FORT KNOX, Ky.­ – Cadets from 3rd Regiment, Advanced Camp, conducted a simulated raid mission as a part of their situational training exercise, known as STX, during Cadet Summer Training, at Fort Knox, Ky., June 28, 2023. At the STX, Cadets worked together as a platoon to practice various combat tactics with simulated field missions. These combat tactics included conducting a mock raid, attack, ambush, reaction to contact, and defensive positions. Cadet Nathan Taake from Texas Agricultural and Mechanical University explained the purpose of the STX lanes. “STX is to keep us trained in the fundamentals of Army tactics and leadership,” [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky. –  On June 23, 2023., Cadets from 2nd Regiment, Advanced Camp, engage in situational training exercises (STX) starting off at the Wolverine phase as part of Cadet Summer Training. They will move through three phases, Wolverine, Panther, and Grizzly. The STX are meant to put the Cadets in a fast-paced environment where they plan and communicate as a team to successfully complete the mission at hand. Cadets camp out in the woods for three days. STX prepares the Cadets for a bigger event called the field training exercise (FTX). Cadet Zoe Routh, University of Oklahoma, is following the [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky.- 1st Regiment, Advanced Camp Cadets completed a simulated raid mission as part of their platoon tactics training during their situational training exercises, Fort Knox, Ky., June 18, 2023.  Cadet Faith Miller, from University of Texas at Austin, acted as one of the squad leaders during the training exercises.  “We are out here running platoon lanes,” Miller said. “We’re getting ready to go into Panther and Grizzly phase. So walking through them, making sure everybody’s comfortable in the platoon and working as a team and all that good stuff.”   These training exercises in the field are one of [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – The Cadets from 1st Regiment, Advanced Camp, worked on practical skills during the squad tactical exercise in Fort Knox, Ky., June 17, 2023. The squad tactical exercise, also called STX, is where Cadets are challenged in the field to work together as a squad to practice tactics, firing and maneuvering by teams and reacting to unexpected situations. Cadet Ryan Struss, University of Illinois, enlisted in 2018 as a human intelligence collector and linguist for the Army.   “I chose that at the time because it gave me an opportunity to do what I really wanted to do,” [...]

10th Regiment, Advanced Camp ROTC Cadets conducted movement to contact in their situational training exercise (STX) lane. Each Cadet was required to wear a vest equipped with a Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement System, commonly referred to as MILES gear.  Upon being fired, the M4 carbine released a laser which was recognized by the sensors located on the vests of the Opposing Forces (OPFOR) if contact was made.  “But if the OPFOR shoots them, then they know that they need to work on like cover and concealment,” 2nd Lt. Jackson Graham from Auburn University said. “They need to be better at covering [...]

From fleet to field, Sergio Almeida, 4th Regiment, Advanced Camp, made the shift from enlisted Navy Sailor to Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) Cadet.  “I chose to enlist the first time around for a sense of that typical, wanting to find yourself, wanting independence, wanting to be my own person,” said Almeida.  After being the first member of his family to join the military, Almeida trained for a year in San Diego before being stationed in Norfolk, Virginia on the USS Truxton in 2012.  “I got to really learn what the military was,” he said.  During his six years in [...]

A big talking point at Cadet Summer Training is how to communicate with one another. There is no such thing as a single-person squad, and Cadets going through the program must learn how to effectively communicate with each other, or else risk failure in the field. The situational training exercise (STX) the Cadets go through at Fort Knox aim to test just that, with freshly formed squads being required to scout or capture objectives within a time frame. Cadet Jordan McIntyre from Michigan State University was part of a squad participating in the drills that day. “Our first one that we’ve [...]