Volume 14, Number 1  Published in the interest of the National Training Center and Fort Irwin community • www.irwin.army.mil        January 5, 2018

SecArmy Commits to Building a More Lethal,
Agile Force During Visit to National Training Center

                                                                                                                                                                                          U.S. Army photo by John Martinez (Senior Leadership of the Army)

Secretary of the Army Dr. Mark T. Esper speaks with Col. Wilson R. Rutherford IV, commander, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, about the unit’s experience at the
National Training Center Dec. 1.

                            By Codi Kozacek                     at NTC,” Esper told infantry Soldiers from the 1st Armored          reiterated that the Army will continue to enforce the most
                                                                Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division out of Fort Hood,         rigorous standards for recruits. He also emphasized the need to
                           NTC / Fort Irwin PAO                 Texas, which was finishing a training rotation at NTC. “There’s     get modernized equipment and the latest technology into the
   FORT IRWIN, Calif. — Secretary of the Army Dr. Mark T.       a high-end fight out their waiting for us. This is where we’re      hands of Soldiers more quickly, and to ensure that Soldiers have
Esper underscored his commitment to building an even more       going to learn.”                                                    the training and experience to be able to operate and maintain
agile, lethal and technologically advanced combat force during                                                                      that equipment at the highest level.
a visit to the National Training Center Dec. 1.                    During his visit, the secretary met with commanders and
   Just two weeks after his confirmation as the Army’s top      Soldiers to discuss initiatives to grow the mission capability and     The end goal is building a force that can deploy anywhere in
Civilian leader, Esper traveled to NTC to observe firsthand     combat power of Army forces.                                        the world and win the toughest fights against the most advanced
how units prepare for battle. Enhancing Army readiness is a                                                                         adversaries. That’s where the complex scenarios replicated at
top priority for the secretary, and NTC is a key component of      One area of focus, he said, is streamlining training tasks       NTC come into play.
that effort. The training center is the proving ground for the  so units can dedicate all their time and energy to honing
Army’s Brigade Combat Teams, where units face the toughest,     mission-essential skills and maneuvers. That includes eliminat-        While its mountainous, Mojave Desert landscape evokes
most realistic combat scenarios at a scale unparalleled by any  ing extraneous, irrelevant training and transitioning classroom     the battlefields of Central Asia, NTC is constantly innovating
other environment.                                              instruction, as much as possible, into mission-oriented exercises.  to simulate the latest emerging threats across the globe -- from
   “It’s a privilege for me to come and spend time out here                                                                         drone attacks, to contested air superiority, to cyber and elec-
                                                                   Another line of effort is ensuring units receive the resources
                                                                necessary to widen the United States’ advantage over its adver-                                                         See SecArmy, page 3
                                                                saries. That effort starts with high-quality personnel, and Esper