CAMP ATTERBURY JOINT MANEUVER TRAINING CENTER, Ind., - Secretary of the Army John McHugh visited here today to meet with mobilizing and demobilizing servicemembers, permanent party leadership and civilian expeditionary workforce contractors and employees.
Camp Atterbury is a national deployment center charged with mobilizing and demobilizing more than 100,000 servicemembers to Afghanistan, Iraq and Kosovo since the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
McHugh began his tour at the Muscatatuck Urban Training Center.
“The uniqueness that exists at Muscatatuck and that urban setting is unequal to anywhere that I’ve ever witnessed in the United States Army,” said McHugh. “It’s the flexibility and ability to build upon it and create a huge variety of [training] scenarios.”
McHugh then flew via Blackhawk helicopter to Camp Atterbury for lunch with the troops. He then addressed servicemember concerns, such as training regiments, mission requirements and logistical issues, during a question-and-answer session.
After meeting with the servicemembers, Camp Atterbury leadership gave the secretary a tour of the facility and a chance to witness several training scenarios in action.
One demonstration showcased a mobilizing Afghanistan Provincial Reconstruction Team training with authentic “civilians on the battlefield.”
These "civilians" are real Afghan and Iraqi citizens assisting U.S. servicemembers in cultural immersion training. They prepare servicemembers for real world scenarios they may see while deployed.
PRTs are units consisting of Air Force, Army and Navy servicemembers that specialize in fields necessary for rebuilding the infrastructures of Iraq and Afghanistan.
“The work that they do once they’ve trained here and forward deployed is vital in building that trust that is necessary for success in these kinds of theatres,” said McHugh. “[Afghans] want the same things most folks want, and that is just a better chance for a better tomorrow.
"To do that, they need things, from roads to food projects to water projects etc. The PRTs are a way in which we can begin to convey America’s interest about them as a people and not just there simply as a conqueror or an occupier."
McHugh said the nation's leadership believe in this mission, and "it’s heartening and uplifting to see their dreams and their strategies being realized at [Camp Atterbury and Muscatatuck Urban Training Center] in training vignettes that are preparing these people to go over and do that important work.”
Army Maj. Gen. R. Martin Umbarger, the adjutant general of the Indiana National Guard, thanked the secretary for visiting the center.
" We’re very proud of these facilities and our mission to train Sailors, Soldiers, Airmen and Marines to go off to war," he said. "It’s something we take very seriously.”