Virginia Guard’s 116th Brigade Puts Next-Gen Tech to the Test in High-Stakes Drill

FORT BARFOOT, VA – The 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team of the Virginia National Guard is stepping squarely into the future. During a recent large-scale live-fire exercise at Fort Barfoot, the unit successfully field-tested a suite of cutting-edge digital technologies designed to reshape how infantry battalions communicate, coordinate, and engage on the modern battlefield.

Moving beyond traditional radio chatter and paper maps, soldiers from the 116th MBCT integrated advanced digital command-and-control systems directly into their tactical operations. According to Guard officials, the exercise was specifically designed to validate these new tools under realistic, high-pressure conditions, including maneuvering through dense woodland and engaging simulated enemy positions with live ammunition.

At the heart of the experiment was the “TITAN” system—Troop Information, Targeting, and Navigation. This mobile platform provides company-level leaders with a real-time, GPS-enabled view of troop movements, enemy threats, and available fire support. The system allows commanders to call for artillery or mortar fire with a few taps on a ruggedized tablet, dramatically cutting the time from target identification to impact.

The evaluation also stressed the equipment’s durability against Virginia’s notorious humidity and mud, as well as its ability to function during rapid night maneuvers. For Virginia’s citizen-soldiers, who often balance demanding civilian careers with their service, this kind of streamlined technology is a potential force multiplier. “We are proving that a Guard unit can operate with the same digital speed as active-duty forces,” said one officer on site.

With success at Fort Barfoot, the 116th is now preparing to share these validated tactics with other National Guard units across the Mid-Atlantic region. For Virginia taxpayers, this trial run demonstrates a tangible return on defense investment: making the Old Dominion’s own troops more lethal, more connected, and better prepared for complex federal missions at home and abroad.