HOHENFELS, Germany -- A company of Soldiers from a U.S. Army Reserve component in Kentucky recently conducted minefield training here at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center as part of a 17-nation multinational exercise known as Saber Junction 15.
The 396th Engineer Company from the 478th Engineer Battalion is a mobility augmentation company, known as a MAC, consisting of 88 Soldiers, whose primary mission is to create and maintain mobility for other units.
Over the last several years, military tactics have focused on route clearance rather than minefield placement. Many engineer units have deployed to places such as Iraq and Afghanistan to work on these route clearing teams. However, the post-war environment gives time to focus on the broader scope of engineer skills.
"Recently, our unit has deployed as a route clearing company," said Capt. Loren Baldwin, commander of the 396th Engineer Company. "This training allows us to learn other aspects and rediscover the lost arts of engineering."
Whether a Soldier has never deployed and needs to practice new skills or has served overseas and needs to brush up on tactics, Saber Junction 15 is an opportunity for the Soldiers who are newer to the unit to practice the basics of minefield placement and reduction.
As a reserve unit, standard procedure requires the unit to meet for drill one weekend a month. The closest facility that can host such an expansive training exercise is about a three and a half hour drive from the unit's base in Ashland, Kentucky. About half of the drill weekend would be dedicated to driving to and from the training site, minimizing the training's effectiveness.
JMRC is designed to handle large-scale training exercises, giving the unit the opportunity to work together in an area more life-like than what's readily available at their main station. JMRC offers more than just training space, however. Unlike training centers in the U.S., JMRC is dedicated to training multinational armed forces simultaneously.
The unit has gotten more than minefield training out of Saber Junction 15. The unit has had an opportunity to work with multinational partners in an unfamiliar environment. This unique training has created a more cohesive camaraderie between his Soldiers.
"When we deploy, we don't deploy by ourselves," Baldwin said. "Working with multinationals allows us to build ties with countries we may deploy with later."
The benefits of training in a new multinational environment have been even greater than Baldwin could have anticipated for his team.
"This group is tight-knit," he said. "In the few days we have been here, we have gotten even closer."
Saber Junction kicked off with a week of field training at JMRC, where Soldiers focused on practicing the four basic methods of mine placement to create obstacles for the enemy.
"MACs shape the battlefield," Baldwin said. "Without us, the infantry commander's job becomes more difficult to employ the maneuver he wants."
After field training, the unit began work with soldiers from Romania and Bulgaria, whom have been serving as oppositional forces at Saber Junction 15. The reserve engineers created obstacles on the training field based on techniques learned here.
"Our goal is to better understand the basics of minefield placement and breaching," Baldwin said. "I hope the units we train with leave with a greater appreciation for the importance of engineering assets on the battlefield and how hard and quickly we can work to achieve our mission."
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Engineers train to win at Saber Junction 15
Joint Multinational Readiness Center
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