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FORT BRAGG, N.C. – This month, Special Forces candidates will participate in the Robin Sage, a training exercise, held within multiple North Carolina counties.

Robin Sage is the final test of their Special Forces Qualification Course training.
Dec. 4-18, students will participate in this exercise before graduating the course and moving on to their first assignments in the Army’s Special Forces community.

In order to secure the physical health of our Soldiers and local communities, all Fort Bragg personnel have undergone health screenings at multiple points throughout the training pipeline to insure that no Soldiers have COVID-19. Organizers will continue to check the health status of troops throughout Robin Sage.

In this Robin Sage Exercise students will be operating in the following North
Carolina counties: Alamance, Anson, Cabarrus, Chatham, Cumberland, Davidson,
Guilford, Harnett, Hoke, Lee, Montgomery, Moore, Randolph, Richmond, Robeson, Rowan, Scotland, Stanly, Union and Wake; as well as in Marlboro and Dillon counties in South Carolina.

Throughout the exercise, military and civilian support personnel, as well as
community volunteers who serve as auxiliary, will participate in and/or provide
support to the exercise. Military service members from units across Fort Bragg will also support the exercise. These military members act as realistic opposing forces and guerrilla freedom fighters, also known as Pineland’s resistance movement.

These troops play a critical role in the training exercise. To add realism of the
exercise, civilian volunteers throughout the state act as role-players. Participation by these volunteers is crucial to the success of this training, and past trainees attest to the realism they add to the exercise.

All Robin Sage movements and events have been coordinated with public safety
officials throughout and within the towns and counties hosting the training. Residents may hear blank gunfire and see occasional flares. Controls are in place to ensure there is no risk to persons or property. Residents with concerns should
contact local law enforcement officials, who will immediately contact exercise
control officials.

Safety is a command priority during all training events. As always, the following
safety measures have been implemented:

• Formal written notification to the chiefs of law enforcement agencies in the
affected counties, with a follow-up visit from a unit representative.

• All civilian and non-student military participants are briefed on procedures to
follow if there is contact with law enforcement officials.

• Students will only wear civilian clothes if the situation warrants, as determined by the instructors, and will wear a distinctive brown armband during these instances.

• Training areas and vehicles used during exercises are clearly labeled.

Robin Sage is the U.S. military’s premiere unconventional warfare exercise and the final test of more than a year’s worth of training for aspiring Special Forces Soldiers.

Candidates are placed in an environment of political instability characterized by
armed conflict, forcing Soldiers to analyze and solve problems to meet the challenges of this “real-world” training.

Questions concerning the exercise should be referred to the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School Public Affairs Office at 910-396-9394, or by e-mail at pao_swcs@socom.mil.