PELISKY, Slovak Republic - After spending a day of fun and relaxation observing, U.S. and Slovak Soldiers were ready to train and further strengthen their alliance during a combined military live fire range and a community static display Sept. 16, during Exercise Dragoon Crossing.
"Today, we linked up with our Slovak NATO allies, we went over their weapons as well as teaching them about ours," said Staff Sgt. Robert Schantz, of Duluth, Georgia, a platoon sergeant with Weapons Troop, 4th Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment.
Dragoon Crossing is a week-long tactical road march that began in Vilseck, Germany, and will continue to Gyor, Hungary, which features various community engagement events and combined training exercises along the way.
During the range, American and Slovak soldiers were able to learn from one another while at the same time strengthen their relationships on a personal and professional level, said Capt. Eric Blackham, of Centerville, Utah, commander of Weapons Troop, 4th Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment.
"This opportunity doesn't come along very often and we have a huge advantage for being here and have this opportunity to train with our ally and see these weapons systems," he added.
But the Soldiers didn't get to have all the fun as members of the Bratislava community were treated to a static display of the same weapons and vehicles used by both Slovak and American Soldiers.
"This static display demonstrates our operational capability to move long distances rapidly, and it has the effect to strengthen our alliance," said Lt. Col. Jonathan Due, commander of 4th Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment.
Exercise Dragoon Crossing took place during Operation Atlantic Resolve an ongoing series on training exercises and community engagement events designed to build relationships, trust and interoperability between the U.S. and its NATO allies.
With the sight of Slovak and American vehicles and weapons on each side and the planning involved for the event, Due stated that "this is what interoperability looks like. It helps us visualize and provide clear and common description which is at the heart of any military process."
As the day came to an end, Soldiers of 2nd Cavalry Regiment were grateful for an opportunity to learn from their ally.
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