Army Special Forces candidates this month will participate in the Robin Sage training exercise, held within multiple North Carolina counties as the final test of their Special Forces Qualification Course.

From April 26 to May 10, students will participate in the exercise before graduating and moving on to their first assignments, an Army news release said.

Robin Sage participants are students at the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, based at Fort Bragg.

The exercise’s notional country of Pineland is set in Alamance, Anson, Cabarrus, Chatham, Cumberland, Davidson, Davie, Guilford, Harnett, Hoke, Lee, Montgomery, Moore, Randolph, Richmond, Robeson, Rowan, Scotland, Stanly, Union and Wake counties, the news release said.

Throughout the exercise, military and civilian personnel as well as community volunteers who serve as auxiliary will participate in and provide support. Military service members from units across Fort Bragg will also support the exercise.

Military members act as realistic opposing forces and guerrilla freedom fighters, also known as Pineland’s resistance movement. To add realism of the exercise, civilian volunteers throughout the state act as role-players.

The news release said participation by volunteers is crucial to the success of the training.

All Robin Sage movements have been coordinated with public safety officials in the towns and counties hosting the training, the news release said. Residents may hear blank gunfire and see occasional flares. Controls are in place to ensure there is no risk to people or property.

Residents with concerns should contact local law enforcement officials, who will contact exercise control officials.

Robin Sage is the U.S. military’s premiere unconventional warfare exercise and the final test of more than a year’s worth of training for aspiring Special Forces soldiers. Candidates are placed in an environment of political instability characterized by armed conflict, forcing soldiers to analyze and solve problems to meet the challenges of “real-world” training.

Questions about the exercise should be referred to the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School Public Affairs Office at 910-396-9394 or by email at pao_swcs@socom.mil. .