120th Infantry Brigade Mission Statement

120th Infantry Brigade is a phenomenal assignment to receive. I am able to accomplish so much within my realm of responsibilities as a flight medic. The Brigade functions very well as is but there is always room for improvement as many leaders in the Army would say. I believe the best improvement that could be made in the Brigade is utilizing all the functioning Battalions to accomplish multi-echelon and multi-organizational training. This would provide broad-spectrum training for our training audiences and would replicate real world situations that are found in today’s modern battlefields. I serve as an OC/T in 2nd Training Support Battalion, 291st Aviation Regiment and we mobilize all deploying National Guard and Reserve aviation units. These units have different but similar mission sets when deployed that range from assault, medical evacuation, lift, and several other mission sets. They utilize all platforms of flight including Blackhawks and Chinooks. We have a specific mission to
train and validate just these types of units. There are several other Battalions within the Brigade footprint that have other units with mission sets such as Infantry, Engineers, Combat Support Hospitals, Forward Surgical Teams, and so on. I believe that combining these training Battalions within a central S3 at Brigade for long range planning to create complex training would be beneficial to all involved. A MEDEVAC flight would no longer receive a 9 line to a field where there is a manikin awaiting treatment but would interact with actual Soldiers on the field with a casualty they received while performing battle drills. This type of training is invaluable. We have the opportunity to create and manage our own battlefield with so many different units mobilizing at the same times. An infantry unit could go on patrol, encounter an IED, and call in actual engineers to clear the IED. They could encounter an ambush and call for fire from overhead assault Blackhawks and receive casualties that they either have to ground evacuate or request air medical evacuation that then transports the patient to a Combat Support Hospital for surgical treatments. The possibilities are endless as long as proper planning is conducted by the 120th Brigade S3 staff. This type of training would also provide training for the OC/Ts on the ground and in flight as well as the S3 staffs at each of the respective Battalions and Brigade.
Planning this type of training would be intensive but the value added is incredibly remarkable. The experiences that would be gained by such large scale planning will also encourage development, mentorship, and growth within the 120th Brigade’s ranks as well. I also believe this would build a better team-centered organization within the Brigade. Each Battalion would work closely with every other Battalion within the Brigade to accomplish a common goal, training the future warfighters of the Army to the utmost standards possible. Working to do this would bridge the gap between Soldiers who hold different MOS’s as well. Infantrymen OC/Ts would work closely with Blackhawk crew chiefs, medics, surgical technicians, etc. to develop plans that accomplish the training and validation of training
audiences. Accomplishing this improvement would take some time to establish. The current Brigade S3 would require an increase in personnel. A course of action to select these personnel would be to have at least one staff member from each respective Battalion that can speak and plan for their organizations. Ensuring that a staff member with different MOS’s would allow for better planning of more realistic training. This improvement would benefit each organization involved, especially the individual Soldier that mobilizes with their unit through the 120th Brigade’s footprint. The changes in training that future Soldiers would see would help develop their abilities and experiences to allow for a better trained Soldier on the battlefield. According to the Division West Mission statement, Division West conducts battle focused, tough, realistic training to provide equipped and ready Soldiers, units and leaders for the combatant commanders. These outcomes from this valuable training will help to accomplish this mission statement and ensure the US Army fights and win wars.