Combined defense exercise culminates months of integrated training

ADAZI MILITARY BASE, LATVIA -- With the shadow of the upcoming two week long Summer Shield training event hanging overhead, soldiers supporting Operation Atlantic Resolve in Latvia stepped up the intensity level of their interoperability training.

Since January, soldiers of Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 3rd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment have been working progressively with Latvian allies to create an effective fighting force.

Forward observer and mortar elements from both armies applied experiences from the past few months during a combined defense live-fire exercise, April 5 through 7, here.

"It was kind of a culminating event for us," said 1st Lt. David Nelson, a 3-2 Cav mortar platoon leader. "The purpose was just to be as integrated as possible with both the Latvian mortar platoon and the Latvian forward observers."

Earlier in the week, soldiers began preparing mounted and dismounted fighting positions in two locations using engineer assets to get the job done.

With the help of a high mobility engineer excavator, Latvian allies helped dig out dismounted fighting positions and fill sand bags.

A D6 bulldozer was key for creating Stryker Armored Fighting Vehicle mortar firing positions nearby. Soldiers also filled additional sandbags to be used at a second location's dismounted fighting positions.

Once the stage was set, soldiers commenced multiple rehearsals to ensure safe execution when training with live rounds.

Nelson said rehearsing several times before live-fire ensures everyone is on the same page.

On live-fire day, Nelson said his platoon and Latvian allies began receiving calls for fire at the mortar firing point in their defensive positions at 5:00 a.m.

"We did fire missions for about two hours from both Latvian and American forward observers," Nelson continued. "At around 7:00 a.m. we took direct contact … we had 360 degree security, reacted to (contact) and then displaced from that mortar firing point down to the southern one."

Once the platoons were in place again with two mortar firing points behind forward observers in a defensive position, soldiers simulated firing the final protective fire for the exercise's climax.

"We've done several training events with our Latvian counterparts, Nelson said. "They joined us for a couple days for our mortar training and evaluation program, which was in the end of January to the beginning of February. That was the first time we really interacted with them."

Additionally, Nelson's platoon conducted weapons familiarization training with Latvian counterparts, firing each other's G36 and M4 rifles.

"We did another maneuver with them where we rehearsed being in a dismounted mortar firing point (shooting) 81mm mortars and we broke from direct contact while (conducting) firing missions," Nelson added. "All these events built up to this event today."

Nelson said the Latvians ease of coordination and eagerness to conduct interoperability training has made this rotation a worthwhile experience.

"(The Latvians) are our North Atlantic Treaty Organization ally and … we are really just increasing interoperability throughout every training event we do with them," Nelson said. "That's really all we're doing every time we're out here is learning to work together and learning how to operate together on the same battlefield."