III Armored Corps Finalizes Training Plans for CPX II

III Armored Corps recently concluded its final planning event (FPE) on 22 November preparing for Command Post Exercise II (CPX II) in February. The event, involving over 100 planners, focused on refining training objectives, exercise design, and scenario development for the computer-based wargaming rehearsal. CPX II will precede the larger, computer-simulated Warfighter Exercise 25-4 (WFX), slated for spring.

“This upcoming planning event is about setting those final critical conditions to enable executing our CPX II rehearsal in February,” said Maj. David Clouse, the corps' lead exercise planner.

The exercise aims to enhance interoperability among U.S. and NATO forces, with five allied nations participating. Challenges such as time zones, language barriers, and differing communication systems were addressed during the FPE to ensure seamless coordination in the simulated combat environment.

During CPX II, III Armored Corps will transition from higher command to the training audience, while U.S. Army Europe and Africa will serve as higher command. The training will include over 1,000 personnel from the U.S., Germany, and France, who will collaborate as red and white cells, role players, and operational planners.

“The warfighter series is a great opportunity for us to train from the division level under the corps level,” said German army Lt. Col. Michael Spannaus, highlighting the value of multinational collaboration.

The FPE also emphasized logistics, with planners working to integrate allied sustainment capabilities into the war simulation. “We’re integrating our allies’ capabilities into the war simulation to create the most realistic scenarios,” said Maj. April Howard, a logistics planner, noting the importance of shared understanding in joint operations.

These efforts align with Field Manual 3-0’s directive to integrate joint capabilities and allied forces for large-scale combat operations, ensuring readiness for complex, multidomain battlefields.