Exercise Allied Spirit IV is a U.S. Army Europe-directed, 7th Army... VIEW ORIGINAL
HOHENFELS, Germany (Jan. 28, 2016) -- The Department of Defense's State Partnership Program puts National Guardsmen in regular contact with service members from numerous nations around the world.
Michigan National Guardsmen usually get the opportunity to work with service members from Latvia and Liberia. While here, for Exercise Allied Spirit IV, Soldiers in Michigan Army National Guard are working with their Latvian partners. However, some of them have been able to branch out and build close partnerships with members of the Esercito Italiano, or Italian Army.
Exercise Allied Spirit IV is a U.S. Army Europe-directed, 7th Army Joint Multinational Training Command-conducted multinational exercise designed to prepare forces in Europe to operate together by exercising tactical interoperability and testing secure communications within NATO Alliance members and partner nations.
During the exercise, the Michigan Army National Guardsmen are portraying a NATO Rapid Deployment Corps in Hohenfels (NRDC-H) with operational control over the Garibaldi Bersaglieri Brigade, a mechanized infantry brigade based in Naples, Italy. The Garibaldi Brigade's headquarters element also is here, training on implementing command and control over multinational subordinate organizations.
Maj. Jason Evans, a judge advocate for the Michigan Army National Guard, has come to work closely with Capt. Francesco Galante in the Italian Army, as they sit next to each other in the NRDC-H headquarters and have worked together on various issues involving the constructive units within the exercise's scenario.
"I've enjoyed working with Capitano Galante, and learning about the differences and similarities between our militaries and cultures," Evans said.
Galante is assisting the Michigan Guardsmen as a liaison officer, helping the Italian and Michigan service members overcome language and doctrine barriers as they arise.
"Maj. Evans is an excellent and well prepared officer," said Galante. "Working with him, I have learned a lot about U.S. Army procedures and the way they approach problems from different aspects and points of view. It has been a very interesting experience, and I look forward to working with him again, maybe in a real operation."
Unique training opportunities like the Allied Spirit exercise, allow Guardsmen to reach out, interact and train with service members from many nations, inside and outside of the State Partnership Program.
Capt. Joseph Prapotnik, a Michigan Army National Guard intelligence and liaison officer, is learning a new field as a battle captain as he assists the Italians with understanding American doctrine, operations orders and a current understanding of the battlefield. Prapotnik is working closely with his Italian counterpart Capt. Daniele Troiano.
"We work well together," Prapotnik said. "It is a great opportunity to learn about each other's culture and how our allies operate."
Troiano is responsible for managing the brigade's battle staff and keeping the common operating picture updated for the brigade commander and staff. He receives incoming reports from subordinate units, filters the information and disseminates it to the appropriate staff officers within the brigade. He also updates the NRDC-H staff on the brigade's current status.
"Capt. Prapotnik is a good officer," Troiano said. "Even though the G3 [brigade operations] is not his specific branch, he worked in close coordination with me and he constantly updated me about the current situation, and he is able to switch thought on the different operations. He has good qualities, like responsibility and tenacity. I hope to work with him again in the future, hopefully, it will be abroad during a multinational mission."
Multinational training, like Allied Spirit, during peacetime allows Soldiers to build relationships and bonds, which will make NATO's combined forces more efficient and effective when trouble arises throughout the world.
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