YAVORIV, Ukraine--The Troopers of 6th Squadron, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division worked with Soldiers assigned to the 1st Battalion, 80th Airmobile Brigade of the Ukrainian Army on entering and clearing trenches, Nov. 2, at the International Peacekeeping and Security Center.
This training is one of the collective tasks that the Ukrainian battalion must accomplish during their 55-day rotation with the Joint Multinational Training Group-Ukraine.
According to 2nd Lt. Asher Glasgow, a platoon leader assigned 6-8 Cav, when a unit is moving through an area and receives fire from an enemy trench the section leader needs to identify where the trench is, either in front of them or to either side. Next, he will set a support by fire element to provide cover fire for the assaulting force. Once that's set, he will have an assault element clear the immediate area of the trench. Finally, he will bring in the remaining element and they will maneuver through the trench.
The task requires good communication, coordination and a high level of understanding, which starts with the individual training conducted in the weeks prior. For example, grenades are employed during the clearing phase of the task. The Soldiers previously went through grenade training to teach them this necessary skill.
"They throw a grenade when they walk around the corner because it helps clear that particular section as they are going through the trench," he said. "It also gives them awareness in terms of grenade training, which we did prior to this training exercise."
Glasgow is currently on his second rotation and said he has certain expectations he wants the Ukrainian Soldiers to gain during the training. He said that small unit leadership is the key to successfully conducting a task like this.
"We want their section leaders to be empowered to maneuver their units," he said. "We want all leaders to be able to empower their junior leaders so that they can be a lethal force and destroy the enemy."
"This training is important because it leads to bigger things in the future, in terms of their training, " he said. "With all of these things tying into one another, it'll help make their company and battalion a stronger force for years to come."
Soldiers of 6-8 CAV are currently responsible for training Ukrainian ground forces as part of the Joint Multinational Training Group-Ukraine. JMTG-U is training Ukrainian land forces and building a team of Ukrainian cadre who will ultimately assume that responsibility. The training is designed to reinforce defensive skills of the Ukrainian Ground Forces in order to increase their capacity for self-defense.
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