NCNG and Moldovan Ground Forces train in Germany

HOHENFELS, Germany - Armed with riot shields and batons, North Carolina National Guardsmen with Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 252nd Armored Regiment and a platoon of soldiers with the 22nd Peacekeeping Battalion, Moldovan Ground Forces trained in riot control tactics while at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center (JMRC) here June 25, 2015.

The Moldovan platoon was attached to Alpha Company during their JMRC rotation in preparation for a deployment to Kosovo in support of the Kosovo Force (KFOR) mission. U.S. Army Lt. Col. Bill Gray, the commander of the 1-252nd Armored Regiment, was pleased to be training with one of North Carolina National Guard's partners through the State Partnership Program.

"I am glad they are attached to us, they integrated quickly with Alpha Company and are very professional," said Gray.

During the JMRC rotation, the units were trained in riot control with the culminating event replicating a worst-case scenario called "Dynamic Manner." U.S. Army Capt. Sam Barrow, the commander of Alpha Company, explained that their mission was to deescalate a hostile crowd, remove obstacles and restore peace to an urban area.

"Dynamic Manner is a challenging event, the opposing force can move quickly and they turned up the intensity, our team had platoon integrity but during dynamic manner we showed that we have company integrity," said Barrow.

U.S. Army 1st Sgt. Billy Green, the first sergeant of Alpha Company stated, "This was difficult training but for our company it was a great team building exercise, we will be going to Kosovo fully confident in our ability to assist KFOR."

The Moldovan platoon acted as a quick reaction force for the scenario and was called in towards the end of the demonstration to repel the opposing force out of the village.

Moldovan Capt. Victor Trohin, a platoon leader for the 22nd Peacekeeping Battalion, was satisfied with how his platoon performed and worked with members of Alpha Company.

"We take every training opportunity seriously, it is useful for us to train with other nations. I am pleased with today's training," said Trohin.

When deployed to Kosovo later this year, the Moldovan platoon will be assigned to the Multinational Battle Group-West and Alpha Company will be with the 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team as the Multinational Battle Group-East headquarters element. The training at JMRC was a welcomed opportunity to train with a long-standing partner and also provided a chance to improve skills that will be used for domestic operations.

"We are fortunate to have the opportunity to learn these skills here and be tested like this. The next time Alpha Company is called up for the Rapid Reaction Force back in North Carolina, we will be more than ready," said Barrow.

The RRF mission is an annually assigned to a specific unit within the NC Army National Guard. A unit assigned this mission is always in the ready to assist local, state or federal authorities within a short notice. The involvement in the RRF mission continues to show the NCNG's ability to be ready, reliable and responsive.