An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : News : Article View
NEWS | July 26, 2017

Airmen, Soldiers train in Patriot North 2017 Exercise at Fort McCoy, Wis.

By Scott Surkol Fort McCoy Public Affairs

FORT McCOY, Wis. - During the second half of July, Fort McCoy's Young Air Assault Strip on South Post and other post training areas were in use for the Patriot North 2017 Exercise — a joint agency civilian and military exercise sponsored by the National Guard Bureau.

The exercise, operated mainly from Volk Field near Camp Douglas, Wisconsin, included more than 900 civilians, volunteers, and National Guard Soldiers and Airmen from more than 20 states supporting the training.

Approximately 200-plus service members held their part of the Patriot North training at Fort McCoy, said Lt. Col. Mickey Kirschenbaum, public affairs officer for the exercise.

Young Air Assault Strip, or YAAS, has been used for decades as a multiservice air strip for C-130 Hercules and C-17 Globemaster III Air Force aircraft as well as Army Blackhawk and Chinook helicopters.

"The air strip is an important part of our training complex at Fort McCoy," said James Hubbard, chief of the Airfield Division at the Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security (DPTMS). "There's not many air strips like Young available for training, so it is highly sought-after as a training area for exercises, such as Patriot North."

Approximately 30 Airmen with the Oregon Air National Guard's 270th Air Traffic Control Squadron at Kingsley Field Air National Guard Base in Klamath Falls were among the first to set up operations at YAAS on July 17 as the exercise began.

The Airmen set up a mobile tower and a tactical air navigation system to allow for air traffic control operations during the exercise. The work included placing grounding wires and navigational aids.

"This is one of the few times where an air traffic control system has been used at the air strip," Hubbard said.

Patriot North is a training exercise designed for civilian emergency management and responders to work with military entities in the same manner that they would during disasters, Kirschenbaum said in a press release about the exercise. The exercise tests the National Guard's abilities to support response operations based on simulated emergency scenarios, such as a strong storm bringing high winds and the storm surge creating a collapsed building, mass casualties, and the need for search and rescue along with evacuations of injured.

The National Guard, along with local, state, and federal partners, was deployed to exercise venues at Volk Field and Fort McCoy to practice its response.

Lt. Col. Roger Brooks, exercise director for Patriot North, said Fort McCoy is an important part of the exercise.

"Fort McCoy provides our participants with outstanding training opportunities not available at other venues, especially the ability for landings and drops at Young Air Assault Strip and the Badger Drop Zone," Brooks said. "Additionally, the support we receive from (DPTMS) Range Control and all of the personnel at McCoy is second to none. Patriot North would not be as valuable without their support."

Fort McCoy has supported America's armed forces since 1909. The installation's motto is to be the "Total Force Training Center." The post's varied terrain, state-of-the-art ranges, new as well as renovated facilities, and extensive support infrastructure, combine to provide military personnel with an environment in which to develop and sustain the skills necessary for mission success.

 

 

Related Articles
The 111th Electromagnetic Warfare Company conducts training exercise, Operation Golden Corridor in Dahlonega, Georgia, August 15, 2025. Throughout the duration of the exercise, Soldiers simulated peer and near-peer electromagnetic warfare scenarios and enhance unit proficiency in spectrum mapping, RF detection, and alternative radar awareness capabilities under austere conditions.
Georgia Guard Company Leads in Electromagnetic Warfare Modernization
By | Aug. 27, 2025
DAHLONEGA, Ga. - The Georgia Army National Guard’s 111th Electromagnetic Warfare Company, based in Forest Park, Georgia, is rapidly establishing itself as a leader in the Army’s modernization efforts within the...

Soldiers from the 1st Battalion 182nd Infantry Regiment, Massachusetts Army National Guard, and the 1st Battalion 69th Infantry Regiment, New York Army National Guard, participated in the annual Logan-Duffy Shooting Match, August 21, 2025, at Fort Devens, Massachusetts. The history of the Logan Duffy Rifle Match goes back nearly 90 years to the first match, which was held in 1936.
Massachusetts, New York Guard Members Compete in Historic Logan-Duffy Rifle Competition
By Sgt. 1st Class Steven Eaton,   | Aug. 27, 2025
DEVENS, Mass. – Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 182nd Infantry Regiment, Massachusetts Army National Guard, and the 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry Regiment, New York Army National Guard, participated in the annual Logan-Duffy...

An Alaska Air National Guard HH-60G Pave Hawk assigned to the 210th Rescue Squadron a real-world rescue operation at Point MacKenzie, Alaska, Sept. 1, 2022. After a Christen A-1 Husky crashed into a marsh, National Guardsmen rappelled and conducted a rescue operation, ensuring the aircraft was safely vacated. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Julia Lebens)
Alaska Air Guard Rescues Individual With Facial Laceration Near Knik Glacier
By Alejandro Pena, | Aug. 27, 2025
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska — Alaska Air National Guard members with the 176th Wing rescued an individual with a facial laceration Aug. 25, about 40 miles northeast of Anchorage in the vicinity of Knik Glacier.The...