IN THE MILITARY
Schofield center to ready troops for Iraq
A $33 million battlefield simulation center will help the 25th Infantry Division
In June, Schofield Barracks' new $33 million computerized battlefield simulation center will undergo its first major test as Maj. Gen. Benjamin Mixon readies his 25th Infantry Division staff for its yearlong assignment in Iraq.
The computer simulation exercise at Schofield Barracks Battle Command Training Center will be held just a month before Mixon and 7,000 soldiers from the 25th Infantry Division deploy to Iraq. It will be the second major overseas combat assignment for the Tropic Lightning Division since the Vietnam War. In January 2004, more than 9,000 soldiers were deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan
The major elements of the next Schofield deployment are expected to be soldiers from:
» 3rd Brigade Combat Team, which is leaving Wahiawa for its second combat deployment in two years with 3,500 soldiers. It is commanded by Col. Patrick Stackpole.
» 25th Division headquarters including Mixon and his staff of 800.
» 45th Sustainment Brigade, led by Col. Michael McBride, which was activated on Wednesday.
» Multi-Functional Aviation Brigade, commanded by Col. Thomas Ball.
Mixon, who served in Iraq during the 1991 Gulf War with the 101st Airborne Division, will command four or five brigades -- one of which will be the his own 3rd Brigade -- as head of operations in northern Iraq.
He will command 28,000 to 35,000 U.S. forces in an area in northern Iraq slightly smaller than the state of Washington. A large number of Iraqi Security Forces brigades and battalions will also fall under his responsibility.
Mixon, 52, said the size of the force may change to reflect the situation in Iraq.
However, Mixon emphasized that despite reports that the troop rotations to Iraq will be cut back, "we're going. There is no question about it. It will just be the number of combat brigades that we will have."
The size of U.S. troop involvement, now about 140,000, will be "driven by the capabilities of the Iraqi security forces," Mixon said. "The more capable they become obviously there will be a less requirement for U.S. forces."
While in Iraq, Mixon said all his forces' "primary role will be working with and training of Iraqi security forces -- army and police forces."
Mixon said his other mission will be to help Iraq rebuild its physical facilities and as well as its economy.
Reconstruction projects will probably include "enhancing water and sewage systems in the cities and towns in my region, working to increase the amount of electricity and (ensuring) the security of the oil and gas pipelines in the region."
To prepare for the assignment, Mixon said he plans to bring the key staff officers of the other brigades he will be commanding to Schofield Barracks for war games and training.
"It will as realistic training you can have without physically putting boots on the ground and in the field," Mixon said.
Mixon said he will replace Maj. Gen. Tom Turner, the commanding general of the 101st Airborne Division, whose jurisdiction in northern Iraq includes large portions of the Syrian border.
"It's going to be an interesting challenge for us," Mixon said, "because within the sector we're going to be in you have the Kurdish folks in the northern region, Sunni and Shiite throughout the area. We will be working with the three major ethnic groups."
All of the brigades under his command will be receive further training before deploying with the 3rd Brigade flying to the National Training Center at Fort Irwin in California this spring.