Soldiers head into Iraq open-eyed. Suicide bombings, skirmishes, riots, cultural clashes ? reacting to such things is nearly second nature after weeks of wargaming at the National Training Center, at Fort Irwin, CA, the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, LA, or the Combat Manuever Training Center in Hohenfels, Germany.

National Training Center
Fort Irwin, CA

Training at NTC is not just a game in which Soldiers play war before facing the real thing.

An unforgiving ?enemy? ambushes Soldiers with enough firepower and cultural challenges to make them confident of their ability to respond.

?The art of training is about taking it to the toughest level, so we push Soldiers to the limit,? said BG Robert W. Cone, NTC?s commander.

Units throughout the Army work to collect resources to make NTC?s training as realistic as possible. The installation?s vast landscape, scorching heat, real Iraqis as role players, trainers with combat experience, and access to the most recent lessons learned ? with the ability to appropriately and quickly tweak training ? all help improve training for visiting units. These things and more lead to NTC?s reputation as one of the world?s premier military training centers, Cone said.

?Our audience tells us that a day here is like a week or two in Iraq. Soldiers come here to be trained at a high rate, with lots of stress,? he said. ?This wouldn?t be the National Training Center if it wasn?t hard.?

Smarter, Sharper Soldiers

NTC contains a dozen ?Iraqi towns,? all with underground passages and buildings that resemble mosques, shops and eateries. Structures are multi-dimensional, so Soldiers get used to looking in every direction for enemies.

The towns are spread across 1,000 square miles of desert, and platoons are stretched far apart to prime them for the command and logistics issues they?ll encounter in Iraq.

With the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment ? NTC?s resident unit ? now in Iraq, the Nevada Army National Guard?s 1st Squadron, 221st Cavalry, is acting as NTC?s opposing force.

OPFOR Soldiers pinpoint and exploit visiting units? weaknesses as they rehearse nearly 50 round-the-clock scenarios in two weeks. The OPFOR will target a Soldier who?s been left behind a corner, for example. Or if Soldiers drive their vehicles too close to the buildings, the OPFOR will attack with simulated improvised explosive devices.

SGT Timothy Wilson portrays the owner of a hot dog stand who lures Soldiers in for a bite to eat, then blows himself up when enough Soldiers are nearby.

?It?s amazing to see how far Soldiers can come in two weeks, from doing things that would get them killed to thinking for themselves. They become smarter and sharper,? Wilson said.

Trainers guide Soldiers through group discussions during after-action reviews. Instead of telling them what they did wrong, they ask the Soldiers what they think happened, why they think it happened and what could have been done differently.

?The key is to get these guys to realize what they did wrong on their own, to say, ?I could have done that better? instead of having us point it out to them,? said MSG Kevin Griffin, an assistant company trainer.

Scenarios change as frequently as events in the real war, because facilitators tap into a variety of information sources to find updated, reliable tactics that Soldiers should learn before entering Iraq.

Whether information comes from the Center for Army Lessons Learned or divisions currently serving in Iraq, trainers know the value of NTC is linked to the timeliness of the skills it imparts. Training remains so current that no two rotations have been alike since his arrival, said COL Steve Bailey, NTC?s director of training.

Trust

The days are full for Soldiers and units training at NTC. Morning may require them to fight off ?insurgents,? while the afternoon may have them doling out water or medical supplies to locals.

When Soldiers enter a town to foster security and stability, their postures and behaviors shape how the locals respond. While aggression and force can provoke distrust, every action must project the image of strength and determination.

?If Soldiers look soft or easy, someone in the crowd will take advantage of it,? said Bailey.

Some 250 Iraqi-Americans help Soldiers training at NTC to understand and appreciate Iraqi culture.