November 19, 2016 –
FORT IRWIN, Calif. – Maj. Annie Green, 650th Regional Support Group personnel officer in charge, led Sgt. 1st Class Cecile Christian and Staff Sgt. Anthony Griswold at the Fort Irwin National Training Center November 17-20, while they ran the at the Reception Staging Onward-Movement Integration station, where Soldiers were processed in and out of the Field Training Exercise.
This mission was a joint exercise that was spear headed by the 650th RSG and the 304th Sustainment Brigade staffs who spent months of joint planning and working closely with multiple agencies and units to make this FTX a success.
The RSOI is a very important function of the exercise. Before troops can enter the cantonment zone, they must be processed for accountability. More than 1600 Soldiers from both brigades will eventually begin and end their training at this way station.
“This exercise is a platform for us to create a foundation for our mission next year at Big LOTS West 17,” said Green. “This is also a real world mission that will help us maintain our combat readiness, which entails medical fitness and weapons qualification.”
The 650th RSG and 304th SBDE conducted a joint FTX, during a MUTA 8 four-day battle assembly, where collective training events as well as individual readiness focused on medical readiness and firearms qualification, where examinations included eye, dental, hearing, physician interviews and an influenza vaccination.
The 650th RSG setup a base camp at Forward Operating Base Santa Fe, where they provided land management and space requirements for billeting, a motor pool staging area, tenant headquarters and the RSOI station. The 304th SBDE stayed at FOB Miami, where they billeted more than 1500 Soldiers.
“This real world mission helped us train the younger Soldiers who have never been in the field or have never run a RSOI,” said Christian. “Once we set up our station they came in waves. We focused on making sure each Soldier was checked in and out, ensuring accountability.”
Both units utilized various firing ranges, where Soldiers received many training sessions that included range regulations, safety procedures, coaching techniques and medical procedures.
The Fort Irwin National Training Center is a major training area for the United States Military and is a census-designated place located in the Mojave Desert in northern San Bernardino County, California and is located 37 miles northeast of Barstow, in the Calico Mountains.
The 650th RSG is aligned under the 311th Sustainment Command and took control of three battalions: 314th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 469th CSSB and the 483rd Transportation Battalion. Its area of operation spans over three states, including California, Nevada and Arizona.