Fort Indiantown Gap is hosting what’s known as a war fighter exercise, an event to train and evaluate military units for large scale combat operations. More than 3,000 personnel are taking part between now and mid-February. Col. Kevin Potts, Garrison Commander at Fort Indiantown Gap says it’s a large-scale collective training exercise.

“We're really, it's an it's not so much on the ground like normal soldiers were normal units come and train where they go out. They train in the field, and they do marksmanship qualifications and road marches and things of that nature.”

The exercise trains the commanders and their staff in military decision making.

“Well, fighting a mock battle in a computer system. So, it's kind of like a gaming system, but it integrates the life scenario of soldiers doing the work on the ground inside a computer system. And there's an enemy operating. So, they have a decision in the fight. So is a is a fight the fight the enemy can make a decision and then it changes how they react, how the forces or forces react to what they do.”

This type of exercise focusses on command and control rather than many troops.

“So, a normal brigade commander will have about 3 or 30 500 to 4000 soldiers under him. This is a division level. So you're talking 12, 12,000 soldiers. So instead of bringing 12,000 soldiers to fight, you know, on the terrain, which is extremely expensive, this is their staff. And they do it in a computer simulated world, which reduces 12,000 to 2500. And that includes everybody that needs to be involved in it. So, it's an it's a force reduction or cost reduction, but it's still it gets you to be able to work the method, the processes, the equipment and the procedures on how to actually do the exercise or the operation.”

Due to the large number of military personnel, there will be an increase in traffic in the area.

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