TROY, N.Y. - More than 1,300 New York Army National Guard Soldiers head for Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania, Jan. 24 to take part in the Warfighter command post exercise.

The Soldiers are part of the Troy-based 42nd Infantry Division, one of 19 divisions in the Army. There are eight divisions in the Army National Guard.

The training, built around computer combat simulations against an experienced opposing force, tests the ability of division and brigade commanders and their staffs to conduct the tasks they would execute in battle.

The simulated battle goes on around the clock for a week.

The training will also help prepare the division headquarters for deployment to the Middle East this summer.

Maj. Gen. Jack James, the commander of the 42nd Infantry Division, will assume command of Task Force Spartan, the Army’s 10,000-Soldier force in the region.

Soldiers from the brigade headquarters of the Syracuse-based 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, the 369th Sustainment Brigade from New York City, and the 42nd Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade in Latham will also participate in the training.

Another 1,000 Soldiers from 11 other states that would have units assigned to the division in wartime will also be part of the Warfighter exercise.

The 42nd Infantry Division also includes the 44th Infantry Brigade Combat Team from New Jersey, the 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team from Vermont, and the 197th Fires Brigade from the New Hampshire Army National Guard, as well as smaller elements.

James said the headquarters Soldiers are prepared for this training exercise.

“This is our third Warfighter in four years, so we’ve developed some real expertise,” James said. “At the same time, this is the first Warfighter for about half the Division staff. So, each Warfighter brings new learning and helps us build the division team in a challenging environment.”

To prepare for this exercise, the Soldiers trained at Fort Indiantown Gap, most recently in November. Leaders also took part in a week-long seminar at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, to hone their knowledge of tactics and the latest Army operational doctrine.

“We pursued a thoughtful and comprehensive training plan to get ready, including our three command post exercises,“ James said. “Everyone understands that now is game time — it’s like our Super Bowl. The team is ready and looking forward to it.”

During the exercise, leaders, staff officers, and Soldiers participate around the clock, making decisions involving logistics, intelligence, operations and tactics, which play out in the computer simulation.

Soldiers must pass message traffic and reports, prepare battle plans, and write the orders to execute those plans.

In 2005, the division headquarters and support section deployed almost 4,500 Soldiers to Iraq, where the division commanded active Army and National Guard brigades north of Baghdad as part of Task Force Liberty.

In 2020, the division headquarters deployed to Kuwait, Jordan, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to support Operation Spartan Shield, a 10,000-Soldier force from the Army, Army National Guard, and U.S. Army Reserve. The 42nd Infantry Division headquarters provided mission command for the force.

The 42nd Infantry Division has been nicknamed the Rainbow Division since World War I.

The division was formed from National Guard units in 26 states to quickly deploy to France in 1917. The division chief of staff, then Col. Douglas MacArthur, said the division would “stretch across the country like a rainbow.”