RICHMOND, Va. –
The Virginia National Guard’s Staunton-based 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team was the first Army National Guard brigade to test and evaluate an approved task organization for a mobile brigade combat team during their 21-day eXportable Combat Training Capability rotation in June 2025 at Fort Pickett, Virginia. The MBCT concept is part of the U.S. Army’s transformation initiative with the goal of making units more agile and lethal.
“The Normandy Brigade has proven once again why it stands among the premier formations in the Army National Guard,” said Maj. Gen. Joseph A. DiNonno, 29th Infantry Division commanding general. “As the training audience for the eXportable Combat Training Capability rotation, you performed at the highest level. Your professionalism, readiness and adaptability were evident to every observer.”
DiNonno said the Army assessed the 116th’s performance as outstanding across multiple warfighting functions, validating their ability to conduct complex brigade-level operations under realistic and stressful combat conditions.
He said the historic XCTC rotation was more than just the name change to mobile brigade combat team.
“This is a fundamental shift in how we fight, how we move, and how we integrate across domains,” DiNonno said. “The Normandy Brigade took that challenge head-on, restructuring during the exercise while simultaneously demonstrating operational effectiveness. You have set the standard for every other brigade to follow.”
XCTC was a series of field training exercises simulating realistic combat scenarios including live fire, situational training lanes and force on force training, with a dedicated opposing force intended to increase the skills and readiness of National Guard units.
Col. Jared Lake, commander of the 116th during the XCTC rotation, commended the brigade’s Soldiers for transitioning to the MBCT formation on short notice and with limited additional resources.
“Every one of you accepted the task with enthusiasm and professionalism,” he said. “You executed the mission violently and came out the other side the crucible of XCTC on the tip of the spear of readiness, relevance and lethality for the Army. Your efforts not only helped us evolve and grow as an organization but will set the standard for how to transform a brigade combat team in contact in the National Guard.”
The mobile brigade combat team force structure focuses on three infantry battalions with organic logistics support and the addition of a multi-purpose company in each battalion and a multi-functional reconnaissance company in the brigade.
“It’s a great event, it’s a great exercise, and a great way to validate our skills set,” said Lt. Col. Kevin Hoffman, commander of the Winchester-based 3rd Battalion, 116th Infantry Regiment, 116th IBCT. “If we put our mind to it, we can get better, but you have to take those lessons that you learned and make the organization better.”
Hoffman said he could see the progression from the first day to the last day.
“I think we got a little bit better every single day,” he said. “At the end, collectively, you’re just dramatically better. It’s pretty rare for us to execute at all levels.”
One of the challenges was taking all the different capabilities available at XCTC and integrating them at the right time and place to accomplish the mission, Hoffman said.
“We are certainly much better at it today than when we started, and I think this training really moved us a lot in the right direction,” he said.
In the MBCT formation, battalion scout, mortar and assault platoons moved to a battalion multipurpose company to provide ground and aerial reconnaissance, indirect fire support, launched effects, counter unmanned aerial systems and deception capabilities to fix and attrit enemy forces that allows for infantry companies to close with and destroy the enemy.
The multifunction reconnaissance company provided reconnaissance and surveillance for the brigade to enable targeting and provide timely, accurate reporting of enemy activity, detect and target enemy high payoff targets and enhance the brigade's overall lethality and survivability.
The MPCs and MFRC were employed along with the 116th’s three infantry battalions during the culminating field training exercise near the end of the XCTC rotation.
The Lynchburg-based 1st Battalion, 111th Field Artillery Regiment, 116th IBCT conducted live fire during XCTC in addition to other MOS-specific training.
The Danville-based 429th Brigade Support Battalion, 116th IBCT also tested new formations with the goal of improving sustainment support to maneuver forces and focusing on mobility, survivability and dispersion.
The battalion field tested the Multifunctional Logistics Company, a new organizational concept blending distribution, maintenance and equipment recovery functions into a single company-level formation. The MFLCs were organized to support two brigade support area base clusters, each acting as independent sustainment hubs capable of providing direct support to forward elements while simultaneously maneuvering and reacting to battlefield conditions.
“We’re not just preparing for the next fight, we’re shaping how the Army sustains it,” said Lt. Col. Jason Detwiler, commander of the 429th BSB. “The MFLC model gives us the agility and survivability we need to support our maneuver brothers and sisters, wherever they are on the battlefield.”
The new organization reflects the Army’s demand for a more dispersed, survivable and responsive sustainment force capable of operating across distributed battlefields, Detwiler said. He explained the new structure provided greater dispersion of sustainment capabilities, Increased resilience in the supply chain and enhanced mission command at the company level.
The 116th will continue on the path of transforming to a mobile brigade combat team with the addition of new equipment later this year and preparing for a Joint Readiness Training Center rotation in Summer 2026.
About the 116th IBCT:
The 116th IBCT is authorized approximately 4,100 Soldiers and is the largest major subordinate command in the Virginia National Guard. The 116th has units throughout Virginia from Winchester to Pulaski along I-81, from Staunton to Virginia Beach along I-64, from Danville to Lynchburg to Warrenton along Route 29 as well as Fredericksburg, Manassas and Leesburg. An infantry battalion based in Barbourville, Kentucky, is also aligned with the 116th for training and readiness oversight.
A brigade combat team is the basic deployable unit of maneuver in the U.S. Army and carries with it support units necessary to sustain its operations away from its parent division. The 116th consists of three infantry battalions, a cavalry squadron, a field artillery battalion, a brigade support battalion and brigade engineer battalion.
~ 116th IBCT XCTC photo collection on Flickr at https://vngpao.info/2f68jay5