Many of the Dutch Soldiers have been training on-site for weeks under the supervision of the 120th Infantry Brigade, First Army Division West, who oversees and hosts them while here.
In one scenario, local Royal Netherlands Army leadership embedded U.S. Army journalists with their Soldiers to add a new element into their training.
The Dutch Soldiers conducted reconnaissance of a village in order to identify enemy snipers in the area while maintaining positive control of the journalists. The RNA medical team treated the casualties in the exercise which eventually led to a medical evacuation in one of their Chinook helicopters.
"Our pilots get a lot of flight hours here," said RNA Cpl. Lennart Evers. "It's a good exercise to train the troops in a different place with different people."
Evers, a staff member, was working with the troops from 13th Infantry Battalion, 11th Air Assault Brigade as their maintainer, specializing in weapons and wheeled vehicles for their mission.
"The training here is always a pleasure," said Evers. "The U.S. Soldiers have always been helpful."
U.S. Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 9th Calvary Regiment, were acting as the opposition force. They were led by Staff Sgt. Jaeson Keller of the 1st Battalion, 9th Cavalry Regiment.
"We are here to support the Dutch soldiers," said Keller, a native of Cleona, Pennsylvania. "Our role helps to give them a more real-life experience for their training."
As part of the U.S. Army's readiness goals, they provide training to their troops and allies.
"We do what we have to do," said 2nd Lt. Stan Nelissen, a platoon leader in C Company, 13th Infantry Battalion, and native of Brunssum, Netherlands. "Being in America is very helpful. It provides insane training opportunities, with our aircraft flying all day, beautiful villages to train in, and really good role players that support [our training]."
Social Sharing