CONTACT: Mr. Eric Durr (518) 786-4581

FOR RELEASE: Friday, Nov 09, 2007

ON SITE: Richard.Goldenberg@us.army.mil
or Ms. Dayna Burton, DVIDS Media Coordinator for interviews
at dburton@dvidshub.net or 678-421-6773 or 6612

CAIRO, EGYPT (11/09/2007; 0947) -- Nearly 200 members of the New York Army National Guard’s 42nd Infantry (Rainbow) Division headquarters, based in Troy, N.Y., prepare this week to execute a large-scale command post exercise jointly with Egyptian army staff officers here as part of Bright Star 2007. The division, comprised of National Guard Citizen Soldiers from across New York State and with supporting elements from New Hampshire, New Jersey and Minnesota, will team with members of the Egyptian army’s 9th Armor Division command and staff to replicate a multinational senior headquarters during next week’s battle simulation exercise. Bright Star is a biennial multi-national exercise that involves more than a dozen allied, coalition or partner nations in Egypt. “For more than 23 years, since 1983, the success of Bright Star demonstrates to enemies around the world, as well as allies, that we can deploy a division headquarters, deploy an army headquarters, conduct an airborne operation from halfway around the world, and insert an infantry company on the ground,” said Lt. Gen. R. Steven Whitcomb, commander of the Third Army and U.S. Army Central (USARCENT), the 42nd Division’s higher headquarters for the training exercise, “And you can interface and interact with conventional forces almost routinely.” This year’s exercise will include a large-scale battle simulation exercise, meant to challenge senior leaders and staff in the command and control of combat forces operating jointly. “All of us know that a command post exercise exerts pressure on the generals, colonels, lieutenant colonels and majors because it is a brain exercise,” Whitcomb said to the combined American and Egyptian staff. “So challenge each other, learn from each other.” The computer-generated battlefield is based on fictitious nations in conflict and a coalition of nations responding to restore security and an internationally recognized border. The 42nd Infantry Division commander and staff will control a fictitious force of more than 110,000 troops for the command post exercise. “There is no better expert on warfare in this maneuver box that we are conducting operations in than the Egyptians. This is their territory, they know how to fight this fight and we ought to learn from them,” Whitcomb said. Nearly three dozen Egyptian officers from the Egyptian 9th Armored Division will complement the 42nd Division staff for the exercise. Joint training began almost immediately after the division’s deployment as members of the Egyptian staff learned about the Army’s military decision-making process and techniques for the command and control of combat forces. “We question each other and learn from each other,” Whitcomb said, “and that is the real value of Bright Star.” The training in Egypt completes nearly a year of planning, training and coordination for the leaders and staff of the 42nd Division. Soldiers trained with Third Army leaders and Egyptian training officers throughout 2007, including numerous site and staff visits, hosting the Egyptian and USARCENT leaders in New York in March. “We came with a plan,” said 42nd Division Chief of Staff Col. Carl Pfeiffer. “We are here to demonstrate to the Egyptians that we are willing to work, partner and listen to them as we work through the (training) scenario.” “Our report card here is when our Egyptian partners write a letter to Lt. Gen. Whitcomb,” Pfeiffer continued, “and tell him that they enjoyed working with the 42nd Infantry Division.” Many members of the 42nd Division deployed to Cairo are veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom, having served with the headquarters in Tikrit, Iraq in 2005. Much of the training sessions and mission planning involved applying lessons learned from that deployment to the control of thousands of troops in the simulated combat environment. Part of the cooperative training included discussion and comparison of the two unit’s capabilities and techniques for battle command. The two division commanders, Maj. Gen. El Araby El Suray from the Egyptian 9th Armored Division and Brig. Gen. Paul Genereux from the 42nd Infantry Division both led discussions among the joint staff. “I can not be more pleased in the cooperative effort I’m seeing between our two staffs,” Genereux said. “My goals for this mission were to safely deploy our command post and train alongside the Egyptian 9th Armored, achieving real unity in our two organizations for the exercise. Ninety percent of what I wanted to achieve in Bright Star, we have already done.” “They [the Egyptians] are taking our products to get synchronized with us,” Pfeiffer said. “That is unusual, but of all the units I’ve worked with in this part of the world, this unit [the Egyptian 9th Armored Division] is the best, by far.” “It is great to have the 42nd Infantry back in theater again,” noted Whitcomb in his remarks to the combined U.S. and Egyptian staff members. Additional video and still imagery of the Bright Star exercise, including those of the 42nd Infantry Division Soldiers working with their Egyptian counterparts, are available from the Digital Video Imagery and Still Distribution System (DVIDS) at www.dvidshub.net. Soldiers from various hometowns in the U.S. will be available for DVIDS live-to-tape news media interviews next week on Tuesday, November 13 between 8 and 10:30 a.m. Eastern Standard Time. Capital District media market Maj. Chris Ciccone, the division Deputy Intelligence Officer from East Greenbush, N.Y. is assigned to the 42nd Infantry Division Headquarters in Troy, N.Y. Master Sgt. Bernard Struys, the division’s Chief Medical NCO from Gansevoort, N.Y. is assigned to the the 42nd Infantry Division Headquarters in Troy, N.Y. Spc. Victor Taylor, a communications network technician from Cobleskill, N.Y., assigned to the division’s Network Signal Company in Troy, N.Y. Central N.Y. media market Sgt. Maj. John Lara, the division intelligence section supervisor from Syracuse, N.Y. is assigned to the the 42nd Infantry Division Headquarters in Troy, N.Y. Sgt. 1st Class Peter Towse, the division’s public affairs chief from Bridgeport, N.Y. is assigned to the 42nd Infantry Division Headquarters in Troy, N.Y. Western N.Y. media market Lt. Col. Spencer O’Boyle, the division’s engineer officer from Grand Island, N.Y. is assigned to the 42nd Infantry Division Headquarters in Troy, N.Y. Sgt. Melissa Carey, a battle operations NCO from Buffalo, N.Y. is assigned to the 42nd Infantry Divisions Tactical Command Post Number One in Buffalo, N.Y. Manchester, N.H. media market Lt. Col. Jim Moody is the division fire support coordinator from Manchester, N.H. and assigned to the 197th Fires Brigade, N.H. Army National Guard. Boston, Mass. media market Lt. Col. David Baker is the division deputy fire support coordinator from Boylston, Mass. assigned to the 197th Fires Brigade, N.H. Army National Guard. Minneapolis, Minn. media market Maj. Eric Andringa is a liaison officer from Northfield, Minn. assigned to the 34th Infantry Division Headquarters, Minn. Army National Guard. Sgt. Maj. Doug Wortham is an operations sergeant major from Elko, Minn. assigned to the 34th Infantry Division Headquarters, Minn. Army National Guard. Soldiers will be available for satellite interviews for news outlets registered with DVIDS. Contact the DVIDS media relations coordinator, Dayna Burton for specific times or alternate interview days.

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