Category: Security

Source: United States Army

TROY, N.Y. – The last of the 500 New York National Guard Soldiers who deployed to the Middle East with the headquarters of the 42nd Infantry Division returned to New York from federal active-duty deployment at the beginning of June.

The Soldiers mobilized in late May 2025 to serve as the command headquarters for Task Force Spartan, the Army’s 10,000-Soldier force in the region.

The New York National Guard Soldiers were serving in that role when President Donald Trump made the decision to launch hostilities against Iran under the code name Operation Epic Fury on Feb. 28.

Maj. Gen. Jack James, commander of the 42nd Infantry Division, furled the division’s colors during a June 6 ceremony in the region.

James’ command element was the last part of the headquarters to return to the United States.

Command of Task Force Spartan was turned over to the Texas Army National Guard’s 36th Infantry Division.

Soldiers had been returning from the Middle East to New York for more than two months before James’ final handover of command to the Texas National Guard.

The original mission for the 42nd Division headquarters Soldiers focused on exercises with regional allies, including Operation Bright Star in Egypt in September 2025. The 42nd Soldiers also conducted operations designed to build regional allies’ military capacity and deter regional aggression.

The decision to launch combat operations changed the mission for the New York Guard Soldiers and the rest of the task force, James said during the handover ceremony with the 36th Division.

“Our team accomplished a number of [combat] firsts,” James said. “[Every one of them was] enabled by our world-class communicators, maintainers, and sustainers, without whose efforts we could not have prevailed.”

The turnover between the 42nd and 36th division headquarters was delayed so the 42nd Division could continue to focus on combat operations longer, according to Lt. Gen. Kevin Leahy, commanding general of U.S. Army Central and Third Army.

“This was one of the longest relief-in-place operations in history. It allowed two legendary divisions to work together, with the 36th stepping in to manage key tasks so the 42nd could maintain an uninterrupted focus on combat operations – some of the most complex combat operations in U.S. Army history,” Leahy said.

The headquarters Soldiers did a tremendous job of switching to combat operations at short notice, James said.

“The 42nd Infantry Division has once again proven itself to be a shining example of American military excellence,” James said. “Our soldiers have demonstrated unwavering bravery, selflessness, and dedication to our mission, and I couldn’t be prouder to lead such an exceptional team.”

Among their accomplishments was overseeing the targeting of the Army’s new Precision Strike Missile against Iranian targets, James said. The new missile is fired from the battle-tested HIMARS launching system and has a range of more than 300 miles.

“The firing of the first precision missile in combat is a testament to our division’s ability to adapt and innovate in the face of adversity,” James said.

Command Sgt. Maj. Arnold Reyes, the highest-ranking enlisted Soldier in the division, also praised the Soldiers for their adaptability.

“The Soldiers of the 42nd Infantry Division have shown remarkable resilience and determination in the face of a challenging and dynamic operational environment. I am honored to serve alongside such a talented and dedicated group of warriors,” Reyes said.

The 42nd Infantry Division is headquartered in Troy, New York, and includes 5,500 New York National Guard Soldiers, as well as Soldiers from the National Guards of New Jersey, Vermont, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and several other states.

The division was formed in 1917 when elements from 26 state National Guard units were combined into a single multistate division to deploy quickly to France during World War I. Douglas MacArthur, then a colonel who later became a five-star general, said the division would reach across America “like a rainbow,” and the nickname stuck.

In World War II, the “Rainbow Division” fought across southern Germany, capturing the cities of Wurzburg, Nuremberg and Munich, and liberating the Dachau concentration camp.

The division became part of the New York National Guard in 1947. Soldiers from the 42nd Infantry Division responded in the wake of the 9/11 attacks in New York City.

The division headquarters and major support elements deployed to Iraq in 2005 to lead Task Force Liberty, marking the first time a National Guard headquarters had gone to war since 1953. Rainbow Soldiers also fought in Afghanistan.

The division headquarters was also deployed to the U.S. Central Command area of operations in the Middle East in 2020 to lead Task Force Spartan.

Related Links

The Official Website of the National Guard | NationalGuard.mil

State Partnership Program | NationalGuard.mil

The National Guard on Facebook | Facebook.com/TheNationalGuard

The National Guard on Flickr | Flickr.com/TheNationalGuard

The National Guard on Instagram | Instagram.com/us.nationalguard

The National Guard on X | X.com/USNationalGuard

The National Guard on YouTube | YouTube.com/TheNationalGuard

Source: United States Army

ORCHARD COMBAT TRAINING CENTER, Idaho — A heavy-lift drone climbed into 25 mph gusts above the high desert June 22, carrying a live Bangalore torpedo toward a wire obstacle.

For combat engineers, breaching that kind of obstacle is one of the most dangerous missions on the battlefield. Army doctrine accounts for that risk with a 50 percent casualty planning factor for a deliberate breach.

This time, no Soldier had to sprint forward to place the charge.

Soldiers from Bravo Company, 741st Brigade Engineer Battalion, 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Oregon Army National Guard, used a drone-delivered Bangalore torpedo to breach the wire obstacle on Range 22. The drone released the charge, shock tube unspooled behind it and the Soldiers took cover before the Bangalore detonated, opening a lane through the wire.

The proof of concept marked the close of a months-long innovation effort by the 741st BEB’s drone working group. Battalion commander Lt. Col. Eric Zimmerman established the group with a directive to defeat a wire obstacle using a commercial off-the-shelf or similar drone during the battalion’s annual training. The working group’s research found no precedent for the tactic in the U.S. Army.

“Mostly Ukraine,” Zimmerman said when asked what drove the concept. “Watching what was going on in Ukraine, and how innovative they are, it inspires you to get better and think bigger.”

The doctrinal cost of a breach added urgency to the effort.

“The most casualty-producing thing that Army engineers do is the breach,” said 1st Lt. Andrew Lucas, who co-led the working group from the battalion S-3 section. “Expect 50 percent casualties. If you can deliver something to clear the breach with a $40,000 drone, instead of putting soldiers in harm’s way, that’s worth experimenting with.”

Innovation surrounded by doctrine

Zimmerman said his intent was to apply emerging technology to a problem engineers already know how to solve.

“I want us to talk about drones around something we already do really well, which is defeating obstacles,” he said. “So let’s do this non-doctrinal thing, but surround it with doctrine.”

The working group was led by Lucas and Capt. Samuel Cushing, the battalion’s plans officer, with input from senior noncommissioned officers, including 1st Sgt. Joshua Martin. The team first studied commercially available drones priced from $2,000 to $40,000.

After funding for a commercial purchase did not come through, the team turned to the Oregon Army National Guard’s 249th Regional Training Institute. The RTI’s existing drone-build program could not produce an airframe with the lift capacity required by the mission. Lt. Col. Mark Timmons, the 249th RTI commander, told the working group his program could not meet the requirement within the available timeline.

Rather than abandon the effort, the battalion operations section continued pursuing alternatives. Working from specifications developed by the drone working group, Maj. Harvey, the battalion S-3, and Martin, the battalion operations noncommissioned officer, vetted industry partners before determining Lorica Technologies could meet the requirement.

When Lucas arrived for annual training, he believed the search had come up short.

“We’d been told no, it’s not going to happen, we’re not going to get a drone,” he said. “And that’s when Maj. Harvey said, ‘Oh, we actually got a drone.’ So, full speed ahead.”

The Mule 28

Lorica’s contribution was the Mule 28, a heavy-lift, multi-mission unmanned aerial system designed and built in-house at the company’s Ashland facility.

The airframe weighs about 45 pounds, can lift about 200 pounds and is powered by eight motors turning eight 28-inch bi-bladed propellers. It carries onboard artificial intelligence processing, software-defined radios and a sensor package designed to support recognition and targeting functions. The drone can also derive coordinates from its camera using trigonometry and focal length, allowing it to mark drop points on objects it identifies.

Lorica founder and CEO Christopher Dye said the company’s software, including a swarm-control system called Hive, is what makes the platform distinct.

“It doesn’t matter what the vehicle is, as long as we understand the capabilities and the parameters of the vehicle,” Dye said. “We can task the swarm based on what the job needs to get done. Right now, we’re working on natural language control, so that you can just talk to the bird and tell it, ‘Hey, I want a reconnaissance around this building. I need to know how big that ditch is before we get there, how many steps, how high the windows are.'”

Lorica currently fields three Mule 28 prototypes. The company had about six weeks to develop the airframe for the Oregon project.

Cushing said working with a domestic manufacturer to build to specification, rather than buying a commercial drone with Chinese components, was a deliberate choice that helped reduce electronic warfare and supply chain vulnerabilities.

“It’s been helpful to have contractors that can meet every specification we’re asking for and produce a drone that also meets the Army’s intent for any sort of technology that we integrate,” he said.

Building the safety case

The team built safety into the project by increasing risk in stages. The drone first carried an inert training aid identical in size and weight to the M1A3 Bangalore. Once the platform could reliably deliver an inert charge on target, the team progressed through limited live-fire iterations before flying a live, two-section M1A3 Bangalore torpedo.

Every iteration involving live explosives was initiated using a shock tube spooled from the drone to the obstacle. The team deliberately avoided an electronic trigger that could be jammed or prematurely activated.

“Ideally, you would love to be able to remote-detonate this without having to have a spool of shock tube,” Lucas said. “But in the LSCO environment, we’ve seen so many other systems jammed that if you have the ability to, it’s not a detriment that we’re doing it this way.”

The M1A3 Bangalore torpedo demolition kit consists of 10 tube sections, each 2.5 feet long and containing a 5-pound Composition B4 main charge. Doctrine permits up to four sections joined together for a single shot. The working group used two-section assemblies June 22 and made one small adjustment to prevent the blasting cap junction from pulling loose in flight.

“We’re trying to introduce a new TTP here anyway,” Cushing said. “We want to see if we can deliver a Bangalore remotely and defeat a wire obstacle. Everything beyond that is something we’ll take into consideration as the project evolves.”

Mobility and counter-mobility

Both working group officers said the broader value of the project is giving engineers a tool tailored to their core mission rather than relying only on infantry-focused drone applications that have dominated the field.

“Mobility, counter-mobility is the bread and butter of the engineers, so we should focus on leaning into that versus infantry tasks,” Lucas said.

Cushing said the Bangalore breach could become a foundation for broader experimentation.

“The platform they’ve built, if we got an entire annual training with plenty of explosives, range time, and the ability to make modifications as we go, I think we could be defeating 10, 20 times more obstacles than we’re talking about today.”

Lucas said the next conceptual step is autonomy.

“We’re not that far technologically from a drone that has an AI processor on it that could identify where concertina wire is. And you could put in a rough coordinate of, ‘Hey, I know the obstacle’s there,’ and you could send it to autonomously deploy the Bangalore on the wire with near-perfect precision, where there’s no possibility of it being jammed, because it’s all running off of internal direction.”

Dye said the next iteration of the Mule 28 will refine flight controls, dropping mechanisms and safety systems, with the goal of integrating AI-driven obstacle recognition that could allow the drone to identify a wire obstacle, position itself and release the charge autonomously. Lorica plans to return to additional inert drops in the coming weeks and is preparing for follow-on demonstrations.

Zimmerman said the successful demonstration reflected more than a new capability. It showed collaboration across the battalion.

“I’m really proud. We have a true group project that highlights innovation across everything we do is possible,” he said. “The Soldiers of Bravo Company took an idea from the battalion staff and applied their expertise to make that idea functional and effective.”

For Dye, watching the live Bangalore release and detonate as planned was, in a word, “relief.”

“It’s been very nerve-wracking the last few days,” he said.

The 741st BEB plans to capture lessons learned in a battalion white paper and forward the concept to the engineer community.

Related Links

The Official Website of the National Guard | NationalGuard.mil

State Partnership Program | NationalGuard.mil

The National Guard on Facebook | Facebook.com/TheNationalGuard

The National Guard on Flickr | Flickr.com/TheNationalGuard

The National Guard on Instagram | Instagram.com/us.nationalguard

The National Guard on X | X.com/USNationalGuard

The National Guard on YouTube | YouTube.com/TheNationalGuard

Source: United States Army

CAMP ZAMA, Japan – Half a world away from home, the strength of the U.S.-Japan alliance isn’t just being forged in high-level strategic meetings. It is being built in the mud, shoulder-to-shoulder, on the banks of the Sagami River near Camp Zama.

Around 75 volunteers, including Camp Zama Soldiers, Japan Ground Self-Defense Force personnel and citizens from neighboring communities, gathered June 7 at the Shindo Sports Ground for an annual U.S.-Japan joint cleanup, now going on its seventh year.

The event brought together local residents alongside leadership from U.S. Army Garrison Japan, the Camp Zama JGSDF, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the South Kanto Defense Bureau, and the mayors of Zama and Sagamihara cities.

While the event was rooted in environmental stewardship, participating leaders emphasized a broader message: Grassroots community integration serves as the vital, beating heart of the U.S. military’s presence in the Indo-Pacific.

For Sgt. 1st Class Joseph C. Delay, assigned to the 78th Signal Battalion, that integration simply begins with being a good neighbor.

“The main reason I came out is for the sense of community,” Delay said. “I walk my dogs out here. It’s a beautiful area, and helping clean it up ensures it’s safe for my dogs, safe for me, and safe for the community. I just feel like a member of this community.”

For centuries, the Sagami River has served as an ancestral landmark and the lifeblood of the local ecosystem, making the preservation of its banks a shared responsibility for local citizens, the U.S. military, and its partners.

While the event drew high-level officials, the true core of the cleanup was found in the quiet, side-by-side moments of connection between neighbors on the riverbank. Every piece of trash collected was a tangible demonstration of “Kizuna,” the Japanese concept of an enduring bond.

For Yusuke Minami, chief of the Zama Defense Office for the SKDB, this shared physical space is precisely where true bilateral relationships take root.

“Building a good relationship starts with knowing the other party and letting them know you,” Minami said. “Despite the advancement of technology and communication tools, nothing beats direct interaction where you can physically shake hands. Working together toward a common goal like this is incredibly meaningful.”

“When I was cleaning up, we worked together to separate out the plastic bottles from the rest of the trash,” Delay recalled. “The Self-Defense Forces are very good professionals, and it’s great to work with them whenever I can. Today just shows how great we can be when we come together and support each other.”

Minami agreed, noting that the shared effort leaves a lasting impression on the community that goes well beyond just the cleanliness of the riverbank.

“Through this cleanup activity, I believe that not only the location itself, but the hearts of everyone who participated, were made cleaner as well,” Minami said.

USAG Japan plans to continue this annual joint cleanup activity to maintain the local ecosystem and reinforce ties between U.S. military personnel, host-nation partners, and neighboring municipalities.

Source: United States Army

TROY, New York–The last of 500 New York National Guard Soldiers who deployed to the Middle East with the headquarters of the 42nd Infantry Division returned to New York from their active-duty deployment at the beginning of June.

The Soldiers mobilized at the end of May in 2025 to serve as the command headquarters for Task Force Spartan, the Army’s 10,000- Soldier force in the region.

The New York National Guard Soldiers were deployed in this role when President Donald Trump made the decision to launch hostilities against Iran under the code name Operation Epic Fury on February 28, 2026.

Major General Jack James, the commander of the 42nd Infantry Division, furled the division’s colors during a June 6 ceremony in the region.

James’ command element was the last part of the headquarters to return to the United States.

Command of Task Force Spartan was turned over to the Texas Army National Guard’s 36th Infantry Division.

Soldiers had been returning from the Middle East back to New York for over two months prior to James’ final handover of command to the Texas National Guard.

The original mission for the 42nd Division headquarters Soldiers was to focus on exercises with regional allies, such as Operation Brightstar in Egypt in September 2025. The 42nd Soldiers also conducted operations designed to build regional allies’ military capacity and to deter regional aggression.

The decision to launch combat operations changed the mission for the New York Guard Soldiers and the rest of the task force, James said during the handover ceremony with the 36th Division.

“Our team accomplished a number of [combat] firsts,” James said. “[Every one of them was] enabled by our world-class communicators, maintainers, and sustainers, without whose efforts we could not have prevailed.”

The turnover between the 42nd and 36th division headquarters was delayed, so that the 42nd Division could continue to focus on combat operations longer, according to Lt. Gen. Kevin Leahy, commanding general of U.S. Army Central and Third Army.

“This was one of the longest relief-in-place operations in history. It allowed two legendary divisions to work together, with the 36th stepping in to manage key tasks so the 42nd could maintain an uninterrupted focus on combat operations – some of the most complex combat operations in U.S. Army history,” Leahy said.

The headquarters Soldiers did a tremendous job of switching to combat operations at short notice, James said.

“The 42nd Infantry Division has once again proven itself to be a shining example of American military excellence,” James said. “Our soldiers have demonstrated unwavering bravery, selflessness, and dedication to our mission, and I couldn’t be prouder to lead such an exceptional team.

Among their accomplishment was overseeing the targeting of the Army’s new Precision Strike Missile against Iranian targets, James said. This new missile is fired from the battle- tested HIMARS launching system, but it has a range of over 300 miles.

“The firing of the first precision missile in combat is a testament to our division’s ability to adapt and innovate in the face of adversity,” James said.

Command Sgt. Major Arnold Reyes, the highest-ranking enlisted Soldier in the division, also praised the Soldiers for their adaptability.

“The Soldiers of the 42nd Infantry Division have shown remarkable resilience and determination in the face of a challenging and dynamic operational environment. I am honored to serve alongside such a talented and dedicated group of warriors,” Reyes said.

The 42nd Infantry Division is headquartered in Troy, New York and includes 5,500 New York National Guard Soldiers as well as Soldiers from the National Guards of New Jersey, Vermont, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and several other states.

The division was formed in 1917 when elements from 26 state National Guard units were combined into a single multi-state division to deploy quickly to France during World War I. Douglas MacArthur, who was then a colonel and later became a five-star general, said the division would reach across America “like a rainbow,” and the nickname stuck.

In World War II, the “Rainbow Division” fought across southern Germany, capturing the cities of Wurzburg, Nuremberg and Munich and liberating the Dachau concentration camp.

The division became part of the New York National Guard in 1947. Soldiers from the 42nd Infantry Division responded in the wake of the 9/11 attacks in New York City.

The division headquarters and major support elements deployed to Iraq in 2005 to lead Task Force Liberty, marking the first time National Guard headquarters had gone to war since 1953. Rainbow Soldiers also fought in Afghanistan.

The division headquarters also deployed to the Central Command area in the Middle East in 2020 to lead Task Force Spartan.

Source: United States Army

CAMP SHELBY, Miss. — U.S. Army Reserve Soldiers with the 441st Transportation Company, 143rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command, conducted rail operations June 10–16, 2026, at Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center during the combat support training exercise Operation Sentinel Justice.

As part of the exercise, Soldiers from the 143rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command were tasked with executing a real-world rail mission concurrently with Operation Sentinel Justice. The mission provided a unique opportunity to integrate practical logistics operations into a large-scale training environment.

Chief Warrant Officer 2 David Contreras, a mobility officer with the 143rd ESC, coordinated efforts across multiple Army components to ensure the mission was executed safely and effectively. His collaborative approach enabled units to work together seamlessly while reinforcing critical sustainment capabilities.

Training began in Gulfport, Mississippi, where Soldiers from the 441st Transportation Company (Seaport Operations), known as 441 SPOC, completed online instruction to familiarize themselves with rail and port operations equipment. Following this initial phase, Soldiers deployed to the Camp Shelby rail yard to apply their knowledge in a hands-on environment.

Over several days, 441 SPOC Soldiers trained in teams, practicing tie-down and lashing techniques essential for the upload and download of military equipment at both the rail yard and the Port of Gulfport. This iterative, crawl-walk-run training approach allowed Soldiers to progressively build proficiency and confidence.

The mission culminated with 441 SPOC teams downloading equipment at the port, which was subsequently transported and received at the Camp Shelby Equipment Concentration Site, demonstrating the unit’s ability to conduct synchronized port-to-rail operations.

Contreras emphasized the importance of teamwork and shared commitment to Soldier development. “I can’t take all the credit,” he said. “It’s not just me — it’s about people who care about Soldiers getting quality training. Having vested partners who want to see Soldiers succeed makes all the difference.”

The hands-on experience gained during the rail operation enhances the Army Reserve’s readiness, ensuring Soldiers remain proficient with the same equipment and procedures used in real-world deployments within complex, modern operational environments.

This mission brought together key partners, including the 1st Mission Support Command, Army Transportation Command, 84th Training Command, Deployment Support Command, and the Mississippi Army National Guard. Their coordination enabled a controlled and realistic training environment where Soldiers applied newly acquired skills throughout the exercise.

Operation Sentinel Justice is the largest training event in U.S. Army Reserve history, with approximately 12,000 to 15,000 Soldiers participating. The event consists of CSTX 26-01, Global Medic, and a tech evaluation, conducted across multiple locations including Camp Shelby, Gulfport and Camp Beauregard, Louisiana.

The CSTX is designed to assess and enhance unit readiness in a dynamic, multi-echelon, joint environment, preparing Army Reserve forces for large-scale combat operations.

Source: United States Army

BAUMHOLDER, Germany –U.S. Army Garrison Rheinland-Pfalz emergency response teams partnered with German first responders for an Integrated Protection Exercise to test joint emergency response capabilities at the Baumholder Airfield near Reichenbach June 10.

The exercise featured a complex mass casualty scenario to test interoperability between U.S. Army law enforcement, fire and medical personnel, and their German host-nation counterparts. The scenario simulated a vehicle plowing into a crowd, injuring several people during an event at the airfield. The vehicle then collided with another car, trapping one person inside.

The Baumholder Disaster Response Unit, German Red Cross, Baumholder Fire Department and local Polizei led the on-ground response efforts. Since first responders were already on-site at the fictional event, they intervened immediately. Together, they subdued the driver, secured the scene and provided initial medical care while calling for additional support.

Additional German emergency responders, including the Reichenbach and Baumholder fire departments, arrived on scene shortly after. Emergency response leadership set up a joint command center in the airfield hangar to ensure full coordination and cooperation for a seamless response. Lukas Klein, Birkenfeld District fire and disaster protection inspector, took charge of the rescue operation.

During the exercise, first responders navigated an intense environment, with 13 on-scene actors providing realism through simulated injuries. Crews worked together to extract a trapped vehicle passenger while the Explosive Ordnance Disposal team managed a secondary threat – a simulated improvised explosive device disguised as a gym bag.

After about two hours, the exercise concluded with a joint debriefing.

“It was an excellent exercise to familiarize us with our partners’ capabilities,” summarized USAG Rheinland-Pfalz Police Chief Richard Robinson.

Chief Inspector Rouven Hebel of the Baumholder Police Station emphasized the importance of joint exercises.

“There are different ways of handling dangerous situations,” he said. “That is precisely why such exercises are very important.”

The exercise was also a success for the emergency medical services and fire departments.

Lukas Klein, Birkenfeld District fire and disaster protection inspector, was in charge of the rescue operation.

“We fully achieved our goal of testing our operational readiness while simultaneously improving our communication,” he said, adding that he hopes cooperation with U.S. partners can be further expanded in the future.

The large-scale effort required several months of planning and coordination across nine different organizations.

U.S. Army Garrison Rheinland-Pfalz sets, serves, and secures the total force community, enabling power projection for the European Theater.

Connect with us: https://linktr.ee/usag_rp

Source: United States Army

CLAY KASERNE, Germany – United States Army Garrison Wiesbaden’s Directorate of Emergency Services welcomed 39 German police officers from the city of Wiesbaden on June 24, 2026, as part of their department outing.

The German Police and the U.S. Military Police work side by side every day, coordinating closely to ensure the safety, security, and well-being of everyone living and working in the region. From routine operations to joint response efforts, this daily collaboration reflects a partnership built on trust, professionalism, and mutual respect.

This event reflected that ongoing working relationship and gave the German guests a detailed look into operations and community life on the installation.

“The close cooperation between the German Police and the American Military Police is not only valuable, it is essential,” said Paula Ohl, Support Services Specialist with the DES Law Enforcement Division, “We are happy to host our Host Nation partners and to continue nurturing this important relationship.”

During their visit the group toured the Military Police facility, where they gained firsthand insight into the daily operations, capabilities, and collaborative procedures of their American counterparts.

The guests also received an introduction and a behind-the-scenes tour of the Fire Station, showcasing the readiness and dedication of our first responders.

The group then set out on a guided bus tour through the garrison.

Along the way, the visitors learned about the history of the airfield and the location of key facilities important to civilian employees — offering a window into the everyday life of the garrison community.

That partnership will continue at the upcoming German-American Friendship Fest from July 1 to July 5, where both police forces will once again work together to support a safe and successful event for the community.

Source: United States Army

75th USARIC Fleet Assessment Team establishes equipment benchmarks that measure performance during OSJ 26

CAMP SHELBY, Miss. — Equipment utilization across future battlefields is a subject of great interest to the U.S. Army, but planning for the future requires evaluation today. The 75th U.S. Army Reserve Innovation Command’s involvement during Operations Sentinel Justice 26 included their Fleet Assessment Team addressing that exact concern, establishing performance benchmarks that impact exercises of tomorrow.

Their mission: gather real‑world performance data from Army Reserve rotational training units using military equipment in realistic, contested training environments.

The Fleet Assessment Team included five Soldiers from the Army Sustainment Command’s Army Reserve Element and an additional four civilians: two from the U.S. Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command and two from the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command. The team’s specialty is understanding how Army equipment performs across its entire lifecycle—from fielding to long‑term sustainment. During OSJ 26, that expertise was applied to a wide range of systems.

“Our job is to help Soldiers and maintainers understand why their equipment failed, how to fix it, and how to keep it from failing again,” said Lt. Col. David Yarwood, officer in charge, Fleet Assessment Team, Army Sustainment Command – Army Reserve Element, 75th USARIC, who led the fleet assessment effort during the exercise. “We want them to have all the equipment they need to train to standard, to train how they fight and fight to win.”

The Fleet Assessment Team served as the connective tissue between the training audience, consisting of MP units, logistics units and command elements, and the Logistics Assistance Representatives. The Fleet Assessment Team leveraged the LARS and Power Business Intelligence dashboards to identify trends and areas of concern with critical equipment, including power and environmental systems, lower tactical infrastructure communication equipment, combat support systems, and Soldier chemical and biological equipment.

OSJ 26 provided the ideal environment for that mission: a large-scale, multi-state exercise with more than 12,000 Army Reserve Soldiers training across complex, multi-domain scenarios.

The Fleet Assessment Team focused on evaluating equipment, including:

Joint Battle Command-Platform systems (JBC-P)

FM radios

Generators and environmental control units

Wheeled vehicles

Refrigeration trailers

Laundry Advanced Systems

The Fleet Assessment Team’s presence at OSJ 26 reflects a broader shift in how the Army Reserve utilizes LARs. Previously, USAR employed LARs in support of rotations at the Joint Reserve Training Center and National Training Center for Active Duty and National Guard brigade-level missions. OSJ 26 represents the first time Army Reserve Soldiers have provided Fleet Assessment Team capabilities to a COMPO 3 exercise.

“Army Reserve, National Guard, and Active Duty all use the same equipment, and we see similar issues across the entire force. We’re just glad to be able to help Soldiers wherever they need it,” said Michael Clark, a TACOM LAR with the Fleet Assessment Team.

Their work extended beyond simple observation. The team conducted structured interviews, collected user feedback, and documented performance issues in real time. Fleet Assessment also coordinated with assigned LARs to troubleshoot problems, validate fixes, and ensure that as much equipment as possible remained operational throughout the exercise.

“Our goal is to arm commanders with the best information possible about what goes wrong and why from a maintenance perspective,” said Capt. Alan Rhodes, fleet assessment officer, ASC-ARE, 75th USARIC. “What we learned here will help the Army grow and maintain operational readiness, which is critical to ensure the success of any real-world mission or training exercise.”

For the 75th USARIC, the exercise reinforced the command’s role as a catalyst for innovation across the Army Reserve and the total force; and for the Fleet Assessment Team, it demonstrated the value of meeting Soldiers where they train—capturing insights that only emerge in the dirt, heat, and pressure of real-world operations. In total, the Fleet Assessment Team impacted over 500 pieces of CECOM and TACOM managed equipment and provided over 40 hours of training to more than 50 Soldiers.

As OSJ 26 concludes, the Fleet Assessment team departs with a wealth of data, user insights, and recommendations that will provide the training audience with critical maintenance takeaways to improve their operational readiness for future exercises. These takeaways include recommendations on how to plan, prepare, and execute maintenance leading up to and during any mission or training event.