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- HURLBURT FIELD, Fla.
(AFPN) - The sun set over the small Kentucky urban town hours ago. The
chill from the late September morning penetrates its residents. The quiet
area awakens to the sound of a blast cutting the power lines, engulfing
the city in darkness. The shadow of a helicopter looms over the embassy
dispensing dark figures to the ground. Rounds from a gunship frighten and
confuse local civilians, and the only light comes from a firing machine
gun.
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- This scene appeared realistic. But instead of disrupting
a town while evacuating five hostages from an enemy area, members from
the 16th Special Operations Wing recently joined Army Rangers and Army
forces to train on the Army's newest and most refined military operation
urban terrain training site.
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- The newly constructed $13.2 million site at Fort Knox,
Ky., is considered to be "heads and shoulders above anything the Army
(already) has," according to Andy Andrews, range manager at Fort Knox.
The 26-acre facility began in the minds of Army trainers more than 10 years
ago, and after two years of construction the site is now more than 97 percent
complete.
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- The makeshift town has 22 buildings, including an embassy,
chapel, an underground tunnel system, soccer field, stop signs, bridge
and fire hydrants. The object was to make this site as realistic as possible.
Universal Studios, MGM and Disney assisted the Army with special effects.
Cars exploding on street corners, bridges collapsing and elevators wedging
between two floors represent a few of the challenges facing the trainees.
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- The sound system used in this MOUT site was modeled after
the one used in the movie "Jurassic Park." It's a computerized
operational sequential sound system and allows participants to hear desired
effects as if they were real. Voices can be produced and heard throughout
a given building. Machine gun fire resounds with real volume and sound
dispersion. "All the special effects bring realism and stress to the
environment. Bringing in all the elements of the fight is critical,"
said Andrews.
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- Instead of walking into an empty room, having a figure
pop out and making a decision to shoot or hold fire, the room in every
building contains complete furnishings. And additional distractions were
also thrown into the picture. Rangers on the ground react to stressful
situations such as a sniper in the church bell tower, media requesting
information, doctors demanding help for injured people, the blackout of
certain neighborhood blocks and mysterious gases pouring out of rooms.
"When soldiers are deployed they should be equally trained in urban
areas as well as the wooded and open areas. That way we know how to measure
their readiness," Andrews explained. "This is a very intense
environment, and we turn up the stress levels so commanders will know how
their troops react in an urban combat area."
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- The possibility of injury exists in such a realistic
combat situation, but measures to avoid a preventable accident have been
taken. The Armored Branch Safety Office has been part of the team since
the beginning. Impact mats and sawdust pits are in place where there's
a high possibility of falling. All the players and participants are briefed
beforehand of the current situation and necessary safety precautions. The
players are reminded before the situation begins that in the end, the players
are all on the same team.
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- The same philosophy holds true for the different military
branches. Bringing in all aspects of the fight also makes the scene more
realistic. "Having (Air Force Special Operations Command) come in
and do what they do makes it realistic. We're bringing all the elements
of the fight together so we can train as we would fight," Andrews
said. Col. David Scott, 16th SOW commander, visited the site during the
two-week training period. "The MOUT site at Ft. Knox allows our troops
on the ground and in the air to practice as they'd perform. It offers realistic
training in an urban environment, enabling our people to train without
disturbing civilians. It illustrates special operations' commitment to
jointness," he said.
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- Once the lights are cut and the helicopters bring in
the players, it's up to the people on the ground to accomplish their objective,
including dodging enemies who are firing simulated bullets. Role players
are positioned in key places and the scene is recreated as if it could
happen for real. After the objective is completed, the military forces
must evacuate. In some scenarios, the helicopter is simulated to crash
and search and rescue crews are called in. The purpose is to keep trainees
on their toes and ensure they're ready for the unexpected.
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- Richard Davis, consultant for opposing forces, develops
the enemy forces' reactions to the trainees. "I try to put together
a realistic opposing force to help units prepare for operations other than
war," said Davis. He's in charge of researching the country or area
of conflict and getting the necessary role players. He educates the players
of their simulated life style and how they should react to the scene. He's
also responsible for helping determine the objective of the mission and
altering it for each group. "We take intelligence and put the profile
of the group to it so it's realistic," Davis added...."
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