US Army reportedly practiced digging mass graves at military base in North Carolina

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FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (WBTV) - The United States Army recently practiced digging mass graves at a military base in North Carolina.

The mass graves were dug at Fort Bragg as part of Phase II of Operation Dragon Covenant. The exercise reportedly served as a “critical test of concept to validate the feasibility of battlefield temporary interment.”

The U.S. Army has not utilized mass graves “at scale” since the Korean War in the early 1950s.

“This exercise allowed us to take a critical look at how we respect, honor, and systematically manage our fallen in a high-intensity conflict,” Sgt. 1st Class Delbert Ruede said via an article published by a military outlet.

“If we went to war tomorrow, we would be making this up as we went along. What we are doing here is taking a scientific, field-tested approach so that we can maintain positive control and respectfully care for our fallen.”

According to the article, the exercise evaluated whether heavy equipment -- such as bulldozers and backhoes -- could excavate and backfill mass graves rapidly without causing structural collapse or damaging human remains.

A standard temporary mass grave consists of five parallel trenches designed to hold 100 bodies. Operators participating in the Dragon Covenant exercise were able to complete a full 20-body trench within an hour and 15 minutes.

“Backfilling without desecrating the remains is where the real skill lies,” 1st Lt. Connor Thompson said in the same article. “Every operator has a different skill set, and soil conditions play a huge factor. Doing this in dry sand is completely different from frozen ground, clay, or mud. Getting our operators actual stick time on this specific task gives us data rather than assumptions.”

In addition to the digging itself, Dragon Covenant also reportedly offered “unprecedented” training opportunities for military chaplains and religious affairs specialists.

The military article said the exercise was the first time in more than 20 years that Army chaplains trained for temporary battlefield interment.

Moving forward, the article said Operation Dragon Covenant “establish[ed] the foundational blueprints necessary to meet mission requirements while maintaining the military’s solemn pledge to honor its fallen service members.”

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