PABRADE, Lithuania - On an overcast morning at the General Silvestras Zlikaliskas Training Area, here, radio static is muffled by the crunch of twigs and branches being trodden on by the members of 3rd Platoon, Team Eagle, Task Force 2-7 Infantry, slowly making their way to a large berm where, from the top, they can observe the entire battlefield without themselves being noticed by the enemy.
Once at the top, Soldiers quietly point out targets and lanes of fire they will most likely take when they engage the enemy. This is a live-fire exercise, so communication is paramount to survival. If the Soldiers fire on the targets now, the element of surprise will be lost, and the battle will begin.
These Soldiers have trained for the last two days with little sleep and a constant emphasis on communications and planning. From weapons maintenance to tactical drills, this training is designed to improve interoperability and efficiency on and off the battlefield.
The clap of single shots of rifles, the constant hum of light machine guns, and the steady beat of heavy machine guns come together as if in a concert in which all the players understand their roles.
"An exercise like this one really shows just how well our platoon members mesh with each other," said New Cumberland, Pennsylvania, native Staff Sgt. Charles Donnelly. "Being part of a larger exercise like Operation Atlantic Resolve brings that fact home when we work with other armed forces like the Lithuanian army."
While the Lithuanian army was not in attendance for this particular exercise, Soldiers from Team Eagle feel confident that what they have learned over the last three days will translate to a more integrated, multinational fighting force.
"I really believe that after we teach the Lithuanian army the things we've learned here, we'll be able to support each other, no matter what we run in to," said Spc. Jonathon Gonzalez, a native of Hallsville, Texas.
As the guns went silent, and the smoke cleared away from the final objective point, a motivated and resilient fighting force stood behind their Strykers, taking in the work they had put in to accomplish the mission.
A quick after action review from Capt. Bryan E. Adams, Team Eagle's commanding officer, and it was time to get back and re-equip vehicles and ammunition because 3rd Platoon would be right back out there again later tonight, doing it all again in the dark.
The Soldiers of Team Eagle, as well as their Lithuanian partners, the Iron Wolf Brigade, are part of Operation Atlantic Resolve, an ongoing multinational partnership focused on joint training and security cooperation between the U.S. and other NATO allies.
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