FORT HARRISON - There was a time not long ago when training for the Montana National Guard was what you might expect for a force that gathered its soldiers just one weekend a month and two weeks a year.

As far back as World War II, troops drilled with broomsticks to simulate mortars and rifles when the real weapons weren't available. And before technology opened the door to new training opportunities, tank commanders sat in folding chairs, pretending they were driving while talking to their crew.

But now, eight years into Afghanistan and nearly six years after American forces invaded Iraq, the Montana Guard has shifted from a strategic force to an operational one. The training has changed dramatically in that time, and Montana's soldiers are entering the fray as well trained as they have ever been.

"We train our soldiers to the highest standards," said Sgt. Maj. Larry Irvine. "We want the best training for them, because it brings more of them back from the fight."

The approach to training reserve forces like the Montana National Guard has changed even from 2004, when the 163rd Infantry Battalion, along with a list of other state units, deployed to Iraq in the early years of the war.

With the Department of Defense scrambling to replace battle-weary units in Iraq, state soldiers encountered 18-month deployments. They'd spend six months training at distant mobilization stations in Kansas, Texas and Oklahoma, before heading to the Middle East.

Arranged as it was, the training added months to a soldier's time away from home. That only increased the stress of being separated from jobs, spouses and children. And for what it was worth, many say, the training wasn't all that spectacular.

"In 2004, there wasn't much train-up," said Command Sgt. Maj. John Wood, a senior training assistant who deployed from Missoula with the 163rd Infantry Battalion early in the war. "It was subpar training, and we knew we could do it better at home."

The Montana National Guard got what it wished for in 2007 when the Army issued new guidelines limiting deployments for reserve troops to 12 months. It was a welcome move, promising to shorten the time soldiers spent away from home.

But doing so also meant the Montana Guard would have to establish an Army-certified training program at home. That meant training soldiers to specialized tasks under the critical eye of instructors.

Training at home

The Montana Guard met the Army's demands in late 2007 when it launched its Pre-Mobilization Training Assistance Element.

Instructors began training Montana soldiers to the Army's 32 warrior tasks and 12 battle drills, such as reacting to indirect fire, engaging targets during an urban operation, and evacuating casualties.

"The realistic aspect and the focus of training has changed dramatically," Irvine said. "Our focus is actually based off the tasks that we'd do in country, be it Iraq or Afghanistan."

The changes have netted the state its share of high-tech devices, from a multimillion dollar Virtual Convoy Operations Trainer to its latest simulator - a Call for Fire Trainer that teaches soldiers how to plot enemy locations, "laze" or sight their target, and request artillery.

The computer-driven simulators work like high-tech video games loaded with powerful software. The scenarios present soldiers with a variety of battlefield situations, whether it's an ambush or a convoy under attack.

"Part of this is driven by the asymmetric, nonlinear battlefield we now experience in Iraq and Afghanistan," Irvine said. "There is no front line, there is no rear, and that's a major focus for us now in the National Guard."

Gone too are the days of using props to train for war. Montana troops can now drive the streets of Baghdad before they ever arrive, or engage an enemy in the mountains of Afghanistan long before they take their first step in country.

Tankers can hone their skills on a Fully Integrated Systems Trainer without firing up their gas-guzzling tanks. Rifle squads learn sectors of fire before hitting the range, or experience a rollover crash in a real Humvee.

In several simulators, instructors can even record the sessions. Like film from a football game, it allows troops to study their mistakes and take corrective measures.

"We have a lot of assets here in Montana that are actually ahead of the curve," Irvine said. "They can learn the coordination and basic skills before they go out and do it hands on."

Not all technology

The simulators represent the growing role technology plays in training soldiers for war.

Air rifles recoil when fired at a digital forces moving across the open desert. Simulated vehicles won't start if the clutch isn't engaged. Laser targets beep as soldiers master their rifle skills.

"With this program, you can track how the weapon is being used," said Master Sgt. Darrell Chenoweth, a training assistant at Fort Harrison. "We can see exactly what the problem is and correct it before the soldier ever hits the range."

While simulators go far in preparing soldiers for battle, the instructors are quick to say that hands-on training is still an important part of the process.

Live-fire exercises are still necessary, and, according to Army regulations, they're required before deployment.

"There was a dynamic shift back in the '70s and early '80s when they decided rather than just rolling down range and shooting a tank or a Bradley, they started getting into more of the simulation stuff," Irvine said. "That was the wave of the future - everything was going to be simulated.

"But they discovered that you really don't learn battle skills that way, so now they've come up with a balance," Irvine added. "That's something we're very critical about, that you don't just do something focused on playing a video game to the point that you lose the actual skills."

Martin Kidston: 447-4086 or mkidston@helenair.com

Related

• Fort Harrison to get IED training course