We were given exclusive access training at Fort Polk this week, as the Army honed skills that have endured necessary neglect for the past nine years. You can read the full report in Army Times’ AUSA Special Edition, which hits newsstands Monday, Oct. 25. In the meantime, Outside the Wire offers these few helpful hints for all soldiers who will soon partake in full spectrum training: 1. Bring a shovel Not because you’ll be knee-deep in a particular creek, but because you’ll be preparing fox holes and defensive perimeters – something the Army hasn’t done for nearly a decade. We…

Ring Tone The days of big jumps are back! The 3rd Brigade of the 82nd dropped more than 1,700 paratroopers into Fort Polk Monday night. It was the biggest jump since 9/11, and the largest in base history. The brigade suffered 64 injuries, 24 of which required evac. None were life-threatening. Outside the Wire couldn’t help but notice that everyone jumped with the T-10. The entire 82nd was supposed to already have the new T-11 static-line, nonmaneuverable parachute. The first 10,000 T-11 jumps have seen parachute-landing fall injuries cut by more than half. It cuts the PLF by 50 percent…