Special Forces candidates from Fort Bragg are using the City of Rockingham to sharpen their skills in unconventional warfare this week.

The training is part of the (1st) Special Warfare Training Group’s Robin Sage exercises to simulate guerilla warfare tactics and techniques, and determine which candidates are worthy of becoming a Green Beret.

It is the culmination phase of the 254th Special Forces Qualification Course.

“It’s an unconventional warfare exercise, so the students are engaged in any number of exercises simulating what they’d do in a real life situation,” said U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center Deputy Public Affairs Officer Dave Chace. “They are basically playing the part of a team of guerilla leaders, and the types of exercises they’re engaged in could involve shooting blanks, or conducting an ambush or a raid on a building. They’ll be moving quickly.”

For the purposes of the training, Rockingham is part of a fictional country named Pineland, which is battling an insurgency against its government.

In addition to Richmond, 14 other counties comprise Pineland.

“The training started on July 31, and lasts about two weeks,” Chace said. “Friday is usually the last day, then they head back to Fort Bragg and have a week to prepare for graduation on the 20th.”

Civilian volunteers fill out the ranks of the insurgent army, whose jobs are to be trained by the Special Forces candidates and conduct the resistance movement.

Wednesday morning, an exercise was held at a vacant industrial complex on Rockingham Road across from Southside Cemetery. The plant used to house a Sara Lee operation and most recently was home to Omni Systems.

Surrounding the building were vehicles and what appeared to be SWAT teams preparing to enter.

At one point, two supposed casualties of the battle were seen lying beside Rockingham police cars in the parking lot with assault rifles near their bodies.

Since a Robin Sage participant was fatally wounded by a Moore County sheriff’s deputy during a traffic stop in 2002, an extra emphasis has been placed on making law enforcement agencies and residents aware the training is taking place.

“There are certain areas of town where Robin Sage will be taking place, and they have coordinated with local law enforcement to let us know the times and places so we don’t have an inappropriate response,” Rockingham Police Chief Robert Voorhees said Wednesday morning.

Chace also said efforts are made to make residents aware of the training.

“They need to know that the exercise is going on, and that safety precautions have been taken by our unit,” he said.

Areas where a raid or ambush is planned are marked, Chace said, but it’s not outside the realm of possibility citizens may see soldiers outside of these areas.

“All student Robin Sage participants are clearly marked with an armband, and those playing the part of law enforcement also wear a special hat,” Chace said. “Residents may see them crossing a road, or even driving on a road. This is part of the training.”

In addition to a formal written notification to all law enforcement agencies in an area where the training is taking place, there is a follow-up visit with a representative of the unit and a briefing for all civilian and non-student military participants.

Approximately 200 soldiers from units across Fort Bragg also support the exercise, according to a military press release. They provide a realistic opposing force and guerilla freedom fighters, also known as the resistance movement.

The civilian forces are made up of volunteers and contractors, and are also used to add realism to the exercise.

Those who pass the test have a graduation ceremony at Fort Bragg on Aug. 20.

Staff Writer Philip D. Brown can be reached at (910) 997-3111 ext. 32, or by e-mail at pbrown@yourdailyjournal.com.