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ASA-Dix hosts AT planning conference, expects troop increase

  • Published
  • By David Moore
  • Army Support Activity-Dix Public Affairs
JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. --  As wartime taskings for military personnel and equipment around the world shift, there is one thing for certain - more military personnel are expected to come to Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst for training this year.

Planners of Dix's Directorate of Plans, Training and Mobilization's Training Management Division gathered together with military personnel at Timmermann Center Jan. 22, to show off the Army Support Activity-Dix's training capabilities, as well as begin to plan large-scale exercises that will impact the activity and JB MDL.

Col. Patrick Slowey, ASA-Dix commander, welcomed home conference attendees who recently returned from deployment and thanked all the individuals who attended for being the first to the table for planning and coordinating annual training resources and requirements.

Slowey said Dix has the training resources necessary to meet the Army Force Generation goal of providing a trained and ready pool of personnel to source national contingency operations.

"You are the customer and we want to please our customer," Slowey said.

Slowey stressed the importance of training safety during the conference's opening remarks.

"Many of you have had real-world experiences in combat," he said. "But you need to manage training properly, just mitigate the risk."

Conference participants who attended the talks and will be attending annual training this year, were presented with a laundry list of services and resources available to all services, utilizing 31,000 acres of range areas. Reserve and National Guard leaders also received a briefing about the training simulation growth in the 3200 training area, ranging from improved weapons simulators to the latest vehicle driving trainers.

Last year, ASA-Dix provided more than 40,000 mandays of annual and individual training that focuses on unit, job and leadership training courses.

After personnel spent the morning being briefed on the activity's services, leaders who will be participating in military exercises gathered at the Timmermann classrooms to discuss needed resources and put finishing touches on each of their summer training plans.

Beginning in June, an estimated 1,000 U.S. Army Reserve Soldiers assigned to 24 organizations from around the country will participate in a logistics exercise known as the Quartermaster Liquid Logistics Exercise. The two-part exercise has Army Reserve fuelers hauling jet fuel to military installations around the Northeast, in addition to testing and using equipment associated with water purification.

In July, approximately 500 engineer Soldiers from 16 Army Reserve organizations will participate in Castle Installation Related Construction. This exercise focuses on Soldiers not only receiving combat-related training, but also practicing their construction skills by working on projects expected to increase the training capabilities here.

In addition to exercises, Soldiers from the Pennsylvania Army National Guard, the 56th Stryker Brigade as well as New Jersey Army National Guarddmen are also scheduling to conduct annual training at JB MDL. Smaller exercises are also expected to sign-on as the training year continues.

The Training Management Division personnel who manage ranges, enlisted military occupational skills and leadership training courses continue to plan for growth. While specific training numbers are not available at this time, additional officer leadership courses known as Intermediate Level Education are scheduled to begin in June and continue into September.

In recent years, ASA-Dix has evolved from just providing resources for Army training. Workers now service all military branches. Aviation assets and the U.S. Maine Corps, who now also call JB MDL home, are scheduled to hit the ranges to meet mandated training requirements as well.

"As the mobilization load decreases, we are already seeing a training load increase," said Jeff Bankenship, a TMD training planner.