Operation Thunder Road: Multinational forces train to quell violent crowds in Kosovo

CAMP BONDSTEEL, Kosovo - Soldiers from Germany, Moldova, Poland and the United States came together to rehearse crowd riot control techniques in a Nov. 5 combined exercise at Camp Nothing Hill, outside Leposavic, Kosovo.

The multinational soldiers are serving alongside one another as part of NATO's Kosovo Force peace support mission, dedicated to ensuring safety, security and freedom of movement in the region. The day's "Thunder Road" training exercise served as an opportunity for the soldiers to rehearse some of their mission's essential skills.

The calm autumn day began by pitting the role-playing Polish soldiers-donning orange shirts and resembling an angry football team-against the U.S. troops guarding the Camp Nothing Hill entry point. Camp Nothing Hill is one of the KFOR bases manned and used by the Multinational Battle Group-East Forward Command Post, and served as an ideal training site for the day's exercise.

By design, the exercise's situation became more tense as the opposing force attempted to overtake the camp's gates, and reinforcements were called in from the FCP's German Coy stationed to the south, at Camp Maréchal de Lattre de Tassigny. Supporting the request, KFOR's UH-60 Black Hawks sped through the air to deliver more than 30 additional soldiers to control the situation.

"Part of our mission was to secure the landing zone so the Germans could arrive safely and then assist us with removing rioters from the compound," said U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Kim Richardson, a platoon sergeant deployed to Kosovo with the North Carolina National Guard's 1st Combined Arms Battalion, 252nd Armor Regiment.

In case a situation escalates to a level higher than anticipated, additional forces are prepared to arrive on the scene to maintain control, Richardson said.

"Today was a joint CRC and base defense exercise that involved our FCP forces focusing on sustaining our forward operational capabilities and protecting Camp Nothing Hill," said Capt. Charles Thomas, a staff operations officer for the 1-252nd.

In a joint exercise like this, it's key for the forces to maintain interoperability and communication in order to achieve the same objective, he said.

"Another purpose for conducting a joint mission like this is to coordinate with the multinational partners that make up the FCP and to make sure leaders have a chance to work together and become familiar with the objectives in order to accomplish the mission," Thomas said.

Thomas said that overall the leaders worked well together, and their flexibility allowed them to execute the necessary tactics needed for implementing the freedom of movement measures.