Army planners using experiences to hone Combined Resolve IV

By Capt. Matthew RiggsJune 3, 2015

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1 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
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2 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – U.S. Soldiers of 3rd Infantry Division and soldiers from Albania and Bulgaria discuss mission objectives while conducting a combined arms rehearsal during exercise Combined Resolve IV at the U.S. Armys Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Hohenfel... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

HOHENFELS, GERMANY -- The energy was high throughout the command update brief theater during Combined Resolve IV when the "battle" between the nations of Atropia and Ariania began.

The battle is the start of the "war" between Atropia and Ariania. The battle is the first day where the units training in the Hohenfels "Box" transition from scripted training scenarios to ambiguous real-time force-on-force situations.

Capt. Rob Parsons is the lead planner for Combined Resolve IV and has been in the position for over one year. Before taking the job as lead planner, Parsons served as an infantry officer with the 1st Infantry Division at Fort Riley, Kansas where he was a platoon leader and deployed to Iraq from 2007-2008 during the surge of U.S. Forces.

Parsons then moved on to commanding an infantry company and deployed again to Iraq in 2009-2010.

Parsons said the Combined Resolve series of exercises are valuable because they are, "Setting the stage for real life operational contingencies."

Combined Resolve IV is a training exercise that consists of more than 4,700 participants from 13 NATO and European partner nations. The exercise series focuses on maneuver training and force-on-force exercises and continues with a combined arms live fire exercise at the U.S. Army training area in Grafenwoehr, Germany.

Each Combined Resolve event gives a combat brigade the opportunity to learn how to function alongside Allies and partner nations and integrate them into their formations. 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division is participating in Combined Resolve IV as the primary U.S. training unit. The brigade, out of Fort Stewart, Georgia, is currently deployed to Europe as part of the Army's Regionally Aligned Force to the U.S. European Command.

The exercise gives the units a, "First taste of multinational interoperability," said Parsons.

Parsons said the challenge when Combined Resolve began, over three years ago, was communicating with other nations' forces and using different logistical systems.

Parsons said the lessons learned from the last three Combined Resolves have helped the current exercises run smoother and has improved the training significantly.

"When we first started this, we had a hard time even talking to each other, now we are able to communicate over a more advanced system with secure channels," said Parsons.