Illisky Training Center, Kazakhstan- International exercises provide Servicemembers from many nations the opportunity to experience new cultures, learn from their international counterparts, and broaden their military skills.
For the Arizona National Guard, continued exposure to soldiers of Kazakhstan brings progress and purpose.
"I've been coming here for five years now," said Sgt. Maj. Michael Gregory, the 158th MEB operations NCO. "I've seen continued progress since I've first come here."
The Arizona National Guard's has been sending Soldiers to participate in exchanges and exercises with Kazakhstan since 1993 as part of the ational Guard's state partnership program, and the 158th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade is the beneficiary of that relationship.
The State Partnership Program partners a state's National Guard Soldiers with another country, allowing them the ability to build relationships and see the continued development of another nation's armed forces, while also broadening the experiences of the Soldiers involved.
"We can see the progression and development in our partners every year," said 1st Lt. Jacob Morehouse, assistant fire support officer with 158th MEB, who is on his second trip to Kazakhstan. "In addition to the progress, the soldiers we work with know us. It eliminates the time required to build a relationship because they recognize those of us who have been here before and our mutual relationships help to build trust."
Morehouse witnessed this familiarity first hand when he saw an officer who he met last year, 1st Lt. Maxhat Gianbier, the civil military operations officer for the Kazakhstan Peacekeeping Battalion.
"We recognize the people who come here for these events," Gianbier said. "Knowing who you're working with makes it easier for us to work together."
Even those who have not previously had the opportunity to participate in a partnership exercise understand the overall concept, the benefits of opportunity, and how the partnership helps to set goals and priorities for the organization.
"Our preparation for these [exercises] begins immediately following the event every year," said Cpt. Tori Rodriguez, the protection officer in charge for the 158th MEB. "I've never participated in one of these exercises before, but our preparation for these events is year round and I was able to benefit from the experiences everyone in the unit has had."
The Arizona National Guard has benefited from this relationship, but they're not the only organization to use this construct. There are currently 70 distinct partnerships across the world building lasting relationships.
These relationships benefit leaders and Soldiers in the units who get the opportunity to travel abroad to work with foreign militaries and be exposed to different techniques and cultures.
"There is a lot of sharing," said Capt. Ruslan Bekturov, the Kazakhstan Peacekeeping Battalion engineer, "but I think it's very important that we not only share military techniques, but also culture. We learn about life in the U.K. and U.S., and they learn about life here."
U.S. Army Central, responsible for training and partnership events in the Central Command area of responsibility, also sees the benefits of these relationships.
Lt. Col. Harp Bains, the USARCENT training and exercises Central Asia South Asia branch chief said this relationship helps produce events where everyone knows what needs to be done, because they have worked in the country and they are familiar with the progress that has been made through the years.
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