Command and staff elements of the 48th Separate Infantry Brigade spent three days recently sharpening their decision-making skills and battlefield management abilities during the annual Brigade Warfighter Exercise (BWFX) at Fort Stewart near Savannah.

During their three days at Stewart the soldiers used computer simulations to enhance the brigade’s command and control process. Orders and directives from higher headquarters field tactical operation centers (TOC) were transformed into computer data needed to the fight a variety of battle scenarios.

That information was translated and fed back to the TOCs in the field to facilitate the movement of troops and equipment needed to fight a particular battle.

The Brigade Warfighter is a 30-hour exercise. During the exercise, the 48th executes its operations order, which was developed at a seminar held earlier at Fort Leavenworth, Kan. The brigade’s OPORD was improved upon during a four-month period before the Warfighter exercise.

Computer simulations allow the brigade to fight against a "thinking opposing force."