The US military has conducted its first major battlefield burial exercise since the Korean War, testing procedures to temporarily infuse up to 2,400 remains in 24 hours as it prepares for high-intensity combat against a fellow adversary. Soldiers used heavy construction equipment to dig and refill burial trenches practicing procedures designed to preserve remains for later identification and return. The exercise reflects preparations for high-intensity warfare in which US forces may not be able to evacuate the dead from the battlefield immediately. The personnel of the Sustainment Command of the 3rd Corps, the 20th Engineer Brigade and special military support teams participated in the training. Preventive medicine professionals, chaplains and death management experts also participated. The exercise focused on temporary burial on the battlefield, a procedure used when immediate removal of human remains is not possible. Military engineers practiced preparing burial sites under conditions designed to simulate the logistical demands of large-scale combat. The army stressed that the procedures are designed to maintain accountability and allow for the eventual recovery of remains. No actual human remains were used during training. Soldiers operated D6 bulldozers and other earth-moving equipment to dig and fill trenches. According to the reported training results of the army, preparing a trench capable of containing about 20 remains took an average of one hour and 15 minutes. Military planners calculated that a properly equipped engineer company could dig and cover trenches with a combined capacity of up to 2,400 bodies during 24 hours of continuous operations. The figure represents a planning estimate for ongoing engineering activity and not the number of simulated remains buried during the exercise. The training also examined the arrangement of burial trenches.

The US military has conducted its first major battlefield burial exercise since the Korean War, testing procedures to temporarily infuse up to 2,400 remains in 24 hours as it prepares for high-intensity combat against a fellow adversary. Soldiers used heavy construction equipment to dig and refill burial trenches practicing procedures designed to preserve remains for later identification and return. The exercise reflects preparations for high-intensity warfare in which US forces may not be able to evacuate the dead from the battlefield immediately. The personnel of the Sustainment Command of the 3rd Corps, the 20th Engineer Brigade and special military support teams participated in the training. Preventive medicine professionals, chaplains and death management experts also participated. The exercise focused on temporary burial on the battlefield, a procedure used when immediate removal of human remains is not possible. Military engineers practiced preparing burial sites under conditions designed to simulate the logistical demands of large-scale combat. The army stressed that the procedures are designed to maintain accountability and allow for the eventual recovery of remains. No actual human remains were used during training. Soldiers operated D6 bulldozers and other earth-moving equipment to dig and fill trenches. According to the reported training results of the army, preparing a trench capable of containing about 20 remains took an average of one hour and 15 minutes. Military planners calculated that a properly equipped engineer company could dig and cover trenches with a combined capacity of up to 2,400 bodies during 24 hours of continuous operations. The figure represents a planning estimate for ongoing engineering activity and not the number of simulated remains buried during the exercise. The training also examined the arrangement of burial trenches.