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NEWS | July 30, 2019

Army Reserve Soldiers and Marine Corps Reserve participate in River Assault 19

By (Courtesy article) 210th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

On July 20th, 2019 US Army Reserve soldiers from the 361st and 341st Multi-Role Bridge Company, 420th Engineer Brigade, and USMC Reserve Marines from with Alpha Company and Bravo Company, 6th Engineer Support Battalion, Battle Creek, Michigan, constructed a fully enclosed improved ribbon bridge on Belton Lake on Ft. Hood Texas. Active Duty Soldiers, Reserve Soldiers and Reserve Marines worked for more than four hours to complete and attach the 72-bay floating bridge.

The improved Ribbon Bridge (IRB) is a floating, collapsible system of barges that can be used as a full span bridge or to ferry vehicles and equipment across a body of water. River Assault 19 is a key U.S. Army Reserve training exercise that is intended for engineers and enablers to conduct specific training to increase readiness, enhance partnership and gain interoperability with multi-component and multi-service elements. 

Most of the Soldiers participating in River Assault are from the Reserve components of the respective branches. As part of their annual training, this exercise is their yearly opportunity to come together to hone their skills as they complete their mission and learn the critical skills needed for a bridging operation in the face of enemy opposition.

Participants in River Assault 19 are also training on tasks and skills such as vehicle familiarization, driving and safety; weapons familiarization and firing; demolitions; roadside bomb detection and defeat; construction and repair; breaching minefields; and clearing buildings through urban operations. CH-47 helicopters also participated in the exercise, sling-loading portions of the bridge into positon as part of the culminating effort.