By Spc. John Onuoha, 6-8 CAV., 2IBCT UPAR
YAVORIV, Ukraine - Soldiers of 6th Squadron, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division conducted urban operations training with Ukrainian Soldiers here, November 14.
Urban operations are combat activities conducted in areas such as towns and cities. UO occur during offensive, defensive and stability operations. The operations seek to exploit the strategic and tactical advantages of urban terrain, and to deny these advantages to the enemy.
The training was conducted at the newly constructed urban operations site at the International Peacekeeping and Security Center. Soldiers of 6-8 CAV acted as the opposition forces, which is the force that represents the enemy for training purposes.
Cpl. Stewart Davenport, a team leader with Troop A, 6-8 CAV said they trained the Ukrainians on outer and inner cordon security as well as how to clear a room. They practiced several times with the Soldiers to help them understand how to properly conduct urban operations and to improve their efficiency.
The Soldiers held an After Action Review to help them understand what they needed to improve and sustain as the training progressed.
"The Ukrainians are eager to learn and whenever they made a mistake, they fixed it," said Spc. Jake Boettcher, an infantryman with 6-8 CAV. "They stayed focused and were never hesitant to execute their missions, or ask questions when they had one."
Davenport added that urban operations training is essential for the Ukrainians because it will develop their combat skills. "It is important for any Army to know urban operations because you never know when you are going to be in a situation where you need it," he said.
The Mustang Soldiers used the training as an opportunity to conduct their own missions while acting as OPFOR. They worked on their battle drills and troop leading procedures to help sharpen their skills.
The troopers of 6-8 CAV are nearing the end of this rotation and their deployment to Ukraine. They are deployed in support of Joint Multinational Training Group-Ukraine whose mission focuses on building a sustainable and enduring training capacity and capability within the Ukrainian land forces.
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