Able Company Conducts Joint Field Training Exercise
Able Company Conducts Joint FTX
Story by SGT George Taylor. Image by CPT David Levine
In July, Soldiers from the Georgia State Defense Force’s 1st and 4th Battalions trained side by side under the newly adopted team-based organizational structure. This joint exercise marked one of the first opportunities for these battalions—now combined as Able Company—to drill together in the field.
Planned as a multi-day Field Training Exercise (FTX), the mission set reflected real-world operational demands. Teams deployed to a remote mountain location, where they conducted detailed mission planning and briefings including the use of terrain modeling, conducted search and rescue operations on multiple areas of interest, mountaineering extractions, casualty assessment, packing and evacuations, patrol base establishment and operations —all while navigating rugged terrain under load. Teams utilized a wide array of practical skills including land navigation, knots, rope and pulley systems, evidence identification and gathering, and proper communications.
Image by CPT David Levine
Supporting the teams in the field, the Tactical Operations Center (TOC) command element maintained constant oversight using advanced mission command technology. The team leveraged ATAK (Android Team Awareness Kit) for mission planning, tracking, and command and control. Enhanced communications capability came via AT&T FirstNet, which ensured continuous, reliable connectivity in the austere mountain environment.
Image by CPT David Levine
Image by CPT Kenneth Mayger
