(Gray News) - The United States Army is now practicing mass battlefield graves, a practice not done since the Korean War.

The Army reported that soldiers in North Carolina completed a "test-of-concept" exercise for large-scale battlefield temporary interment."This exercise allowed us to take a critical look at how we respect, honor, and systematically manage our fallen in a high-intensity conflict," said Sgt. 1st Class Delbert Ruede, the senior fatality management NCO for the 3rd CSC, in the release.

A U.S. Army D6 bulldozer, operated by horizontal construction engineers from the 20th Engineer Brigade, backfills a simulated temporary interment trench during Phase II of Operation Dragon Covenant near the St. Mere Eglise Drop Zone, Oct. 21, 2026. The test-of-concept exercise, executed by the 3rd Corps Sustainment Command, evaluated the structural impact of heavy earthmoving equipment on remains by placing simulated skeletal models and sealed water containers inside burial bags.