Regionally aligned forces in Europe on display during CSA visit to Combined Resolve III

By Joint Multinational Training Command Public AffairsNovember 5, 2014

Regionally aligned forces in Europe on display during CSA visit to Combined Resolve III
1 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Gen. Raymond Odierno, Army chief of staff, speaks with Lt. Col. John Pirog, senior observer/coach-trainer on the Mustang Team of the Joint Multinational Readiness Center, during a visit to exercise Combined Resolve III at the Hohenfels Training Area,... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Regionally aligned forces in Europe on display during CSA visit to Combined Resolve III
2 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Col. John DiGiambattista (left), commander of the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, briefs Gen. Raymond Odierno, Army chief of staff, and Brig. Gen. Christopher Cavoli, commanding general of the Joint Multinational Training Command, on b... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Regionally aligned forces in Europe on display during CSA visit to Combined Resolve III
3 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Gen. Raymond Odierno, Army chief of staff, meets with Soldiers of the 4th Infantry Division Mission Command Element during exercise Combined Resolve III at the Army's Hohenfels Training Area, Germany, Nov. 4, 2014. The 4th Infantry Division is provi... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Regionally aligned forces in Europe on display during CSA visit to Combined Resolve III
4 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Gen. Raymond Odierno, Army chief of staff, talks with multinational soldiers participating in exercise Combined Resolve III at the Hohenfels Training Area, Germany, Nov. 4, 2014. Combined Resolve III is a U.S. Army Europe-directed multinational exerc... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

HOHENFELS, Germany (Nov. 4, 2014) -- Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army Gen. Raymond Odierno got a first-hand view of training the Army's regionally aligned forces to Europe during a visit here, to observe exercise Combined Resolve III.

The 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, and the 4th Infantry Division are participating alongside NATO allies and partners in the multinational exercise at the Army's Grafenwoehr and Hohenfels Training areas, from Oct. 1 to Nov. 24. Both units are designated as the respective brigade combat team and division headquarters aligned to support the U.S. European Command.

Odierno visited and spoke with Soldiers and commanders in the field about the benefits of training alongside multinational allies and partners in Europe and building relationships at the tactical level.

"(Rotational forces) understand the terrain, they understand the missions they might have, they understand the other nations they might have to work with," said Odierno. "For the U.S. that strengthens our alliance and it strengthens the international community, and the ability to respond when there is a crisis."

This is the second combat training center rotation at Hohenfels for the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, who are stationed at Fort Hood, Texas. They deployed to Germany last May, and spent three months training alongside NATO allies and partners, including providing the main U.S. participation in Combined Resolve II. The brigade returned to Europe in September, to assume the mission of providing forces to Operation Atlantic Resolve in Eastern Europe, as well as providing forces to train during Combined Resolve III.

This is the first major training rotation in Europe for the 4th Infantry Division headquarters staff, stationed at Fort Carson, Colorado. They are providing division-level command and control for Army forces regionally aligned with Europe.

Combined Resolve III includes participants from Albania, Armenia, Bulgaria, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Moldova, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and the U.S. The exercise will include both combat maneuver training at the Hohenfels Training Area, and a "blended" live-fire exercise at the Grafenwoehr Training Area that will include a mix of live, virtual and simulated training environments.

To learn more about Combined Resolve III, go to the official exercise website www.eur.army.mil/jmtc/CombinedResolveIII.html. You can also join in the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr @7thArmyJMTC using #CombinedResolve.

Related Links:

U.S. Army Europe, NATO Allied Land Command co-host Combined Training Conference

Regionally aligned forces getting global workout

Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Ray Odierno

Army.mil: Europe News

STAND-TO!: Regionally Aligned Forces

STAND-TO!: The European Activity Set

STAND-TO!: USAREUR's Persistent Presence

Joint Multinational Training Command

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno on Twitter

Joint Multinational Training Command on Facebook

Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Ray Odierno on Facebook