PINEVILLE, La. - Approximately 600 Soldiers from the Louisiana National Guard’s 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team conducted annual training to prepare to deploy to Europe and Africa.
“Pre-mobilization training is critical to ensuring our Soldiers are fully prepared for post-mobilization training,” said Col. Jonathan Lloyd, commander of the 256th IBCT. “Our primary goal is to provide the best possible training so our Soldiers are ready to deploy, accomplish their assigned missions, and ultimately return home safely to their families and friends.”
For the two weeks that ended Feb. 10, Soldiers completed the Army Combat Fitness Test, weapons qualification and familiarization, key warrior tasks and battle drills and medical recertification for unit medics.
“The goal is to maximize training value before mobilization, ensuring Soldiers are proficient in their assigned mission,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Christopher Lemaire, senior enlisted leader of the 256th IBCT. “Pre-mobilization training gives us time to shake off the rust, rehearse and refine our skills and enhance effectiveness while mitigating risk to maximize individual safety.”
Mobilizing units must also complete readiness processing, validating Soldiers’ medical and administrative status and ensuring each service member is cleared for deployment.
The 256th IBCT is mobilizing to Europe and Africa later this year to support civil authorities in peace and security operations.
“Our Soldiers will gain invaluable experience in deployment operations across diverse environments, terrain, operational tempos and mission requirements,” Lloyd said. “While each mission set is different, the threat is real, and our combat and combat support Soldiers must be fully prepared to perform at the highest level.”