Road to NTC: 81st Mobile Brigade sharpens command-post operations during staff exercise
The staff exercise focused on establishing the brigade’s mobile command post, improving the military decision-making process and developing the staff’s ability to track current operations while planning future missions. The training marked an early step in the brigade’s preparation for its August 2027 rotation at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California.
“I am leading our main command post and rear command post teams through battle drills they will use during operations at the National Training Center next summer,” said Sgt. Maj. Kirk Tyner, operations sergeant major for the 81st Mobile Brigade Combat Team. “Establishing these command posts takes considerable coordination and preparation, and we must be able to do it in an organized and timely manner.”
Soldiers established the mobile command post and tested its ability to support simultaneous current and future operations. Staff sections practiced sharing information, maintaining situational awareness and providing brigade leaders with the information needed to make timely decisions.
The mobile command post served as a central location where staff members received reports from subordinate units, monitored ongoing operations and coordinated the brigade’s next actions. Establishing the command post required staff sections to understand how information moved through the headquarters and how their work supported the commander’s decision-making process.
“Just like anything else, you have to rehearse, whether it is for a job interview or playing a sport,” Tyner said. “You cannot go into the main event without practice. Exercises like this help us refine our procedures, determine what equipment we need and identify the missing pieces before it is time to perform.”
One of the exercise’s primary training objectives was improving the brigade staff’s use of the military decision-making process. Commonly known as MDMP, the process helps commanders and staffs understand a mission, evaluate potential courses of action and develop an executable plan.
Rather than treating MDMP as a checklist, brigade leaders emphasized developing plans that subordinate units could understand and execute. Staff members worked through mission analysis and the orders process while coordinating activities across the headquarters.
“There are several months of preparation behind this five-day exercise,” Tyner said. “When everyone comes together, we have a short period of time to make sure they understand their responsibilities and can perform their assigned functions.”
The exercise also required the staff to balance immediate requirements with longer-term planning. Soldiers assigned to current operations tracked activities and reports from across the brigade, while future operations personnel continued developing plans and preparing orders for upcoming missions.
“Many of the Soldiers here are new, and some had never served in these command-post positions before,” Tyner said. “Putting them in those seats and allowing them to work through battle drills gives them a better understanding of their responsibilities and how they contribute within their specific warfighting function.”
At the conclusion of the training, the brigade conducted an after-action review to capture lessons and identify changes needed before its next command-post exercise. Staff members also updated procedures based on what worked and what required additional practice.
The September staff exercise represented one part of a broader training progression that will continue through the coming year. The brigade will move from individual and staff preparation into increasingly complex collective training, including Raven Forge in spring 2027, before completing its final personnel and equipment preparations for NTC.
“At NTC, there will not be time to begin climbing the learning curve,” Tyner said. “Staff exercises like this help our Soldiers build the familiarity and experience they need to perform professionally, meet the standard and contribute to the brigade’s success.”
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