Over the years, Fort Drum and the 10th Mountain Division have had to adapt. Different missions, different countries — even different terrain and weather — have all led to a different focus, especially when it comes to training.

And that focus is once again shifting.

What You Need To Know

  • Fort Drum's 10th Mountain Division has been the Army's most deployed division since 1985

  • Over those years, the job has called for soldiers to train in many differnet ways, and often the 10th Mountain has been asked to test pilot or lead the way with new programs

  • The Army is now shifting part of its focus again, this time to electronic warfare

“Since 1985, we have been the most deployed division in the United States Army,” Incoming Commander of the XVIII Airborne Corps, Major General Gregory Anderson said. “The past two years in particular, we've seen even an acceleration."

From 20 years ago in Iraq and Afghanistan to today in Central Europe, the 10th Mountain Division has spent a lot of time overseas and worked hard getting ready.

“It is intense what this division is doing. It is a significant undertaking, what we've been asked to do,” Anderson added.

From the early days of pure physical fitness to the Army's newer look at a holistic approach, which features physical, spiritual, mental sleep and nutrition, the 10th Mountain has often been a pilot tester for these programs.

“Whatever the challenges are of the day, this division, the soldiers, the civilians that make up this division, they just meet the challenge head on and they tackle it,” 10th Mountain Division Commanding General Major General Scott Naumann said.

That includes a renewed focus on history: Alpine mountain winters, the way it was 80 years ago. They call it "Mountain Tuff" and the 10th Mountain is pushing to get back to it.

“We are transforming the division and back into a world class light infantry,” Maj. Gen. Anderson said.

While the division will continue to train in those ways, the focus has once again shot forward.

With everything going on and with it between Russia and Ukraine and NATO, we're all part of that to a big way,” Maj. Gen. Anderson added.

The biggest change has been technology.

“Electronic warfare is a significant piece that we've got to catch up on,” Maj. Gen. Anderson said.

It will do so, thanks in large part to its second brigade, a unit that, on its most recent deployment, unexpectedly caught a barrage of attacks it had never experienced before and survived to tell the story.

“About a 90% success rate against drones. The rest of the Army is trying to learn from us,” Maj. Gen. Anderson said.

At the end of May, the 2nd Brigade hosted a special symposium on countering these electronic attacks. More than 40 different military units took part.