BARKING SANDS — The window of opportunity was small, but the U.S. Navy Pacific Missile Range Facility at Mana, or Barking Sands, figured prominently Tuesday during the Kaua‘i segment of the Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center large-scale training exercise, referred to as JPMRC 23-01.
BARKING SANDS — The window of opportunity was small, but the U.S. Navy Pacific Missile Range Facility at Mana, or Barking Sands, figured prominently Tuesday during the Kaua‘i segment of the Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center large-scale training exercise, referred to as JPMRC 23-01.
Some elements of the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade used part of the PMRF air strip as a refueling center in a scenario that involved a pair of CH47 Chinook helicopters establishing a fuel source for a flight of Apache attack helicopters bound from Wheeler Air Force Base on O‘ahu to a simulated attack on an island located northwest of Kaua‘i, according to a release from the Army.
Once completed, the helicopters will return to the Navy base for refueling for the trip back to Wheeler.
JPMRC 23-01, scheduled to take place around the state from Oct. 31 through Nov. 9, is a regional combat training center rotation that will build combat readiness in America’s Pacific Division. The exercises are a key way that Army forces, in this instance the Tropic Lightning Soldiers from the 25th Infantry Division, engage in a joint environment with regional allies and partners.
Joining the 25th Infantry Division, this year’s exercises involve elements of the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade, the 25th Division Artillery and 25th Division Sustainment Brigade.
Training will include the use of blank ammunition and explosive simulators during day and night hours in the training areas that include the Pohakuloa Training Area on Hawai‘i Island and, on O‘ahu, the Bellows Air Force Base, Dillingham Army Airfield, Kahuku Training Area, Kawailoa Mountain Ranges, Helemanu Plantation and Schofield Barracks East and South Ranges.
Along with PATHWAYS, JPMRC 23-01 facilitates unit readiness in the region and allows commanders to train their forces in realistic environments and conditions where they are most likely to campaign and be employed in the event of crisis or conflict.
The 25th Infantry Division, “Tropic Lightning,” is America’s Pacific Division. Tropic Lightning provides the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command a tailorable force with the ability to rapidly respond to contingencies across the Pacific. Tropic Lightning Soldiers continuously works with partners and allies to prepare for shared challenges.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 808-245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
