The 46th Aviation Support Battalion conducted a situational training exercise at Training Area 8 to evaluate Soldier skill level one tasks March 26 to 30.

This was the first opportunity the battalion had to conduct a training exercise while still in the process of standing up.

"The training has given us an indication of what our current skill set is and will allow us to better train our Soldiers in the company and battalion level FTXs coming up this summer," 1st Lt. Daniel Grove, 46th ASB assistant S3 and officer-in-charge for the exercise, said.

The training played a crucial role for the battalion's junior enlisted Soldiers, since a majority of them are fresh out of advanced individual training and have no prior experience in a tactical environment. Privates through staff sergeants, with some privates first class being put in charge of fire teams, were afforded a chance to act as a combat team member and develop an understanding of each individual's role on that team.

"The goal is to get Soldiers the best possible hands-on training and prepare them for the deployment mindset," Grove said. "I believe it helps Soldiers get engaged in the training and immerse themselves into an atmosphere that was designed around an Afghanistan deployment."

"Team building" was the term of the day as numerous stations around the training site encouraged Soldiers to rely on their team members to execute maneuvers on the simulated battlefield. Soldiers worked together to clear buildings and bound forward to an objective using a three-to-five second "buddy rush" technique, while reacting to direct fire.

"I really wasn't expecting all the hands-on training, but I felt that the media awareness, radio operations and combatives situations were all very valuable," Sgt. Darnell Mullen, a 46th ASB food services technician, said. "It made it all feel that much more real."

Soldiers were challenged on how well they could carry out the mission when put under pressure. "React to contact" placed Soldiers under simulated machine gun fire while simulated explosives went off in a mock Afghan town.

Once there, they had to secure the area and ensure that no improvised explosive devices were in place before coming in to contact with the enemy. The Soldiers proceeded to engage the hostiles in hand-to-hand combat and subdue them using techniques taught in combatives.

"It all happened so fast," Mullen said. "After I gave the brief and communicated my expectations of the group, I really tried to make sure that we had each others' backs when we were out there. My expectations were exceeded when I saw how motivated my team was despite the cold and rain."

Situational awareness was tested when performing convoy operations. Soldiers maneuvered down a dirt path in three Humvees while scouting for possible IEDs. Once an IED was discovered, the teams dismounted their vehicles and secured the perimeter and called an explosive ordinance disposal team for removal.

Soldiers also established a control-access-point for a military installation. There, the Soldiers practiced procedures for allowing individuals onto the notional secure installation.

While limited in its ability to employ all anticipated equipment while still in its building phase, the battalion provided quality training for more than 300 Soldiers.

"We have some improvements to make in convoy operations but, overall, I think we performed pretty well, considering that that this was the first time for us to do hands-on training like this," Grove said. "Normally we cover this through Sergeant's Time training, so we've changed it up a little bit this time around."