JBLM Stryker brigade trains for conventional war
Thursday, June 2, 2011
YAKIMA, Wash. (AP) -- The 3rd Stryker brigade from Joint Base Lewis-McChord has deployed to Iraq three times in eight years and has plenty of soldiers experienced in fighting insurgents.
So when the 4,000 soldiers trained last week at the Yakima Training Center, they sharpened their skills for fighting a more conventional military force.
Instead of counterinsurgency tactics that depend on gaining civilian trust to track down terrorists, the brigade practiced meeting another advanced and well-equipped army.
The News Tribune reports that means coordinating heavy artillery, mortars mounted on Stryker vehicles, rockets from attack helicopters and ordnance from Air Force Warthogs.
The 3rd Stryker brigade will be tested in August at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif.
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Information from: The News Tribune, http://www.thenewstribune.com
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