YAVORIV, Ukraine - Bunkered in defensive fighting positions, Ukrainian soldiers with the 1st Battalion, 95th Airmobile Brigade and the 1st Mechanized Battalion, 30th Mechanized Brigade grasped their weapons to engage "enemy" forces during a field training exercise in Yavoriv, Ukraine, Sept. 19, 2017.
Throughout the firefight, team leaders could be heard yelling over the sound of the semi-automatic weapons being fired as opposition forces, represented by Moldovan soldiers, attempted to weaken the Ukrainians' strategic defensive positions.
"Essentially, the Ukrainian units were in an area-defensive position that they dug in over a 48-hour period," said Capt. Andre Aleong, an Observer-Controller-Trainer with 7th Army Training Command's Joint Multinational Readiness Center. "They had excellent camouflage over their vehicle-fighting position with a purpose to execute an area defense that transitioned to a counterattack."
This portion of Rapid Trident 17 incorporated several Partnership for Peace nations to help train commanders, staffs and individual units on basic-, intermediate- and advanced-level warfare tactics.
Executing several tactics, techniques and procedures during the culminating event for Rapid Trident, the objective for this FTX was to focus on defensive operations, and to validate training for units attending the Joint Multinational Training Group - Ukraine program and the development of the Yavoriv Combat Training Center.
"The training that we're doing here at JMTG-U is really applicable in any theater and any situation they may deploy their forces in," said Col. David Jordan, commander of the 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team and the JMTG-U program. "The fact that they're taking on an exercise of this scale while they're modernizing their entire military structure and dealing with an active conflict on their own Eastern border is really quite impressive."
Fourteen nations deployed soldiers to the International Peacekeeping Security Centre in support of Rapid Trident to build on combined training opportunities, promote regional security and foster trust amongst participating armed forces. This annual training exercise also provides a persistent presence of collective combat capabilities to strengthen international operations, deter potential threats and respond to any regional aggression.
Supporting these efforts and demonstrating their commitment to enhance professional relationships and improve overall coordination with those partner nations, 7ATC and the Oklahoma Army National Guard provided Observer-Controller-Trainer personnel to facilitate each training exercise that was conducted as part of Rapid Trident.
"Having different nations involved in this exercise shows that we are a united front with our allies and partner nations," said Staff Sgt. Grant Potter, an infantryman serving as an OCT from the Oklahoma Army National Guard. "It also shows that we are all committed to helping the Ukrainian army deter any potential aggression."
Although these different assets are here to support the training exercise, every soldier involved can learn something while contributing to the success of this international training exercise.
"It has been enlightening to see a different doctrine set," said Aleong. "We are used to American doctrines, but it is always exciting to see how and learn from the way other nations conduct their tactical procedures."
As command teams, staff members and soldiers share experiences, ideas and procedures, they have the opportunity to become more capable and interoperable, to develop trusted relationships, and to achieve common goals of security, stability, and peace.
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