The Joint Readiness Training Center is pleased to present the fifty-sixth episode to air on ‘The Crucible - The JRTC Experience.’ Hosted by the Commander of Ops Group (COG), COL Matthew Hardman. Today’s guest is the Commanding General of the 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), MG Gregory Anderson.   The 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) is the premier light infantry division in the United States Army based at Fort Drum, New York. Formerly designated as a mountain warfare unit, the...

The Joint Readiness Training Center is pleased to present the fifty-fifth episode to air on ‘The Crucible - The JRTC Experience.’ Hosted by the Commander of Ops Group (COG), COL Matthew Hardman. Today’s guest is Deputy Commanding General for Operations with 1st Special Forces Command (Airborne), BG Joseph Wortham.   1st Special Forces Command (Airborne) trains, mans, and equips Special Operations Forces Soldiers and units to conduct special operations worldwide in support of geographic...

The Joint Readiness Training Center is pleased to present the fifty-fourth episode to air on ‘The Crucible - The JRTC Experience.’ Hosted by the Command Sergeant Major of Ops Group (COG), CSM Michael Hall. Today’s guests are all seasoned mortar Observer-Coach-Trainers (OCTs) at the JRTC. SFC Juan Hernandez from Task Force 2 (Infantry Battalion) while SFC Terrance Fusek and SFC Robert Scholle are both from Live Fire Division.   Live Fire Division focuses on conducting brigade and battalion...

The Joint Readiness Training Center is pleased to present the fifty-third episode to air on ‘The Crucible - The JRTC Experience.’ Hosted by the Commander of Ops Group (COG), COL Matthew Hardman. Today’s guest is Director of Operations Research Center at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, LTC David Beskow, PhD. He has a PhD in Societal Computing from Carnegie Mellon University School of Computer Science and serves in the Department of Systems Engineering.   The Operations Research Center...

  The Joint Readiness Training Center is pleased to present the fifty-second episode to air on ‘The Crucible - The JRTC Experience.’ Hosted by the Executive Officer Observer-Coach-Trainer for Task Force 5 (BDE Engineer BN), MAJ David Beale on behalf of the Commander of Ops Group. Today’s guests are the Commandant and Regimental Sergeant Major for the US Army’s Engineer School at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, COL Joseph "Clete" Goetz and CSM Zachary Plummer. COL Goetz is the 100th Commandant at...

Congratulations to our commissioned officers that are alumni and current serving Observer - Coach - Trainers for making the centralized selection list from the JRTC Team. The Commander of Operations Group, COL Matthew Hardman, and the CSM of Operations Group, CSM Michael Hall, send their warmest wishes. Your dedication and hard work have truly paid off, showcasing your exceptional leadership skills. Here's to continued success and making a positive impact in all your endeavors.

The Joint Readiness Training Center is pleased to present the fifty-first episode to air on ‘The Crucible - The JRTC Experience.’ Hosted by the Commander of Ops Group (COG), COL Matthew Hardman. Today’s guests are two seasoned, former command sergeant majors, CSM(R) Adam Nash and CSM(R) Curt Donaldson. CSM(R) Nash is the former 4th Infantry Division Command Sergeant Major. CSM(R) Donaldson is the former 75th Ranger Regiment Command Sergeant Major, known as the Regimental Sergeant Major.   The...

The Joint Readiness Training Center is pleased to present the fiftieth episode to air on ‘The Crucible - The JRTC Experience.’ Hosted by the Commander of Ops Group (COG), COL Matthew Hardman. Today’s guest is a Senior Research Fellow for the Army Research Laboratory at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Dr. Robert Semmens. He has a PhD from Stanford University in how people learn with technology.   The U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Army Research Laboratory (DEVCOM...

The Joint Readiness Training Center is pleased to present the forty-nineth episode to air on ‘The Crucible - The JRTC Experience.’ Hosted by the Commander of Ops Group (COG), COL Matthew Hardman. Today’s guest is the Commanding General of United States Army Forces Command, General Andrew Poppas.   Forces Command is the largest United States Army command and provider of expeditionary, regionally engaged, campaign-capable land forces to combatant commanders. FORSCOM trains and prepares a combat...

The Joint Readiness Training Center is pleased to present the forty-eighth episode to air on ‘The Crucible - The JRTC Experience.’ Hosted by the Commander of Ops Group (COG), COL Matthew Hardman. Today’s guests are part of a combat advisor team with 2nd Security Force Assistance Brigade, SFC Joseph Escalante and SFC Shelby Kelley.   Security force assistance brigades (SFABs) are specialized US Army units with the core mission to conduct advise, support, liaise and assess operations with...

The Joint Readiness Training Center is pleased to present the forty-sixth episode to air on ‘The Crucible - The JRTC Experience.’ Hosted by the Commander of Ops Group (COG), COL Matthew Hardman. Today’s guest is a Foreign Exchange Officer serving as an Observer-Coach-Trainer Company Team Senior with Task Force 2 (Infantry Battalion), CPT Will Happel of the British Army. CPT Happel has since become a student Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas and has since been...

The Joint Readiness Training Center is pleased to present the forty-sixth episode to air on ‘The Crucible - The JRTC Experience.’ Hosted by LTC Mason Thornal, the Battalion Commander of 1-509th IN (OPFOR) on behalf of the Commander of Operations Group.  Today’s guest is the Brigade Commander for 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), COL James Stultz.   The 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), which was activated on 1...

The Joint Readiness Training Center is pleased to present the forty-fifth episode to air on ‘The Crucible - The JRTC Experience.’ Hosted by the Commander of Ops Group (COG), COL Matthew Hardman. Today’s guest is the deputy senior mentor at the Leader Training Program at the JRTC, COL(R) Mike Kershaw.   He spent 34 years on active duty as an infantry officer and has been with the Leader Training Program for nearly nine years. The Leaders Training Program at the JRTC is a ten-day planning...

The Joint Readiness Training Center is pleased to present the forty-fourth episode to air on ‘The Crucible - The JRTC Experience.’ Hosted by the Commander of Ops Group (COG), COL Matthew Hardman. Today’s guest is the Brigade Commander for 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry, COL Robert Shaw.   The 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team of the 25th Infantry Division (Light), which was activated on 1 October 1941 in Hawaii mere days before the attack on Pearl Harbor, conducts military...

The Joint Readiness Training Center is pleased to present the fortieth episode to air on ‘The Crucible - The JRTC Experience.’ Hosted by the Commander of Ops Group (COG), COL Matthew Hardman. Today’s guests are the Commander and Command Sergeant Major for 2nd Security Force Assistance Brigade, COL Jason Clarke and CSM Paul Fedorisin. Security force assistance brigades (SFABs) are specialized US Army units with the core mission to conduct advise, support, liaise and assess operations with...

The Joint Readiness Training Center is pleased to present the forty-second episode to air on ‘The Crucible - The JRTC Experience.’ Hosted by CPT Nicolaus Rohrbough is the battalion assistant S-3 operations observer-coach-trainer for TF-4 (CAV Squadron) on behalf of the Commander of Operations Group. Today’s guest is the Commander of 3-89th Cavalry Squadron, 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, LTC Ryan Nugent as well as one of his troop’s executive officers, 1LT Aiden...

The Joint Readiness Training Center is pleased to present the forty-first episode to air on ‘The Crucible - The JRTC Experience.’ Hosted by CPT Benjamin Malcolm of 1-509th IN (OPFOR) on behalf of the Commander of Operations Group. Today’s guest is the Deputy Commanding Officer – Operations for the 82nd Airborne Division, COL Andrew Saslav, All American 07. COL Saslav was the COG from 2021-2022 and the commander of 11th DTG  (OPFOR notional higher headquarters).   The 82nd Airborne Division...

The Joint Readiness Training Center is pleased to present the fortieth episode to air on ‘The Crucible - The JRTC Experience.’ Hosted by the Commander of Ops Group (COG), COL Matthew Hardman. Today’s guest is the Commanding General for Security Force Assistance Command, MG Donn Hill.   The Security Force Assistance Command (SFAC) is a division-level command element for the United States Army's new security force assistance brigades (SFAB). The SFAC draws its heritage from the Philippine...

The Joint Readiness Training Center is pleased to present the thirty-ninth episode to air on ‘The Crucible - The JRTC Experience.’ Hosted by the Command Sergeant Major of Ops Group (CSMOG), CSM Michael Hall. Today’s guest is the commander of 1st Battalion (Airborne), 509th Infantry Regiment, LTC Mason Thornal, also known as Geronimo 06.   1-509th IN is the opposing forces unit for the Joint Readiness Training Center, the infamous “Geronimo,” the most hated unit in the Army. Geronimo’s primary...

The Joint Readiness Training Center is pleased to present the thirty-seventh episode to air on ‘The Crucible - The JRTC Experience.’ Hosted by MAJ Christopher Gensler from Task Force 5 (BEB) on behalf of the Commander of Ops Group (COG), COL Matthew Hardman. Today’s guest is MAJ Jonathan Tucker, the Battalion S-3 Operations Officer for 317thBrigade Engineer Battalion, 3rd IBCT, 10th Mountain Division.   They have the Hollywood call-sign of “Buffaloes” and the motto of “By Industry and Honor,”...

The Joint Readiness Training Center is pleased to present the thirty-seventh episode to air on ‘The Crucible - The JRTC Experience.’ Hosted by the Commander of Ops Group (COG), COL Matthew Hardman. Today’s guests are all seasoned Observer-Coach-Trainers from across Operations Group, CPT Richard Snyder, CPT Benjamin Malcolm, and CPT Nicolaus Rohrbough. These OCTs have also previously participated in this year’s Large Scale Combat Operations Symposium.   Our guest observer-coach-trainers with...

The Joint Readiness Training Center is pleased to present the thirty-sixth episode to air on ‘The Crucible - The JRTC Experience.’ Hosted by the Commander of Ops Group (COG), COL Matthew Hardman. Today’s guests are all seasoned Observer-Coach-Trainers from across Operations Group, MAJ(P) Drew Zabriskie, MAJ Westly “Wes” LaFitte, and MAJ James Lee.   Our guest observer-coach-trainers with nearly fifty decisive action training environment rotations between them. MAJ(P) Drew Zabriskie (L05) is...

The Joint Readiness Training Center is pleased to present the thirty-fifth episode to air on ‘The Crucible - The JRTC Experience.’ Hosted by the Command Sergeant Major of Ops Group (COG), CSM Michael Hall. Today’s guest is the Command Sergeant Major of 3-89th Cavalry Squadron, 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, CSM Andrew Baxter. The 3rd Squadron, 89th Cavalry Regiment also draws its heritage from the 899th Tank Destroyer Battalion of infamy during the North African...

The Joint Readiness Training Center is pleased to present the thirty-fourth episode to air on ‘The Crucible - The JRTC Experience.’ Hosted by the Commander of Ops Group (COG), COL Matthew Hardman. Today’s guest is the Commanding General of the 82nd Airborne Division, MG Christopher LaNeve (All American 06). He was previously the Commander of Ops Group from 2015 to 2016.   The 82nd Airborne Division was founded after the American entry into World War I in August 1917 as part of the American...

The Joint Readiness Training Center is pleased to present the thirty-third episode to air on ‘The Crucible - The JRTC Experience.’ Hosted by the Commander of Ops Group (COG), COL Matthew Hardman. Today’s guests are two seasoned Observer-Coach-Trainers from within Operations Group, CPT Katherine Elifson and CPT Richard Duam. CPT Katherine “Katie” Elifson (L70) is the distribution company observer-coach-trainer from TF Sustainment (BSB / CSSB). CPT Richard “Richie” Duam (C10) is a rifle company...