2nd Squadron, 16th Cavalry Regiment

The 2nd Squadron, 16th Cavalry Regiment (2-16 CAV) is the United States Army Armor School's proponent for Armor Basic Officer Leaders Course (ABOLC). The squadron's four troops are Hawk Troop, Ironhorse Troop, Killer Troop, and Lightning Troop. The Headquarters and Headquarters Troop (HHT) is responsible for training lieutenants awaiting their ABOLC class or who have completed the course and are awaiting for follow-on orders or to attend functional schools. HHT is also responsible for the certification of all instructors at the Armor Basic Officer Leadership Course. Each instructor is initially certified in the U.S. Army Basic Instructor Course, and then must undergo specific instruction to learn the doctrine that is taught to the Armor and Cavalry lieutenants. ABOLC is the introductory skills course for United States Army Cavalry and Armor second and first lieutenants. These officers, recent graduates of the United States Military Academy, ROTC programs, and Officer Candidate School, receive eighteen weeks of training in basic soldiering skills, maneuver tactics, troop- and company-level strategy, and logistical planning. ABOLC consists of three phases - the first focusing on individual soldier skills; Phase II focusing on platform and crew training; and Phase III focusing on tactics and field training. The final exercise, the Competitive Maneuver Exercise (CME), is a strenuous seven-day problem-solving exercise which evaluates a students ability to demonstrate proficiency in cumulative course outcomes. Students are evaluated based on their performance during each exercises, and rotate among every position within a platoon and troop. The course is taught by officers, non-commissioned officers, and civilians from the 2nd Squadron, 16th Cavalry Regiment of the 199th Infantry Brigade. The 2nd Squadron, 16th Cavalry currently operates out of Harmony Church in Fort Benning, Georgia. The squadron was reassigned from the 316th Cavalry Brigade in the fall of 2013 as part of restructuring within the Maneuver Center of Excellence.