-day mission cycles at West Point, a six-day Mounted Maneuver Training (MMT) exercise at Fort Knox, Kentucky, and also receive a two-day rest and re-fit period during the operation as an opportunity to stand down and prepare for follow-on operations. 
 

Live-Fire Ambush

            Companies conduct squad-level live fire ambushes to interdict enemy resupply routes throughout their area of operations (AO).  This is the only live fire portion of OHW, and it builds on the cadets’ experience of a buddy team live fire exercise during Cadet Basic Training, as well as the Weapons and Introduction to Patrolling training they receive during the first detail of CFT.  The ambush incorporates the  weapon systems organic to an Infantry squad, including live claymore mines, M249 Squad Automatic Weapons, and the standard US Army small arm, the M16 series rifle. 

On the first day of their ambush mission cycle, cadet leaders conduct troop leading procedures and the squads conduct blank fire operations against a live opposing force.  These operations serve as rehearsals to prepare the squads for the live fire ambush.  After remaining overnight in patrol bases near their ambush sites, the squads receive an ammunition resupply through their company supply channels and begin conducting their live fire ambushes against the enemy, in this case portrayed by targets set up on West Point’s live fire exercise ranges.  This was the first year that the History Department planned, prepared, and supervised the execution of an OHW lane and they conducted a phenomenal job.  This afforded their department the opportunity to bond outside of the classroom and also gave them time to recruit some future History majors.
 

Search and Attack

        Companies deploy to the northwestern portion of the West Point reservation to conduct search and attack operations against enemy forces establishing weapons caches and firing mortars and rockets at FOB Buckner.  The company commander conducts planning based on the intelligence received about the enemy in the area, and then assigns each platoon a search area to locate and destroy enemy forces.  The company headquarters establishes a command post to track the activities and movements of the platoons searching the area to find the enemy.  Platoon leaders are responsible for planning and executing operations within their assigned area to find caches and destroy any insurgent forces operating in the area.   This mission also builds on the Introduction to Patrolling training that the cadets received during the first half of CFT, and allows them to conduct full-scale operations against a thinking, mobile and active enemy force (this year from the 10th Mountain Division and other Forces Command units).
 

Convoy Reaction Lane

            Cadet companies are charged with clearing routes and transporting supplies and equipment to various locations in the area of operations.  These operations take the form of convoys similar to those our future officers will experience in Iraq or Afghanistan.  Because the cadets do not have much experience conducting a tactical mounted movement, the morning of the first day of training on this site is dedicated to classes on mounted operations and the associated rehearsals and battle drills.  These classes teach cadets how to mount and dismount a vehicle, conduct vehicle rollover drills, battle drills for reacting to an improvised explosive device (IED) or ambush while mounted, and general convoy doctrine that will assist them in planning their operations. 

            The remainder of the time at the convoy site is spent conducting convoy operations.  Each platoon is given three missions to conduct, and the platoon leadership is responsible for planning and executing each mission.  The convoys are exposed to multiple forms of contact, to include IED detonations, small-arms ambushes, sniper fire, and civilians on the battlefield.  The platoon leadership must react to everything that occurs, while still accomplishing their mission of clearing the route or delivering supplies.  This year we were able to incorporate rotary wing medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) for most iterations.  This further re-enforces the importance of our Advanced First Aid training during first detail and highlights the combined arms nature of our current and their future fight.  The cadets actually loaded their cadet casualties onto an HH-60 MEDEVAC aircraft, the bird flew away and conducting a short flight, quickly returning the casualty back to their company to participate in the rest of the training.
 

Quick Reaction Force/Access Control Point

            One company is responsible for providing the forces that man the two access control points (ACP) onto FOB Buckner, as well as a quick reaction force (QRF) to respond to incidents within the regiment’s area of operations (AO).  Two platoons are assigned to each mission, and the company leadership is responsible for planning and executing both operations simultaneously. 

            One platoon is assigned to each entrance onto FOB Buckner and is responsible for ensuring the security of the FOB.  Their primary responsibility is to check and verify identification cards for all personnel going into the FOB and to search personnel and vehicles to ensure that they are not a danger to the base.  Insurgents attack the ACPs with vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices (VBIED), suicide bombers, sniper attacks, and mortar fire.  The platoons must repel these attacks and maintain security for the remainder of the regiment on the FOB.  In the course of their duties at the ACP, cadets must also interact with local Cortinians who come to FOB Buckner for reasons ranging from seeking medical assistance to requesting payments for damages caused by U.S. forces to protesting the presence of the CFT Regiment in their country. 

            The other two platoons in the company are the Regiment’s QRF.  These platoons provide the regiment with a unit that is prepared to respond to incidents within the AO with little or no notice.  The QRF platoons are outfitted with enough vehicles to transport them anywhere they might need to go, and they have the training and preparation to conduct air movements to designated helicopter landing zones in the AO when aviation support is available.  The goal for these platoons is to deploy on any mission within 30 minutes of receiving it from the regimental headquarters.  This places a great deal of stress on the platoon leadership, because they are forced to work on a compressed schedule to conduct their troop leading procedures.  The platoon leader must quickly formulate a plan, conduct rehearsals with the squads, and then begin movement.  The cadet companies executed the following missions:  respond to a mortar point of origin, react to illegal checkpoints established by insurgents, rescue downed pilots, exploit caches found in the AO, and destroy terrorist training camps. 

Operation Highland Warrior cadets discuss recent events in Cortina with a village leader. (Click photo for larger images.)

Cordon and Search

            One company is assigned the mission to conduct an assessment of a village in the AO.  This mission builds on the Urban Operations training that the cadets received during the first detail.  The company spends the first day conducting troop leading procedures and rehearsals in preparation for the mission.  In the early afternoon, the company is inserted near the village by either helicopter or truck movement and they establish a patrol base, conduct a final leader’s recon of the village, adjust their plan, and remain overnight.  The cordon and search operation begins early on the morning of the second day when the platoons establish their outer and inner cordon of the village.  These platoons are responsible for ensuring that no personnel or vehicles move into or out of the village.  Once the cordon is established, the remainder of the company moves into the village to search for weapons caches, evidence of enemy activity, and also to assess the needs of the village so that the regiment can provide assistance.  The cadets must interact with the Cortinian people in the village to gain their trust and encourage their willingness to work with the U.S. forces.  The company commander is expected to speak with the village elder through an interpreter to find out what the people know about the insurgent forces in the area, and also discuss U.S. operations so the elder can influence the local population to cooperate with the cadets as they move through the village.  The cadets will often discover items of intelligence value that will assist them or the Regimental staff in preparing for future operations.

The cadet regimental commander, right, meets with a village leader to discuss operations and needs of the local population. (Click photo for larger images.)

Mounted Maneuver Training

            Two companies at a time deploy by bus from FOB Buckner to Fort Knox  for MMT and an introduction to the Army’s mounted force.  On the first day there, the cadets receive a series of briefings that show them how mechanized forces fight and real-world applications of the training that they will receive during their next three days.  These briefings cover armored vehicle identification, actions on contact, fire commands, movement formations and techniques, and the different types of organizations in today’s Army.  Cadets also participate in practical exercises based on what they learned in the briefings so that they are better prepared for the remainder of MMT.

            The remaining three days are spent rotating through different training events that introduce cadets to a side of the Army that they do not get a chance to see at West Point.  The first thing they receive is an orientation to the Air Defense Artillery, where the cadets have a chance to familiarize themselves with current U.S. Army air defense systems.  These systems include the Stinger missile, the Avenger (a Humvee-mounted system with a .50 caliber machine gun and Stinger miaailwa), and the Bradley Stinger Fighting Vehicle (an M2 Bradley with a Stinger launcher).  The companies also receive a Cavalry Weapons orientation to learn about cavalry units and missions.  At this site, they see the Army’s fleet of up-armored Humvees, Strykers, and M3 Cavalry Fighting Vehicles.  The cadets are also introduced to the Army’s M1 Abrams Tank Driving Simulator, Unit Conduct of Fire Trainer, and Close Combat Tactical Trainer.  These devices show cadets how the Army conducts virtual training using simulations. 

          Following their introduction to the virtual Army, cadets are then given the chance to experience the real thing on the training areas and live-fire ranges of Fort Knox.  They shoot the 120mm main gun from a stationary M1 Abrams tank, and then participate in Operation Thunderbolt Strike, a mounted exercise that puts cadets in command of M1 tanks, Bradley Fighting Vehicles, and Humvees.  The cadet leadership must formulate a plan using all of the assets assigned to them and then execute in a force-on-force operation against other cadet units.
 

Regimental Staff

            The responsibility for the command and control of these operations falls on the Cadet Regimental Staff.  The staff is more robust than in previous years, and it functions like a staff in any other unit in the Army.  The staff is responsible for analyzing information reported by their subordinate units, reacting to guidance issued by their higher headquarters, making decisions and then issuing orders to the companies.  They must establish a battle rhythm, methods of tracking information, and dissemination procedures to get information to their subordinate units in a timely manner.  The staff has oversight from a regimental tactical officer and an officer staff, but they generally operate on their own and are allowed to exercise initiative based on their understanding of the situation.

Other Resources and Assets

            Many in DMI consider OHW to be the greatest leadership training that cadets can receive while at West Point.  It is the most relevant and realistic training focused on the combat operations our graduates will be conducting in a few years.  To improve and enhance the training each year, DMI is continually seeking additional resources so the cadets are better prepared for their future duty as platoon leaders in the Global War on Terrorism.

            For the past two summers, West Point has contracted a group of Arabic linguists to participate in OHW as role players.  DMI uses these personnel as part of the enemy insurgent force, Cortinian government or police officials, village elders, civilians requesting assistance, and also as interpreters for the cadets when they meet one of the other role players that they must interact with as they conduct operations.  Having non-English speakers on the battlefield forces cadets to find other ways to communicate, to include working through a translator.  The linguists this summer were all native-born Iraqi’s, so they also worked with cadets to increase their cultural awareness of the Middle East through classes during mission preparation and one-on-one interactions with cadets during the training.  These personnel were a great asset to OHW and were highly praised by both the cadets and faculty members with whom they worked.

            The DMI Aviation Branch representative works each year to support Cadet Summer Training with rotary wing aircraft.  The majority of the aviation support goes to OHW in the form of UH-60 Blackhawks and CH-47 Chinooks to transport personnel and equipment from the QRF and the company conducting Cordon and Search operations.   National Guard units from New York, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut provided the aircraft and crews to support air movement operations this summer.  Every company had the opportunity to participate in at least one air movement during OHW.  The cadets were also fortunate to receive aerial MEDEVAC support from an HH-60 Blackhawk from the Massachusetts National Guard.  When cadets were wounded during operations, leaders had the opportunity to call a MEDEVAC request and get an aircraft on the ground to evacuate their casualties.  The last piece of aviation support came during the final two days of OHW, when two AH-64 Apache helicopters joined the fight.  The cadets were able to use this attack aviation asset to provide additional security for patrols moving within the AO, close air support during operations against the enemy, or escorting air movements for the QRF or the company moving into position for the cordon and search.  Cadet leaders incorporated the aircraft into their planning, and then used them as an asset to assist in their operations against the insurgent forces.

Cadets prepare to conduct an air movement via UH-60 Blackhawk for an operation. (Click photo for larger images.)

            The final piece that made OHW so successful was the active duty task force that deployed to West Point in support of Cadet Summer Training.  The 91st Military Police Battalion from the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, New York, provided the headquarters, but the task force was comprised of units from other installations, including Fort Bragg, North Carolina, Fort Polk, Louisiana, and Fort Story, Virginia.  The soldiers from the task force participated in OHW as part of the insurgent force, trainers and lane walkers, and mentors, and coaches for cadets as they cycled through their missions.  The Task Force for Cadet Summer Training 2007 provided invaluable support that made OHW a success.

            DMI continues to adapt OHW based on current operations that the Army is conducting in the Global War on Terrorism.  The department will take the lessons learned from this summer, input from new instructors who have just arrived from Iraq or Afghanistan, and will work to make OHW better for the Class of 2011 as they go through Cadet Field Training next summer.