U.S. Army Reserve Soldiers with the 231st Inland Cargo Transfer Company (ICTC) conduct a convoy operation through a Situational Training Exercise (STX) lane during their annual training on Fort McCoy, Wisconsin, July 21, 2022.

The United States Army is ready to fight now and is constantly adapting to maintain overmatch as the world’s premier land fighting force.

“Convoy operations are going to apply in any operational environment, whether it’s a counter insurgency fight or large scale operation,” said Capt. Steven Todd from the 1st Bde. Engineer Bn., 310th Infantry Regiment, 181st Multifunctional Training Bde. “You’re going to encounter the same obstacles. It is important to build on those skills in order to be ready regardless of the situation.”

During the simulated convoy operation, the 231st ICTC was tested on multiple warrior tasks and battle drills including reacting to indirect fire and improvised explosive devices (IED).

“The more you train, the more tools you have in your toolbox to bring out from your past experience to use in the future, and help bring out to the battlefield,” said Todd.

These skills are important to overall Soldier readiness throughout their entire career. If and when a Soldier goes down range; they will run into a plethora of different situations where any skill they’ve developed through training will help them accomplish the mission, said Todd.

WAREX 78-22-02 is focused on tactical communication, medical tasks and squad movement drills. Soldiers took part in different lanes simulating a combat environment. Observer Coach Trainers (OC/T) are attached to each training unit to watch, give feedback and coach while going through lanes.

Throughout the two weeks of annual training each lane is broken down into different lanes that test the soldiers on specific skills required to be proficient not only at their job, but being a Soldier as a whole.

Annual training is an annual event conducted by all U.S. Army Reserve components as the training year's culminating event based on monthly training and preparation units conduct throughout the 12 months prior. The goal of the Army Reserve is to be able bodied and adequately prepared to mobilize and deploy at a moment's notice. By conducting monthly battle assemblies and an annual training the Army is one step closer to accomplishing their mission, said Todd.