( Photo by Spc. Derrick Tribbey, 1st Inf. Div. )

Community leaders from Junction City and Manhattan were briefed on the Warfighter exercise at Fort Riley on Friday.

Maj. Gen. Wayne Grigsby Jr., commanding general of the 1st Infantry Division and Fort Riley and Command Sgt. Maj. Joseph Cornelison, the division’s senior noncommissioned officer, spoke with the community leaders at the Mission Training Complex.

The Warfighter exercise is a high-level training exercise to better prepare the “Big Red One” headquarters and its subordinate units for any mission anywhere at any time.

The exercise simulates realistic scenarios that the division must be prepared for. That is accomplished through virtual training systems that simulate battlefield conditions.

The exercise, which runs through April 14, is being conducted in a distributed manner and takes advantage of the Total Army Force — U.S. Army troops working side by side with National Guard and Army Reserve Soldiers.