Secretary of Defense visits Combined Resolve IV

By Sgt. Kenneth D. ReedAugust 17, 2015

Secretary of Defense Carter visits the Grafenwoehr Training Area, June 26, 2015
1 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – The Secretary of Defense of the United States of America, the Honorable Ashton Carter, speaks with Soldiers from the 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, on the U.S. Army's Grafenwoehr Training Area (Germany), June 26, 2015. Carter was in Grafenwoehr ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Secretary of Defense Carter visits the Grafenwoehr Training Area, June 26, 2015
2 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – The Secretary of Defense of the United States of America, the Honorable Ashton Carter, speaks with Brig. Gen. Chris Cavoli, commanding general of the 7th Army Joint Multinational Training Command, during a visit the U.S. Army's Grafenwoehr Training A... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Secretary of Defense Carter visits the Grafenwoehr Training Area, June 26, 2015
3 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – The Secretary of Defense of the United States of America, the Honorable Ashton Carter, speaks with Soldiers from the 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, on the U.S. Army's Grafenwoehr Training Area (Germany), June 26, 2015. Carter was in Grafenwoehr ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Secretary of Defense Carter visits the Grafenwoehr Training Area, June 26, 2015
4 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – The Secretary of Defense of the United States of America, the Honorable Ashton Carter, views a live-fire demonstration on the U.S. Army's Grafenwoehr Training Area (Germany), June 26, 2015. Carter was in Grafenwoehr to view the end of exercise Combi... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

Grafenwoehr, GERMANY -- Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter ended his European tour with a visit to the Grafenwoehr Training Area and the 7th Army Joint Multinational Training Command today.

"It is not a birth right that the people of America and Germany get to live the way they do now, said Secretary Carter. "We have to continue to work hard to protect our people and that underlines the importance of the training you are doing here".

His stop in Bavaria is the last of the countries he visited, including Germany, Estonia, and Belgium this week. While here he participated in a series of meetings with European defense ministers and to participate in his first NATO Ministerial as Secretary of Defense.

While in Grafenwoehr, Carter met with U.S. and Romanian Soldiers participating in Exercise Combined Resolve IV. He observed a Combined Arms Life Fire Training Exercise which demonstrated the superior firepower capabilities possible through tactical level teamwork and successful interoperability. The training also showcased the capabilities of the Grafenwoehr Training Area and its ability to integrate a variety of weapons platforms for realistic training. The live fire training included the AH-64 Apache Attack Helicopter, the M1A2SEP Abrams Tank, the M2A3 Bradley Fighting Vehicle, the M109A6 Paladin Self-Propelled Howitzer, and the Romanian BTR-80 Armored Personnel Carrier, as well as light infantry Romanian Soldiers.

This live fire exercise was the culmination of Combined Resolve IV. The Combined Resolve series of exercises was designed to train participants to function together in a multinational and integrated environment and train U.S. Army rotational forces to Europe to be more flexible, agile and better able to operate alongside allies and partners.

After observing training, Carter had lunch with junior officers, spoke about the mission in Europe and took questions from Soldiers living and training in the Grafenwoehr community.

"You are deterring aggression, you are preparing to respond to crises, you are preparing to deal with terrorism and this is necessary for a civilized society to exist. You do it with your colleagues here in Europe because they see things the way you do, they share a lot of the same values that we have, so they are natural allies because we stand for the same things. That is the best kind of ally you can possibly have.

Secretary Carter ended his visit by individually thanking every Soldier present for their service.

Photos of Carter's visit are posted on the JMTC Flickr page at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/7armyjmtc/

For more information about Exercise Combined Resolve IV, the Regionally Aligned Forces, or the European Activity Set, visit www.eur.army.mil/jmtc.

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