Fort McCoy conducts FY 2026 Integrated Protection Exercise
Led by the Fort McCoy Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security, or DPTMS, the exercise brought action officers and other key personnel together at the IEOC to respond to a simulated emergency scenario.
During the exercise, action officers and staff reported to the IEOC as the scenario developed, working through information requirements, communicating with leadership and coordinating potential responses. Other Fort McCoy personnel participated in response activities associated with a simulated vehicle-train accident at the installation.
Integrated Protection Exercises are designed to test an installation’s ability to respond to and recover from emergencies and other all-hazards incidents. The exercises provide opportunities to evaluate emergency procedures, communication, coordination and decision-making while identifying areas that can be improved for future incidents.
Fort McCoy has conducted similar exercises for many years, with Fort McCoy DPTMS serving as the lead organization. Previous IPEs have included scenarios involving active-shooter incidents and natural disasters, with exercise objectives focused on installation response capabilities and IEOC operations.
The FY 2026 exercise provided an additional opportunity to exercise the IEOC and its personnel while allowing Fort McCoy’s senior leadership to observe the emergency operations process.
Kurt Bruggemeyer, chief of the Fort McCoy DPTMS Mobilizations Branch, said the exercise accomplished important objectives for the installation.
“I believe IPE ‘26 successfully exercised the Fort McCoy Installation Emergency Operations Center (IEOC) and its personnel while providing a valuable opportunity for newly assigned senior leadership (senior commander and garrison commander) to observe IEOC operations as well as an opportunity to provide their respective guidance for future IEOC operations and exercises,” Bruggemeyer said.
The exercise also provided personnel an opportunity to practice working together during a rapidly developing emergency. Action officers received and processed information, communicated with appropriate leaders and staff, and worked through the actions necessary to support installation response efforts.
The IEOC serves as a central location for coordinating information and response activities during an emergency. Past Fort McCoy exercises have emphasized the importance of communication and information sharing among garrison directorates, tenant organizations and other partners.
Following the exercise, Fort McCoy leadership recognized the efforts of the personnel who participated and supported the training.
Cameron Cantlon, deputy to the garrison commander, thanked those involved in the exercise.
“Thank you for your effort and your time. We’re appreciative of your efforts to support this exercise today. … Good job today,” Cantlon said.
The exercise also provides DPTMS and Fort McCoy leadership with information that can be used to identify strengths, weaknesses and potential improvements in emergency response procedures.
Previous Fort McCoy IPEs have included formal after-action reviews to evaluate exercise performance and capture lessons learned. DPTMS officials have noted that these observations help guide improvement plans and future training designed to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of installation emergency response operations.
The FY 2026 IPE continues Fort McCoy’s ongoing effort to maintain a trained and prepared workforce capable of responding to emergencies, supporting the installation community and maintaining essential operations during challenging circumstances.
Fort McCoy’s motto beginning in 2026 is “Training the Total Force and Shaping the Future since 1909.” The installation’s mission: “Fort McCoy strengthens Total Force Readiness by serving as a training center, Mobilization Force Generation Installation, and Strategic Support Area enabling warfighter lethality to deploy, fight, and win our nation’s wars.”
And Fort McCoy’s vision is, “To be the premier training center supporting the most capable, combat-ready, and lethal armed forces.”
Located in the heart of the upper Midwest, Fort McCoy is the only U.S. Army installation in Wisconsin. The installation has provided support and facilities for the field and classroom training of more than 100,000 military personnel from all services nearly every year since 1984.
Learn more about Fort McCoy online athttps://home.army.mil/mccoy, on Facebook by searching “ftmccoy,” on Flickr at https://www.flickr.com/photos/fortmccoywi, and on X (formerly Twitter) by searching “usagmccoy.” Also try downloading the My Army Post app to your smartphone and set “Fort McCoy” or another installation as your preferred base. Fort McCoy is also part of Army’s Installation Management Command where “We Are The Army’s Home.”
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