Hollywood and the Army come together in the California Desert

120 miles Northeast of Los Angeles lies the fictional country of Atropia. That's the name of the area given to what the commanders at the Fort Irwin National Training Center call 'The Box,' a 1,000 square mile area in the Mojave Desert used to train U.S. & allied troops and their commanders in large scale combat and the realities of modern warfare.


(Courtesy of Kent Matsuoka)

The Department of Defense routinely provides what they call 'Civic Leader Tours' to local communities so we might learn and take our experiences back to the rest of the civilian population.



The first is the importance of counterintelligence and public relations in modern warfare. One of the greatest assets the U.S. Military has is in its technological advantages. Comprising of an area larger than Rhode Island, with complete control of the land, airspace, and electronic signals in the area, the commanders of the 11th Armored Cavalry that make up the Opposing Forces (OPFOR) not only have the home field advantage of knowledge of the terrain, but the ability to jam or spoof GPS, track radio transmissions, and operates a closed intranet with its own "Falsebook", "Tweeter", and even an "Atropia News Network" for the actors portraying the citizens and insurgents that the visiting units must contend with.

(Courtesy of DVIDS)

One past engagement involved the visiting unit accidentally killing some innocent civilians, and exasperated the situation when a young junior officer came off as unsympathetic when approached by role-playing journalists for the 'Atropia News Network' that went viral in the simulation. Another involved a helicopter of the visiting unit being 'shot down' by the OPFOR, and reached by insurgents before the visiting unit could rescue the crew. The insurgents then were able to strip the helicopter of its valuable electronics and armament, which were then sold on 'Falsebook' and provided the OPFOR additional resources to use against the visiting unit.



(Courtesy of DVIDS)


Although Hollywood has had a long and beneficial relationship with the military, depictions of the experience of those most affected by a soldier's deployment are often overlooked. Recent productions such as NatGeo's 'The Long Road Home' or the book 'Sisters of Valor' by Rosalie Turner offer an insight into the sacrifices made on the homefront are often glossed over.

As tensions in Korea heat up and the conflict in the Middle East continue with no end in sight, we've become used to the sights of soldiers in combat, but thanks to the outreach by Army OCPA-West, the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, and the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, let's hope we can continue to be a witness not only to the brave men and women serving our country, but to those left behind as well.



(Courtesy of Kent Matsuoka)