Army RTC-E trainers certified for close combat simulation training

Published Feb. 25, 2011
By David Moore
ASA Dix Public Affairs

JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. -- Sixty instructors from the Regional Training Center-East became the first United States Army Reserve certified trainers on the use of the Army's Close Combat Training Kit for force-on-force training that more closely simulates the reality of battle in training that will better prepare Soldiers deploying to hostile environments.

Two instructors from the Ultimate Training Munitions Inc., of North Branch, N.J., provided the military trainers with classroom and hands-on training of the M4 and M-249 Squad Automatic Weapon bolt and projectile systems during the train-the-trainer two-day training cycle that ended Feb. 10.

"We're excited to be the first selected in the Regional Training Centers in the country to train on this system. In the near future, we will be implementing this into our Soldiers training program," said Capt. Roger Woodruff, the operations officer for RTC-E.

During the classroom portion of the training, the Soldiers were instructed on the non-lethal blue-tipped Man-Mark 5.56 cartridge used in a Soldiers' assigned M4 or the belt-feed M249 in addition on learning how to assemble the weapons with the respective training bolt and magazine systems.

A critical part of the training involved safety measures used when training with the new system. Soldiers are required to wear their Personal Protective Equipment which includes the use of a facemask. All exposed skin must be covered.

Following the classroom instruction on Range 59E, the instructors took the trainers outdoors to practice hands-on firing. After acquiring targets and firing at known distance targets, six Soldiers on each side of a road fired at each other in different standing positions to determine the impact of the M4 Man-Marker round.

They then moved to the center of the road to fire the M249 at targets.

Such training systems are being used by the U.S. Air Force Security Forces and federal and local law enforcement organizations. Eric Seto, a trainer with UTM said. "The best thing about this ammunition is it can be used indoors and outdoors for realistic combat training scenarios."

Army training systems can include the Improved Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement System or paint ball systems, but the training kit uses a Soldier's actual weapon.

"When you are using such training systems as paint ball for training, Soldiers are developing bad habits for handling a weapon since the paintball gun has different settings. In a real-world combat situation A Soldier's responsiveness may revert back to bad habits. With this system, a Soldier's instinct is to fall back on the training he had with his weapon," Randy Knap, UTM trainer, said.

Now with 60 personnel certified to conduct this training, RTC-E Soldiers are planning to move the kits into use in deploying Army Reserve training by focusing the weapon's system use in three different training scenarios to include the group collective Culminating Exercise.

"We will try to use it for a situational training exercise, Military Operations in an Urban Terrain and CULMEX," Sgt. 1st Class Jacob Holmes said.

While the RTC-E personnel will manage their own training kits, these new systems are now available at the Dix Training Support Center, Robert Stodnick, of the Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security, said.

Organizations that request the kits must forecast the amount of ammunition required and utilize the same procedures as live ammunition. Soldiers training with the system are also required to provide their own PPE, he added.

Military trainers interested in using the system can call 562-6633 for more information.