Fort Greely, Alaska -- Members of the Arizona Army National Guard's 363rd Ordnance Company (EOD) conducted team leader certifications during their annual training at the Cold Region Test Center, here July 21 -- Aug. 4.

Nearly 40 members of the 363rd escaped the heat of the hot arid environment of the Arizona desert to conduct team leader certifications on the CRTC ranges, unlike any other ranges the Army has to offer.

"EOD units are highly specialized and EOD techs need to have a broad spectrum of capabilities to successfully perform their mission," said Maj. Ashley Philbin, 363rd Ordnance Company Officer in Charge during the annual training event. "Team leaders need to demonstrate proficiency in over 100 EOD tasks. Unique training opportunities such as this develops an EOD tech's abilities to adapt to anything they may face during a real world mission wherever they are called to perform."

The U.S. Army CRTC plans and conducts developmental testing, with an emphasis on Soldier participation, in the snow, extreme cold, and subarctic natural environment. Although the training occurred during a milder time of year, the environment provided unique challenges for the Soldiers of the 363rd.

"Initially we had to adjust to the nearly 24 hours of daylight," said Spc. Jay White, an EOD technician with the 363rd Ordnance (EOD). "There was also the challenge of adjusting to the three days of almost continuous rain when we first arrived. Neither of which have we ever had to deal with during our normal training in Arizona."

The CRTC is the Army's cold, winter, mountain and northern environmental test center and is situated on nearly 670,000 acres, over twice the size of Phoenix, with special use restricted airspace from the surface to unlimited altitude. The testing effort is located at the Bolio Lake Test Complex, from which CRTC accommodates a full range of cold weather or temperate climate tests, depending on the season. The supporting infrastructure includes facilities for ammunition storage, administrative areas, communications circuits, and an extensive network of roads and trails.

"Conducting operations and team leader certifications on a range of this size afforded us nearly unrestricted movement," said Sgt. Ben Fulton, an EOD technician with the 363rd Ordnance (EOD). "This provided us the opportunity to test in an area without impeding into other training lanes, and providing safe distances for demolition operations without affecting any other team's training timeline."

The 363rd's EOD techs were not the only ones to benefit from this unique training environment. Mechanics from the 363rd and the 3666th Support Maintenance Company provided support to the Alaska Army National Guard's field maintenance shop on Fort Greely.

Partnering with the resident mechanics, the Arizona mechanics got experience in dealing with cold weather related mechanical complications and cold weather modifications used in winter environments on traditional military equipment.

"Although the Arizona National Guard maintains a fleet that operates in similar conditions in Flagstaff, the Alaska Guard mechanics provided great insight to overcoming the challenges they face keeping a cold weather fleet running," said PFC Ivan Nava. "We gained a better understanding of how the cold affects a vehicle's electrical system and we got to install a Snow Plow system onto a Humvee."

The 363rd's Annual Training concluded with an emphasis on core Soldiering skills with a Combat Life Saver refresher course which also included a section focused on injuries induced by explosions presented by medics from the 996th Area Support Medical Battalion, and a media relations course presented by Soldiers from the 123rd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment.

The 363rd Ordnance Company (EOD) was established in 1987 as one of the first five EOD detachments in the National Guard. Since then they have supported deployments to Desert Storm, Bosnia, Iraq, Kuwait, and Afghanistan.