Arctic Sappers train and build at Donnelly Training Area

  • Published
  • By Army captains Richard Packer and James Kwoun
  • 6th Engineer Battalion
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska --  The 6th Engineer Battalion (Combat) (Airborne) spent most of the last month north of the Alaska Range testing the unit's ability to conduct full-spectrum engineer operations in an exercise dubbed Operation Tundra Wolf.

"This field exercise was truly a complex operation, an airborne operation, an air mobile raid, horizontal and vertical construction projects, demolitions, convoy live fire ranges, and scenario-based training events," said Lt. Col. Marc Hoffmeister, commander of the 6th Engineer Battalion.

Platoons were dispersed across various project sites at forts Wainwright and Greely, the Yukon Training Area, Donnelly Training Area, the Cold Regions Test Center and the Northern Warfare Training Center, effectively separating the units by as much as 100 miles.

The large battalion footprint afforded the benefit of testing the staff's ability to exercise its command and control procedures, Hoffmeister said.

It also gave the battalion's Forward Support Company an opportunity to practice maintenance and sustainment operations across a wide area of operations.

The field exercise started with an airborne operation into Donnelly Drop Zone by airborne engineers followed by a separate ground convoy which traveled more than 300 miles from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson to Donnelly Training Area to link up with the paratroopers.

With network access communications provided by an attached command post node team provided by the 59th Signal Battalion, the engineers established the battalion tactical operations center and company command posts, while the platoons were dispatched to their assigned project locations.

The engineers not only rehearsed their combat operations during the exercise. The maneuvers gave the Soldiers an opportunity to take on some real-world construction projects such as resurfacing roads, constructing mock villages for live fire training, widening roads at the CRTC and renovating a hangar for elements of the 16th Combat Aviation Brigade at Fort Greely.

All construction projects involved meeting real customer needs throughout U.S. Army Alaska installations. Using troop labor for the projects saved money and allowed Soldiers to train on skills that would otherwise be difficult to practice.

Soldiers of the of the 84th Engineer Support Company (Airborne) resurfaced a Fort Greely trail into an all-weather road, allowing year-round access to more of the installation's training areas.

"Our Soldiers are excited to be of service to Fort Greely and make contributions that will have long-lasting impacts for years to come" said Capt. Bradley Pietzyk, 84th ESC commander.

As a multi-functional unit, the 6th Engineer Battalion is capable of conducting both combat and general engineering. However, the battalion's construction capabilities are the most flexible because they can be applied during peace and war, as well as in any theater of operation, leaders said.

"Vertical and horizontal construction are valuable capabilities that have utility in all operational environments, from combat operations to theater security cooperation engagements with partner nations," Hoffmeister said. "Our unit's ability to manage and execute multiple construction projects as well as combat operations over a large geographic area was validated through this training exercise."

The battalion also conducted demolitions certification on Donnelly Training Area's Lampkin Range and trained select Sappers on advanced urban explosive breaching techniques.

Third Platoon, 56th Engineers had the opportunity to conduct an air mobile raid into Tanana Flats to destroy a range tower using explosive and mechanical reduction techniques.

"Demolition is a core skill set that all Army engineers should be familiar with, regardless of their specialty," said Capt. Melbourne Arledge, 56th Engineer Company commander.
The demolition training was especially valuable, according to 2nd Lt. Michelle Zak, a platoon leader in the 84th ESC.

"The demo range gave our Soldiers an opportunity to grow our ability to work with explosives," Zak said. "Demolitions are a basic skill essential to every Sapper, but many construction specialties get few opportunities to train with them. It was very exciting and we all enjoyed it, but we were also very careful and took the mission very seriously."
In addition to construction projects and demolitions certification, eight platoons rotated through a challenging, scenario-based training lane. Each platoon executed a convoy operation through a route that was filled with Soldiers role-playing enemy personnel and civilians on the battlefield, testing the units' proficiency in select battle drills.

"We're conducting training based on current operational experiences in Afghanistan," 2nd Lt. Nickolas Lewis, officer in charge on the scenario-based training lane said. "The battalion intelligence section created scripts and scenarios designed to realistically challenge not only the individual Soldier, but also the ability of the squad leaders and platoon leader to integrate training at the platoon level."

The goal of these scenario-based training lanes was to prepare platoons for the lethal and non-lethal challenges of the current operating environment, according to Maj. Otis Register, operations officer for the 6th Engineer Battalion (Combat) (Airborne).
"Each platoon was tested on their ability to process detainees, conduct escalation of force measures, establish traffic control points, exploit captured enemy documents, and react to improvised explosive devices," Register said.

After participating in scenario-based training, each platoon executed a convoy live fire exercise, which tested gunners on their proficiency in moving engagements.

"As Army engineers, we need to be well versed in the full spectrum of engineer operations, ranging from combat effects to construction operations," Hoffmeister said. "We train hard to be equally prepared to conduct key leader engagements, to develop a project's scope of work, to conduct our primary mission of construction operations, or rapidly transition to support combat operations in response to the changing conditions of the operational environment."