Just weeks after send-off ceremonies across the state, nearly 4,000 Iowa Army National Guard soldiers, including members of the unit based in Fort Dodge, are deep into one of the most rigorous and realistic training experiences the Army has — the Joint Readiness Training Center rotation at Fort Johnson, Louisiana.

This large scale annual training event includes the 2nd Brigade Combat Team of the 34th Infantry Division, which has about 1,800 soldiers preparing for deployment to the Middle East as part of Operation Inherent Resolve. The troops from the Fort Dodge unit — Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 1st Battalion, 194th Field Artillery — are among those preparing for deployment.

The Joint Readiness Training Center experience replicates conditions soldiers may face during the deployment, from complex tactical operations to real-time logistical support

“This training is the best and most difficult that the Army has to offer,” Brig. Gen. Derek Adams, the Iowa Army National Guard’s land component commander, said in a written statement.

“And so if you train at the most difficult scenarios against the toughest adversary, you’re prepared to do any operation that would be called upon for the unit,” he added.

Col. Tony Smithhart, commander of the 734th Regional Support Group, noted the magnitude of support required to sustain this level of training.

“The scale of this operation is critical to the development of our soldiers,” he said. “It’s been called a generational training opportunity, and I believe that’s accurate.”

Adams saluted the families of the soldiers.

“None of us could do this without the support of our families, neighbors and friends,” he said. “We recognize the sacrifice that families go through for soldiers to be able to be part of the Army National Guard and to contribute to the national security of the United States.”