More than 50 Alaska Army National Guard Soldiers from the 297th Regional Support Group are participating in Mobilization Exercise Level III, which is attached to First Army’s annual mobilization exercise Pershing Strike 24, at Fort Riley, Kansas, July 28 – Aug. 24, 2024.

In the event of large-scale war, the United States requires multiple installations to prepare reserve-component units for deployment. Upon completion, MOBEX III will validate the establishment and operation of Fort Riley as a Mobilization Force Generation Installation, a critical piece in deploying personnel and units to the battlefield.

During last year’s MOBEX II, the 297th RSG successfully tested its ability to synchronize mobilization operations at a smaller scale. This year, the unit is putting those newly gained abilities into practice by integrating into Large-Scale Mobilization Operations.

Particularly, for MOBEX III, the 297th RSG provides full sustainment support as the First Army’s 189th Infantry Brigade conducts mobilization training for Wyoming ARNG’s 2nd Battalion, 300th Field Artillery.

MOBEX III, in conjunction with Pershing Strike 24, is led from First Army Headquarters at Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, and includes participation from Active Duty, National Guard, and Reserve Soldiers mobilizing not only at Fort Riley, but also Fort Knox, Kentucky, and Fort Cavazos, Texas, respectively.

Commanders will use MOBEX III to evaluate the flow of units from home to deployment stations to increase shared understanding of the challenges of LSMO across the mobilization enterprise, evaluate plans and operations, and create strategies to reduce friction points and increase flexibility during LSMO.