FORT KNOX, Ky. ─ The security team watched in silence as an enemy squad passed by, quietly alerting the others of the enemy’s approach during the Wolverine phase of the Field Training Exercise at Cadet Summer Training on Fort Knox, Ky., Aug. 4, 2025.

The Wolverine phase is Cadets first FTX phase, where they are introduced to training scenarios focused on practical application of everything they have learned during CST.

Cadet Claudia De Pouli, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, assigned to Bravo Company, 10th Regiment, Advanced Camp, was on the security team during their ambush lane.

“That was just one of those times where I had to be patient,” De Pouli said. “You’re just staying as quiet and as hidden as possible, sending up that early warning.”

Out in the field, the security team protects the entire platoon by defending against attacks while the rest of the platoon plans or moves to their positions. Without security, the platoon is defenseless.

“If you don’t have security, then you don’t have the ability to stay safe, to do anything else,” she said. “Without being able to defend yourself against attack, like right now, if something happens, nobody’s going to be shooting back.”

Cadets are shuffled around positions during FTX to allow them to have the opportunity to perform in and experience different roles. De Pouli believes that the changes allow for a learning opportunity in perspective.

“We’re seeing different perspectives, understanding what everybody’s going through,” she said. “If a concern is brought up, then there’s a reason why, it’s not just that people are trying to be lazy or not moving fast enough, some people can’t move as fast, some are carrying M4s and some are carrying 240s, and that’s triple the load on a single person.”

De Pouli is not in the Army alone, her younger brother Gregory is currently enlisted in the Army National Guard, doing the Split Training Option with hopes to attend the Sapper Leader Course, a development course for Army combat engineers.

Having also enlisted in the North Carolina National Guard, De Pouli believes that their shared experiences are only going to make them closer as siblings and fellow Soldiers.

“I think our relationship has grown since he joined the Army,” she said. “At one point, me and my brother had a heart-to-heart because the Army was his life path and then suddenly it felt like I was also going on his life path and that’s tough. Now that we’re both in it, we’re not so much as competing against each other in this as just supporting each other.”

De Pouli felt like she was taking away her brother’s interest by also pursuing the Army but has started to see that their two paths are not comparable.

“He’s enlisted, I’m an officer. We’re not comparing each other’s careers because they’re going to be totally different,” De Pouli said. “I know at some point he won’t be hitting the same milestones that I have, and I won’t be able to give advice about what to do, I’ll be asking him.”

When it comes down to where she sees herself in a few years, De Pouli points toward military intelligence, cyber security, or, like her brother, engineering. Having spent time working as an intelligence analyst in the National Guard, De Pouli can see herself enjoying a long-term career in the intelligence branch of the Military.

“At the end of the day, not everybody gets selected for those units and I have to be realistic and know that even if I’m not one of the cool guys at the forward edge of the spear, then I can still do a lot of things,” she said. “No matter where you go in your career, you will find a place in the Army that you can work with, you’ll find a place that you can really fit into.”