140 S11 Ep 09 – Closing the Gap: Replicating the Modern Threat at JRTC w/JRTC OPFOR

The Joint Readiness Training Center is pleased to present the one-hundredth-and-fortieth episode to air on ‘The Crucible - The JRTC Experience.’ Hosted by LTC Trevor Jones, the Battalion Commander of 1-509th IN (OPFOR) on behalf of the Commander of Operations Group. Today’s guests are members of JRTC’s intelligence community: Mr. Jason McAnally, MAJ Will Montoya, and CPT Graham Gifford. Mr. McAnally is the JRTC G-2 Intelligence Officer. MAJ Montoya is the Multi-Domain Effects Cell Chief for Geronimo. And CPT Gifford is the S-2 Intelligence Officer for Geronimo.

 

This episode centers on how the Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC) is actively working to close the gap between training and the rapidly evolving realities of modern warfare by replicating a more lethal, complex, and peer-driven operational environment. The discussion highlights how lessons from contemporary conflicts—particularly the Russia-Ukraine war—are driving a shift toward incorporating realistic threat capabilities such as massed UAS, electronic warfare, and precision fires into OPFOR replication. Emphasis is placed on ensuring that rotational units encounter these threats in training first, rather than in combat, by exposing them to continuous surveillance, contested electromagnetic environments, and the persistent threat of unmanned systems operating across depth.

 

The conversation also explores how OPFOR (Geronimo) is evolving its tactics, organization, and capabilities to better mirror near-peer adversaries like Russia and China. This includes replicating multi-domain effects across disruption, battle, and support zones, integrating emerging technologies such as FPV drones, robotic systems, and AI-enabled targeting, and experimenting with new forms of mass that combine traditional fires with unmanned and electronic effects. A key theme is the transition toward “machines first” contact—leveraging robotics and UAS to initiate engagements—while forcing units to adapt to degraded communications, contested airspace, and high-casualty environments. Ultimately, the episode reinforces that closing the gap requires continuous adaptation, iterative experimentation, and translating lessons learned into behavioral change across the force.

 

 

Part of S11 “Conversations with the Enemy” series.

 

For additional information and insights from this episode, please check-out our Instagram page @the_jrtc_crucible_podcast.

 

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Again, we’d like to thank our guests for participating. Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and review us wherever you listen or watch your podcasts — and be sure to stay tuned for more in the near future.

 

“The Crucible – The JRTC Experience” is a product of the Joint Readiness Training Center.