Public Meetings Cover Iowa 'Red Bull' JRTC & Follow-on Deployment

Col. Eric Soults, 2/34 Infantry Brigade Combat Team commander, speaks at the Boone Readiness Center, Boone, Iowa, Mar. 13, 2025. The brigade hosted a town hall to speak about their upcoming deployment and answer questions from community members. Photo by Army Staff Sgt. Annalise Guckenberger 

Corrected Mar. 17, 2025 re: Oelwein & Iowa Falls times: 7:30 a.m. is correct, not p.m.

BOONE, IOWA—In a "town hall"-style event conducted Thurs., 9 a.m. Mar. 13 at the Boone National Guard armory, representatives of the Iowa Army National Guard's 2nd Brigade Combat Team (B.C.T.), 34th Infantry "Red Bull" Division conducted the first of 18 statewide events regarding the upcoming June 2025 rotation of approximately 3,300 Iowa soldiers to three weeks of simulated combat training at Joint Readiness Training Center (J.R.T.C.), Fort Johnson (formerly Fort Polk), Louisiana, with a follow-on 12-month deployment of 1,800 of those soldiers to Operation Inherent Resolve (O.I.R.) to various locations and missions, including those in the Middle East.

"We're training to fight something like World War 2—that's the type training they do at JRTC," said brigade commander Col. Eric Soults. "I'm excited for the opportunity to show what we can do." Regarding the 12-month deployment, however, he cautioned the public from regarding the mission as an urgent response to global news headlines. "We'll be helping to maintain security in the region," he said. "It's not related to any contingency mission. [Operation Inherent Resolve] is an enduring mission that's been there since 2014."

While details are still forthcoming, send-off ceremonies are anticipated to be scheduled for afternoons between May 28 to May 30, 2025. Mobilizing soldiers will depart directly from Louisiana—a first for JRTC, according to brigade leaders.

The panel-style "town hall" events are intended to provide family members, employers, educators, and other community members with initial information regarding timelines, policies, and resources. Family readiness and employer-support experts were on-hand, as well as local business and community leaders. Subsequent events will be conducted in armories across the state. Family members are encouraged to attend any of these meetings, regardless of their soldier's unit affiliation. A digital brochure regarding the events is here at this link. The events may also be live-streamed via the brigade's Facebook page.

• March 25: Fort Dodge armory, 10:30 a.m.
• March 25: Davenport armory, 6 p.m.
• March 26: Mount Pleasant armory, 6. p.m.
• March 31: Dubuque armory, 7:30 a.m.
• April 1: Waterloo armory, 7:30 a.m.
• April 2: Iowa City armory, 7:30 a.m.
• April 3: Esterville armory, 10:30 a.m.
• April 4: Sioux City armory, 9 a.m.
• April 4: Le Mars armory, 12 noon
• April 8: Council Bluffs armory, 6 p.m.
• April 8: Carroll armory, 6 p.m.
• April 8: Red Oak armory, 6 p.m.
• April 8: West Des Moines armory, 6 p.m.
• April 9: Oelwein armory, 7:30 a.m.
• April 10: Iowa Falls armory, 7:30 a.m.
• April 14: Camp Dodge "Freedom Center" armory, building S70, 7:30 a.m.
• April 15: Cedar Rapids armory, 6 p.m.

Stoults said the upcoming rotation and deployment was a recurring part of the U.S. National Guard's role as an operational reserve within the nation's armed forces. Units train on a roughly 5-year cycle, and are made available for missions in the years in which they are most-ready and -capable. "This will be some of the hardest training we can do, and also the most rewarding," Soults said of the Joint Readiness Training Center rotation.

While the brigade will be "in the box" for three weeks of simulated combat, the JRTC rotation will also involve additional Iowa troops in training-support roles. For realism, soldiers "in the box" will not have access to outside communications, including personal cell phones, during the 3-week rotation.

According to Soults, the Iowa brigade will be joined by a company from the Kosovo Security Force (K.S.F.), reflecting the state's long relationship with Kosovo via the U.S. National Guard's State Partnership Program (S.P.P.). The Iowa brigade will also be joined by a brigade from Colorado, along with a company of that state's counterparts from the country of Jordan. Companies from Minnesota and Alabama are also anticipated. In all, Soults said, approximately 6,000 troops will be participating in the JRTC event.

Soults noted that the Iowa brigade of 3,300 citizen-soldiers comprises approximately 165 full-time active-duty personnel, which will be supplemented by another 116 traditional citizen-soldiers starting  temporary activity-duty by the end of May 2025. Armories will continue to be open during the 12-month deployment.

Soults encouraged families of deploying soldiers to start working on household details such as automatic bill-payments, lawn care, and snow removal. "Now is the time to get things ready."

He encouraged soldiers and families to establish good and clear communications. "Don't assume that your soldier is deploying unless they specifically tell you," he said. "On the other hand, don't assume that your soldier is not deploying until they tell you, either."

Sherpa Joins the Circus

FORT IRWIN, Calif., Sept. 27--The brigade public affairs officer (P.A.O.) has just made me an offer I can't refuse. Besides himself, he's got only three other troops, and they're trying to fulfill their mission requirements within the scenario-based play at the National Training Center (N.T.C.).

Don't confuse public affairs with "psychological operations" or "propaganda"--those are functions provided by other 2nd Brigade Combat Team (B.C.T.), 34th Infantry "Red Bull" Division (2-34th BCT) soldiers. Rather, the public affairs section is made up of Army-trained journalists, reporters who provide timely, truthful, factual accounts of what's happening on the battlefield.

"Be the first with the truth," is Army public-affairs mantra.

I am not Army-trained journalist, but, given how short-handed Team Red Bull is right now, I'm good enough for government work.

The Red Bull public affairs soldiers are being pulled six different directions. After commanders successfully introduce themselves to the Afghan leaders in their new areas of operation, for example, they will be expected to tag-along on subsequent Key Leader Engagements (K.L.E.) in order to create mini-media events. "Media have to be invited by the local authority," says a civilian adviser to the brigade, "but leaders love to have their pictures taken." It also publicly demonstrates who is supporting the Afghan-U.S. effort, and who isn't.

Public affairs soldiers also keep an eye on local media reports, for indications of how Afghan-U.S. efforts are portrayed and perceived. The National Training Center produces an multilingual "newspaper" ever few days. Only a portion of the publication is in English, so public affairs has to find someone to translate the Dari or Pashto pages. An NTC-supplied closed-circuit television channel plays a mix of notional "International News Network" reports interspersed with real-world commercials and programs. There's one such television set up in each of the battalion Tactical Operations Centers ("TOC"), plus the brigade public affairs office.

On top of all this, the PAO has two waves of real-world media in-bound from the Middle West--one this week, and one the next. The PAO asks me, "Would you be interested in acting as media escort? It would get you off the FOB."

Up until now, I've been hanging out on Forward Operating Base ("FOB") Denver, temporary home of the brigade headquarters, and the headquarters of the 2/34th Brigade Special Troops Battalion (B.S.T.B). Lots of meetings, lots of big wigs, lots of gee-whiz machines--but, admittedly, not a lot of action.

One of the reasons I volunteered to visit the 2-34th BCT during its NTC rotation was to see the Red Bull in action, however, one last time before it deployed to Afghanistan. While terms like "front" and "rear" may not readily apply to today's battlefield environment, you can't write about the Red Bull while only hanging out around the tail.

As a media escort, I'll help the visiting reporters with their technology and transportation requirements, as well as help find stories, visuals, and sources. I'll be an interpreter, a press agent, a facilitator, a fixer ... you know--a Sherpa!

Around noon, over a Meal-Ready-to-Eat lunch, I'm introduced to teams from KCRG-TV9 (Cedar Rapids), WHO-TV13 (Des Moines), and a freelance print journalist.

We've got three hours to kill prior to wheels-up in a ground convoy to nearby FOB King, where we'll spend some time with the 334th Brigade Support Battalion (334th B.S.B.), the logistical muscle behind the brigade. The following day, we'll split into two groups. One will head north and west to cover my alma mater of 1st Battalion, 133rd Infantry "Ironman" Regiment (1/133rd Inf.); the other will head south and east to cover Iowa's 1st Battalion, 168th Infantry Regiment (1/168th Inf.) and Nebraska's 1st Squadron, 134th Cavalry Regiment (1/134th Cav.).

I teach some of them "MRE 101," which includes tips on how to cook an MRE using the water-activated chemical heater, how to field-strip it down to the more-packable good stuff, and how to combine components for tactical taste treats. (For example: You can make a passable quesadilla using the shelf-stable tortillas, jalapeno cheese spread, and green Tobasco sauce. Heat in the sun or use a chem heater.)

Heading outside into the heat, I play tour-guide G.I. Barbie on a spontaneous walking tour of FOB Denver. Here's where the latrines are, here's what the sinks and showers are like, here's where the "water buffalo" roams--where to re-fill your canteens, water bottles, and CamelBaks.

On our walk around the FOB, we encounter the Military Police troops from the 2/34th BSTB readying for our convoy. In the box, as in country, nothing happens fast. If you're leaving at 3:30 p.m. civilian-time, your convoy had should be assembled, briefed, and waiting at the gate not later than 2:30 p.m. No matter how routine or short the mission, first-line supervisors have to check whether their soldiers have the right equipment and information: Are they wearing protective goggles and gloves? Are they topped off with water? Do they have emergency rations? Do they know the mission?

In that spirit, I continually remind the reporters to drink water. I also regularly ask them if they need to use the latrine--an indicator of whether or not they are hydrating. I begin to realize how much Army troop leading procedures translate into parenting skills: "Are you thirsty? Did you eat your lunch? Do you need to use the restroom before we leave?"

An impromptu press event breaks out, as reporters start taking pictures and quotes from the guys who will transport us. The vibe is hot but happy. Rather than regard the media as a nuisance, soldiers are likely to welcome the attention and distraction. The media circus has come to town!

We end up completing a lap of FOB Denver on foot, circling our desert outpost during the hottest part of a 110-plus-degrees-Farhenheit day. As we're picking up our gear to load up the trucks, one reporter goes down with an apparent heat injury. We lay him down in an air-conditioned tent, get the medics to him, and we look at the clock. In 20 minutes, we need to be sitting at the gate.

The PAO makes the call, tells me that they'll either get the reporter directly to 1/133rd Inf. the next day, or evacuate him to a hospital. Later, we'll find out he was soon transported back to Fort Irwin for medical evaluation. Nothing serious, apparently, but he ends up going home from there a day or two later.

Right now, however, we don't know that. We just know that our convoy is leaving, and that our show must go on.