[Yang Nakgyu's Defense video] US Military Arrives Here Before Actual Combat Deployment

[Asia Economy Reporter Yang Nak-gyu] The Army planned to send more than 50 personnel, including combat training analysts and training observation evaluators, to the National Training Center (NTC) at Fort Irwin, USA, to observe training, but all were postponed. The training postponement is reported to have been requested by the U.S. military. The Army also planned to dispatch about 250 personnel to the NTC in May and October, but concerns have arisen that these plans may be disrupted due to the impact of the Wuhan coronavirus.

Originally, the Army intended to expand the number of personnel participating in joint training in the U.S. to more than 300 annually starting this year. In 2018, the Army conducted 31 joint small-unit training sessions, and last year, the number increased to 64 sessions as of September.

At the National Defense Committee’s audit in October last year, the Army Headquarters announced plans to expand the ROK-U.S. joint small-unit training at the U.S. NTC as part of preparations for the transfer of wartime operational control. The Army Special Warfare Command also explained at that time that it would promote team-level joint training and special warfare joint training at the U.S. NTC on a regional scale.

The Army first participated in training at the NTC in June 2014. At that time, about 170 personnel, including one mechanized infantry company and one Special Forces team, conducted four weeks of attack and defense training. Live-fire rifle training using individual firearms was conducted. During the first and second weeks, training preparations and self-practice such as terrain reconnaissance and combat shooting were carried out. In the third week, ROK-U.S. joint small-unit training was conducted under opposing force operations, focusing on attack and defense training. The final fourth week involved after-action reviews.

The U.S. NTC is a training site for rotationally deployed armored units of the U.S. Forces Korea. The mechanized units of the U.S. 2nd Infantry Division, which are rotationally deployed, must complete final tactical proficiency training here before moving to Korea. Attack and defense operations and live-fire training are conducted.

The NTC at Fort Irwin covers an area of approximately 3,100 km². Opened in 1981, this training center also supports armored combat and airstrike training. Due to its desert geographic conditions, it was used as a desert warfare adaptation training ground for the U.S. military during the Gulf War. Currently, the focus has shifted more toward guerrilla warfare and urban combat training. The site includes villages and facilities with various terrain features such as deserts, making it the top training ground in the U.S. for troops preparing for deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan.

The NTC has 18 simulation sets built for training deployment units heading to the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. These are designed to educate soldiers unfamiliar with Middle Eastern conditions before deployment to help them adapt to local circumstances. Most of these virtual city sets were created with technology borrowed from Hollywood. Paramount Pictures participated in the set construction, and the explosions were created by special effects teams. Each unit receives training over two weeks on different lanes depending on the type of operation.

The rifles of soldiers divided into friendly and opposing forces are equipped with laser emitters instead of live ammunition. The lead vests worn by soldiers, as well as helicopters and vehicles, are equipped with laser receivers. When hit by enemy fire, a small display shows the word "Dead."