GRAFENWOEHR TRAINING AREA, Germany -- Paratroopers from U.S. Army Europe's 173rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne) honed their skills as they helped their aviation colleagues from USAREUR's 12th Combat Aviation Brigade prepare for deployment.
The Italy-based "Sky Soldiers" of the 173rd trained alongside the "Griffins" of the 12th during the Mission Rehearsal Exercise designed to get the aviators ready to head to Afghanistan later this year in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
One of the defining phases of the training was a March 28 Combined Arms Live-Fire Exercise, or CALFEX, that coordinated the fighting capabilities of both brigades with U.S. Air Forces in Europe F-16 fighters during a realistic live-fire scenario on Range 301 here.
"From a (U.S. European Command) perspective, we showcased the capability and brought it together to synchronize this operation and 'deconflict' both fires in terms of direct mode and indirect modes," said Lt. Col. Patrick Wilkins, commander of the brigade's1st Battalion (Airborne), 503rd Infantry Regiment. "There were weeks of planning that went on for this exercise, and although it was pretty fun to execute, it was exacting in terms of our preparation in terms of safety and realism, and combines the two into live-fire art."
This is exactly what the 173rd would do in a real full-spectrum fight, the colonel said.
Gun trucks and several squads of paratroopers threw their weight into the fight by laying down suppressive fire on their designated training lanes as 12th CAB crews flying AH-64 Apache attack helicopters covered them from the air with 30mm rounds and rockets.
"Obviously we will apply force where necessary, and only use a proportional amount of force as necessary, said Wilkins. "This [event] showcases what capability I, as a ground force commander can bring to bear. Today we showcased that."
The F-16s from Aviano Air Base, Italy added air support, dropping concrete-filled simulated bombs and making strafing runs on the training area.
The training gave senior leaders such as Wilkins a chance to coordinate battlefield action at the organizational level, while Soldiers got to see how that synchronization works and translate it into further coordination and action on the firing line.
"This [CALFEX] was a great experience; seeing all of the assets that we have come together to complete one mission," said Staff Sgt. Alaster Anderson, a weapons squad leader with the 1-503rd. "I learned as a squad leader how the line works, with all the guns and talking to each other giving the fire commands."
"This is the first time that I have participated in an operation such as this," he added. "I have been deployed before, so we have had some kind of combined task force operations before, but seeing it all come together like this and really understanding what's happening as its happening is pretty amazing."
The sergeant said he wished his team could take part in this kind of training more often, so he and his Soldiers could get more combined arms experience.
1st Lt. Benjamin Bunn, a mortar platoon leader with 1-503rd, claimed he has not seen an exercise of this magnitude in his 14 years as an NCO and officer in the Army. Making the CALFEX happen took a great deal of complex preparation at all levels, he said.
"I know that a lot of planning went into this exercise," the lieutenant remarked, raising his voice over the sound of attack helicopters firing. "This was a very difficult, to execute an exercise of this size. There are a lot of moving pieces, along with a lot of safety measures and a lot of different organizations all trying to talk to each other at the same time. That kind of logistical effort -- communications and working with all the adjacent units-- is very difficult, and took a lot of prior coordination and a lot of very, very careful planning. So from that standpoint we had to be very diligent."
"Beyond the actual planning itself, though, the individual paratroopers put in a lot of hard work … to make sure that this exercise went off without a hitch," Bunn said. "I was very proud to be a part of it."
"This was great training, with great opportunities and a multitude of very complex operations that were well managed and executed," said Lt. Col. Kelsey A. Smith, commander of the 2nd Battalion, 159th Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, 12th CAB. "We threw a few mix ups in-between, just to cause friction enough to make it valuable training."
At the end of the day, several thousand -- rockets, small arms, mortars and artillery rounds -- had been fired, and many of the Soldiers and aviators who participated said they earned valuable knowledge and experience they couldn't have gotten anywhere else.
Bunn said the exercise's integration of air assets, direct and indirect fire support will deploying Soldiers who are likely to encounter this type of battlefield coordination in combat.
"I think that this [exercise] is a great way to replicate the kind of conditions that one could encounter in combat," he said.
"To be able to build that scenario in a training environment is priceless."
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