FRANKFORT, Ky. — The U.S. Army’s new Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) goes into effect on Oct. 1, 2020. In order to meet that timeline, equipment for the ACFT has started shipping – and the Kentucky National Guard is the first of all three Army components (active, Guard, Reserve) to receive the initial fielding.

“I’m appreciative of the Kentucky Guard being the first Army organization to receive this equipment as we go into the ACFT transition,” said Brig. Gen. Hal Lamberton, Kentucky’s adjutant general. “The ACFT will be a better assessing tool of our physical conditioning. By virtue of us being the first to get the equipment, we’ve set ourselves up to have more time to prepare for the new test.”

Leading the charge for equipment distribution across the total Army is the Tank-automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM), who had a hand in selecting Kentucky as the first location. TACOM is a subordinate command to Army Material Command (AMC).

“Our master plan for the distribution of ACFT equipment across the Army is regionally based. With Kentucky being part of the southeast and one of the first regions we were fielding in, it worked out perfectly,” said Col. Steven Carozza, military deputy for TACOM’s Integrated Logistics Support Center and the lead for the fielding of the ACFT equipment. “Kentucky was ready and expressed an interest. We had the sets available and ahead of schedule so everything just kind of aligned perfectly for us to use Kentucky National Guard as the first unit to receive the equipment.”

According to Susan Hubert, Program Manager for the ACFT, the 54 states and territories of the National Guard are getting enough equipment to run 15,533 ACFT lanes and Kentucky is getting 308 of them.

“This ACFT effort, a Chief of Staff of the Army initiative, is critical to the Army as it directly supports our individual Soldier readiness,” said Hubert. “Our team is positioned to field all 36,608 ACFT sets for the total army by May 15. The National Guard’s 15 thousand sets will be included in that fielding.”

The first shipment arrived at the United States Property and Fiscal Office (USPFO) in Frankfort on Dec. 11 and will begin pushing out to the units across the Commonwealth this week.

Critical to the success of Kentucky’s physical fitness program is Staff Sgt. Zach Casey who is the designated project officer for the Kentucky Army National Guard and spearheading the effort to effectively implement the ACFT across the organization.

“It is proven that the Kentucky National Guard is willing to adapt and take something head on,” said Casey. “We opened our arms and welcomed it as a challenge. It’s pretty neat to be the first state.”

The Kentucky National Guard hosted a ceremonial equipment signing on Dec. 17 at the USPFO with representatives from TACOM and the National Guard Bureau in attendance.

Capt. Ryan Short, ACFT project officer for the National Guard Bureau stated, “The Army is focused on the tactical athlete and the ACFT is really the first big step in that direction. This is a part of a cultural change that the Army is going to embrace so we can have well rounded Soldiers.”

Every unit in the U.S. Army is required to complete a diagnostic ACFT between now and Sept. 30 before the ACFT becomes the official test of record.

Lamberton stated, “Change is an ongoing dynamic and the Kentucky National Guard will be ready.”

By MAJ Stephen Martin

During each session of the Fort McCoy Cold-Weather Operations Course (CWOC), students spend several days in the field surviving in improvised shelters they built with materials they find and have with them.

Instructor Hunter Heard, who works for contractor Veterans Range Solutions, which supports the Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security, or DPTMS, students spend nearly 20 hours during their 14 days of training learning about and building improvised shelters.

Heard said the most important factor for each shelter is making sure it’s well insulated. Some students have used evergreen boughs combined with leaves and debris. Others have incorporated Army ponchos with natural materials.

“They are all unique,” Heard said.

CWOC Class 20-01 student Sgt. Ty Laird of Fort Bragg, N.C., said learning about building shelters and more were especially good lessons.

“Most helpful part of this course was the field portion,” Laird said. “I can leave here knowing I can train my Soldiers on how to properly wear the cold-weather clothing, how to build shelters, and various ways to pull the ahkio sled.”

During CWOC Class 20-01’s field training with shelter building, the students built several lean-to-style shelters and others took advantage of already fallen trees to build shelters around.

Weather often helps determine how the students will build their shelters and what materials they incorporate into the build.

Each CWOC class training includes a wide range of cold-weather subjects in addition to shelter building, including skiing and snowshoe training, how to use ahkio sleds, setting up the Arctic 10-person cold-weather tent, cold-water immersion, and more. Training also focuses on terrain and weather analysis, risk management, proper wear of cold-weather clothing, developing winter fighting positions in the field, and camouflage and concealment, Heard said.

Located in the heart of the upper Midwest, Fort McCoy is the only U.S. Army installation in Wisconsin.

The installation has provided support and facilities for the field and classroom training of more than 100,000 military personnel from all services each year since 1984.

Learn more about Fort McCoy online at home.army.mil/mccoy, on Facebook by searching “ftmccoy,” and on Twitter by searching “usagmccoy.”

Story by Scott Sturkol, Ft McCoy PAO