MP brigade sets stage for Saber Strike 18

By 2nd Lt. Sierra N. Ejzak, 18th Military Police Brigade Public AffairsMay 29, 2018

MP brigade sets stage for Saber Strike 18
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GRAFENWOEHR, Germany- As Saber Strike 18 approaches, the 18th Military Police Brigade is preparing for its key roles during the multinational exercise.

Saber Strike 18 facilitates cooperation between U.S., Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish and other allied and partner nations to improve joint operational capability in a variety of missions. The exercise prepares the participating nations and its units for future operations while enhancing the NATO alliance. This year's exercise anticipates 18,000 participants from 19 different countries distributed across four nations.

The 18th Military Police Brigade will be supporting maneuver forces such as the 2nd Cavalry Regiment with movement support to mobility operations and area security. Operations range from joint convoy security with support from allied and partner forces to facilitating river crossings. The brigade will consist of a military police battalion and an engineer battalion as well as Soldiers from U.S. Army Correctional Activity - Europe who have been setting the stage for the exercise. Regionally aligned units from Puerto Rico, Michigan and Indiana National Guards will join the brigade along with partners and allies from seven countries, including, the United Kingdom, Poland, Germany and Macedonia.

The brigade laid the foundation for maneuver and security operations with tough, realistic training and performing a thorough route reconnaissance which identified and marked key infrastructure along routes from Germany through Poland.

The 709th Military Police Battalion completed preparations for Saber Strike with a live fire exercise which tested the weapons, maneuvering and communications capabilities on each level of the organization.

"The training leading up to this summer has prepared our Soldiers to work together almost seamlessly," said 1st Lt. Chad Wanek, platoon leader from the 529th Military Police Company. "We've seen a lot of improvement from the individual all the way to the company level. We were able to get after tasks that greatly improves our units readiness and that's where we make our money."

The "Warriors" will conduct missions such as law enforcement operations, facilitating border crossings, and conducting route recons throughout the exercise.

The 15th Engineer Battalion just wrapped up at Resolute Castle, where its vertical and horizontal engineer building teams refined and improved military occupational skill sets. Lt. Col. John McNamara, commander of the 15th Engineer Battalion was pleased with the "Drive On" battalion's growth during the exercise.

"Resolute Castle has prepared the battalion for Saber Strike by allowing

Soldiers and leaders to plan and execute Mobility and Survivability tasks in an unconstrained training area," McNamara said. "Soldiers built and dug various types of fighting positions and constructed combat roads and trails maximizing the amount of time each Soldier operated their assigned piece of equipment."

Saber Strike 18 formally ends June 15, however, the brigade will assist in support units redeploying to home station through July.