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| 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."
