HOHENFELS, Germany (Nov. 9, 2015) -- Norwegian soldiers provided support during Exercise Combined Resolve V with what they call Military Intelligence Support Team, or MIST.
"This exercise provided us with a unique opportunity to work with a professional maneuver force," said Maj. Eriec, Norwegian Intelligence Battalion. "The tempo in the operations, challenged us in a good way, because we are forced to deliver our products in a timely manner."
Eriec stated that their main objective during the exercise was to provide the oppositional forces commander with the intelligence needed for him to be successful.
U.S. Army Capt. Sean Hayball, intelligence officer, 1-4 Infantry Regiment Intelligence Oppositional Force, or OPFOR, said that the Norwegians' contribution to the exercise was a combination of them in the field reporting information in real time and the rest working closely with 1-4 Infantry intelligence staff through collection management processes to identify all the priority information requirements.
"The amazing skill that they brought with them greatly enabled us to better conduct the mission," Hayball said. "We reached a level of synergy... us working together was a force multiplier."
"The MIST and the [1-4 Infantry intelligence] guys have been merged together and working as a team now," Eriec said. "Hopefully we're providing the commander with the intelligence support that he needs.
When Eriec was asked the best part of working with 1-4 Infantry, he said they enjoyed working with them for their positive attitude.
The Norwegians encountered an incident that no one could have anticipated where a majority of their gear couldn't be transported. Due to mechanical problems, the aircraft slated to bring their equipment was unable to travel.
"When faced with problems, they would just find solutions," Eriec said. "We came here with a problem; we didn't have a headquarters, we didn't have tent... they got us into facilities where we could actually do the job."
"We had no headquarters, no tents, nothing, but the hospitality of 1-4… I can't thank them enough," Eriec said sincerely. "They have invited us into their homes, and we had been provided with all the things that we need."
"I think that even though that equipment didn't make it, it wasn't the equipment that made it a success," Hayball said. "We overcame that challenge quickly and we were able to successfully execute the rest of the mission without a flaw."
It is evident that the Norwegians and 1-4 Infantry working together was a success. Both Eriec and Hayball said they would enjoy working together once more.
"We are looking forward to coming back here next year, hopefully, with a full task force. Working with the Norwegians, I would love to do it again in a heartbeat," Hayball said. "If there was another exercise where the Norwegians were working, I would love to be a part of that."
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