FORT RILEY, Kan. - More than 50 Alaska Army National Guard Soldiers from the 297th Regional Support Group are participating in Mobilization Exercise Level III, part of First Army’s annual mobilization exercise Pershing Strike 24, from July 28 to Aug. 24.
In the event of large-scale war, the United States requires multiple installations to prepare Reserve Component units for deployment. MOBEX III will validate Fort Riley as a mobilization force generation installation to deploy personnel and units to the battlefield.
During last year's MOBEX II, the 297th RSG successfully tested its ability to synchronize mobilization operations at a smaller scale. This year, the unit is implementing those abilities by integrating into large-scale mobilization operations.
For MOBEX III, the 297th RSG provides full sustainment support as the First Army’s 189th Infantry Brigade conducts mobilization training for Wyoming ARNG’s 2nd Battalion, 300th Field Artillery.
MOBEX III, in conjunction with Pershing Strike 24, is led from First Army Headquarters at Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, and includes participation from Active Duty, National Guard, and Reserve Soldiers mobilizing at Fort Riley, Fort Knox, Kentucky, and Fort Cavazos, Texas.
Commanders will use MOBEX III to evaluate the flow of units from home to deployment stations to understand the challenges of large-scale mobilization operations across the mobilization enterprise, evaluate plans and operations, and create strategies to reduce friction points and increase flexibility during LSMO.