Exerc... VIEW ORIGINAL
Exercise Allied Spirit ... VIEW ORIGINAL
Exercise Allied Spirit IV includes more than 2,400 participan... VIEW ORIGINAL
GRAFENWOEHR, Germany (Jan. 28, 2016) -- The 7th Army Joint Multinational Training Command hosted a distinguished visitors and media day, Jan. 27, 2016, at Hohenfels Training Area, Germany, to see how exercise Allied Spirit IV conducts multinational training.
"Being located in the middle of Europe gives us the opportunity to participate with all of our Allies in everything we do," said Brig. Gen. Christopher G. Cavoli, the commander of the 7th Army Joint Multinational Training Command. "We design our exercises specifically for our countries and our militaries to work together very closely to make the Alliance stronger from the tactical level to the strategic level."
Exercise Allied Spirit IV includes more than 2,400 participants from seven NATO nations including Canada, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Slovenia, the United Kingdom and the United States, and exercises tactical interoperability while also testing secure communications within Alliance members and partner nations.
For the first time, Italy is providing the brigade headquarters, and the Garibaldi Brigade is commanding the multinational force.
The U.S. is providing units from the 173rd Airborne Brigade and 2nd Cavalry Regiment, as well as other units from Army Europe and the U.S. Army National Guard.
"This is one of the more exciting exercises that we do here," said Capt. David Sherck, the lead exercise planner for the Joint Multinational Readiness Center. "It is designed to capture and build on the lessons learned from ISAF and KFOR and build on those lessons going into the future."
A Slovenian tank platoon and the Louisiana National Guard are augmenting with the 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment to serve as the opposing forces or OPFOR.
Soldiers from the Michigan National Guard are working with their longtime state partners, the Latvian National Armed Forces, as well as the 350th Psychological Operations Company from Ohio to make up the NATO Rapid Deployment Corps-Hohenfels. The job of the NRDC-H is to serve as the higher command, or HICON, to the brigade headquarters.
Several Army National Guard elements are participating, including Soldiers from Louisiana; Washington, D.C.; California and Michigan.
Exercise Allied Spirit IV is scheduled to run Jan. 15-Feb. 5.
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