Page 3 - Fort Irwin High Desert Warrior, June 2022

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High Desert Warrior 3 June 2022
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nTC hosts first Desert Warrior Week Competition
FORT IRWIN, Calif. — Eight teams from across the National Training Center and Fort Irwin competed in the installation’s first Desert Warrior Week event May 2-5, here.
Soldiers from each unit teamed up and went head-to-head in multiple events including a tank pull, flag football, and combatives.
In the end, the team from 1st Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment won the Commander’s Cup.
Lt. Col. Robert Furtick, commander of 1st Sqdn., 11th ACR, said his Soldiers were “passionate” about the competition. “I enjoy any type of competition, and this week provided multiple events to do that,” Furtick said. “I get super excited to play sports, play cards, cook, whatever, but watching all of the Soldiers’ enthusiasm and drive to win was the most rewarding
part of this week.”
The commanding general of the NTC, Brig. Gen. Curt
Taylor, oversaw the competition.
“Desert Warrior Week is all about building team cohesion
and camaraderie after four months of very intense training,” Taylor said. “Soldiers join the Army to be a part of an elite team [and] the events this week are designed to reinforce the teamwork that makes the Army such a great place to serve.”
The installation included the community by encouraging them to cheer on their Soldiers and participate in a family obstacle course and spouse kickball tournament.
“We are in the middle of a six-rotation, back-to-back sprint here at NTC and the team has been working hard,” Taylor said. “This week gives us a priceless opportunity to focus on our teams and on our families.”
Furtick said hoisting the trophy is always an energy boost for a team.
“[Lt. Gen. Scott McKean, deputy commanding general for Army Futures Command] was the first person I heard say ‘winning matters,’ and he is right,” Furtick said.
Furtick said he encourages his Soldiers to compete and win whenever an opportunity presents itself.
“We fight every rotation to win,” Furtick said. “The 11th ACR has to win in the box, and this shows again that we win whatever we focus on.”
Following an award ceremony for the winners of the Com- mander’s Cup and individual categories of the competition, Desert Warrior Week concluded with a “Concert in the Park” featuring country music artist Mickey Guyton.
Taylor said he hoped Desert Warrior Week would highlight why Fort Irwin is a premier duty station.
“What makes NTC one of the best assignments in a military career is the close-knit community and tight teams we form at this remote location,” Taylor said. “My hope is that this week will reinforce the close community bonds that make Fort Irwin a great choice of assignment.”
From VEHIClES, Page 1
“The second feature is controlling the ATV to follow a GPS waypoint path that we draw out,” Killebrew said. “The third feature is called leader follower, [where] a single lead vehicle can control up to nine unmanned vehicles.”
Prior to the April 2022 rotation, the ATVs belonging to the 41st Trans. Co. have logged more than 281,551 miles, with over 6,162 miles logged with a safety driver onboard, and more than 2,115 miles logged while being fully autonomous with no drivers on board.
“Our office was tasked to identify locations in which these ATVs can be deployed and contested in as close to a real-world scenario,” said Hector Vazquez, logistics management specialist with Army Futures Command. “The National Training Center offers just that, its vast and difficult road network coupled with a brigade-sized element allowed us to test almost every aspect of the ATVs.”
While at the National Training Center, the ATVs drove close to 200 miles autonomously with no passengers, with another 200 miles driven “manned- unmanned” in which the passengers riding in the ATV did not operate it.
“To garnish these miles at the NTC is an outstanding feat for Army modernization,” said Vazquez.
For more information go to home.army.mil/irwin