Brigade Tests Readiness in Fort Drum Exercise

The 1st Brigade, 10th Mountain Division ran a 10-day force-on-force exercise at Fort Drum, New York, in late October.

Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Military

Wide wooded clearing in rolling northern New York terrain with frosted grass, bare birch, and dark spruce under low late-afternoon light. — Soldiers of the 1st Brigade, 10th Mountain Division ran a 10-day force-on-force exercise at Fort Drum, New York, from Oct. 20 to 29 to test readiness before a January 2027 rotation. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Soldiers of the 1st Brigade, 10th Mountain Division conducted Exercise Mountain Peak at Fort Drum, New York, from Oct. 20 to 29. The large-scale, force-on-force event moved from a forcible entry to offensive and defensive operations.

Why it matters

The exercise is designed to train and validate soldiers to fight and win against America's adversaries. The brigade used it to assess readiness ahead of its Joint Readiness Training Center rotation scheduled for January 2027.

The exercise ran for 10 days, from Oct. 20 to 29, at Fort Drum. The brigade has not publicly released performance ratings or evaluation results from the observer controller trainers.

The players

1st Brigade, 10th Mountain Division

The 1st Brigade is a combat unit of the U.S. Army's 10th Mountain Division, which is based at Fort Drum and specializes in mountain and light infantry operations.

Fort Drum

Fort Drum is a U.S. Army installation in northern New York that serves as the home base of the 10th Mountain Division and hosts large-scale training exercises.

The details

Soldiers seized and secured key terrain and maneuvered against an opposing force during the exercise. Medical personnel practiced prolonged field care, including Project Valkyrie whole-blood transfers using compatible on-site donors, and the scenario incorporated unmanned aircraft systems and counter-UAS capabilities.

Oct. 20-29: Exercise Mountain Peak held at Fort Drum, New York.
January 2027: Brigade rotation at the Joint Readiness Training Center.

Big Picture

The exercise functions as a pre-rotation readiness check ahead of the brigade's scheduled January 2027 Joint Readiness Training Center rotation. It follows the Army's structure of progressive, scenario-based training that culminates in a major joint evaluation.

Fort Drum is a major military installation in northern New York, so residents near the base may notice increased training activity and traffic during large exercises. Local readers can expect the brigade's rotation in January 2027 to bring similar disruptions.

The takeaway

Large-scale training exercises like Exercise Mountain Peak test how well units integrate maneuver, medical care and drone defense before real deployments. Watching how brigades perform in these scenarios offers a clear view of the Army's readiness priorities.