Strong Europe team builds cohesion during Allied Spirit exercise

By Spc. Dustin BivenMarch 6, 2018

U.S. Army Europe: Allied Spirit VII
1 / 14 Show Caption + Hide Caption – U.S. Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 70th Armor Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division from Fort Riley, Kansas march toward a tree line to advance on a mock enemy-controlled village during an Allied Spirit VII training event on... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
U.S. Army Europe: Allied Spirit VII
2 / 14 Show Caption + Hide Caption – A Soldier assigned to 2nd Battalion, 70th Armor Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division from Fort Riley, Kansas scans the terrain over the sights of his M-240 machine gun Nov. 18, 2017 during an Allied Spirit VII training eve... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
U.S. Army Europe: Allied Spirit VII
3 / 14 Show Caption + Hide Caption – An AH-64 Apache attack helicopter takes off near Soldiers participating in the Allied Spirit VII training exercise Nov. 18, 2017 in Grafenwöhr, Bavaria, Germany. The U.S. Army, along with its allies and partners, continues to forge a dynamic pr... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
U.S. Army Europe: Allied Spirit VII
4 / 14 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Sgt Azeez Bilaali (right), a psychological operations specialist assigned to 351st Tactical Psychological Operations Company in Fort Totten, N.Y., shakes hands with Sgt. Rimas Rimkus, a soldier in the Lithuanian armed forces, after a mission brief du... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
U.S. Army Europe: Allied Spirit VII
5 / 14 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Soldiers from the 1st Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment give the 'all-clear' to waiting vehicles to move forward and advance on mock enemy positions Nov. 18, 2017 during the Allied Spirit VII training exercise held in Grafenwoehr, Germany. The U.S. Army... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
U.S. Army Europe: Allied Spirit VII
6 / 14 Show Caption + Hide Caption – A Soldier from the Lithuanian Army surveys the area around his vehicle during tactical vehicle maneuvering exercises Nov. 17, 2017 in Grafenwoehr, Germany during the Allied Spirit VII training exercise. The U.S. Army, along with its allies and partne... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
U.S. Army Europe: Allied Spirit VII
7 / 14 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Soldiers from the 82nd Brigade Engineer Battalion, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division from Fort Riley, Kansas operate an M-1150 Assault Breacher Vehicle and create new paths for their fighting force to convoy on during the Allied ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
U.S. Army Europe: Allied Spirit VII
8 / 14 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Two M-1 Abrams tanks fire simulated rounds at one another during a Allied Spirit VII training exercise firefight in Grafenwoehr, Germany Nov. 17, 2017. Approximately 3,700 service members from 13 nations gathered in 7th Army Training Command's Hohenf... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
U.S. Army Europe: Allied Spirit VII
9 / 14 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Sgt Azeez Bilaali (right), a psychological operations specialist assigned to 351st Tactical Psychological Operations Company in Fort Totten, N.Y., embraces Sgt. Rimas Rimkus, a soldier in the Lithuanian Armed Forces, after a mission brief during an A... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
U.S. Army Europe: Allied Spirit VII
10 / 14 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Soldiers from Company C, 2nd Battalion, 70th Armor Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division from Fort Riley, Kansas move road barricades during the Allied Spirit VII training exercise in Grafenwoehr, Germany Nov. 17, 2017. The... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
U.S. Army Europe: Allied Spirit VII
11 / 14 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Pvt. Chancellor Adams, an infantryman with Company C, 2nd Battalion, 70th Armor Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division from Fort Riley, Kansas stares out into an open field at a passing M-1 Abrams tank during the Allied Spir... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
U.S. Army Europe: Allied Spirit VII
12 / 14 Show Caption + Hide Caption – An M-1 Abrams tank crew participates in the Allied Spirit VII training exercise in Grafenwoehr, Germany Nov. 17, 2017. Approximately 3,700 service members from 13 nations gathered in 7th Army Training Command's Hohenfels Training Area in southeastern... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
U.S. Army Europe: Allied Spirit VII
13 / 14 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Cpl. Brad Olin, assigned to Company C, 2nd Battalion, 70th Armor Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division from Fort Riley, Kansas signals to his team to continue to advancing towards their objective on Nov. 18, 2017 during an ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
U.S. Army Europe: Allied Spirit VII
14 / 14 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Sgt. Brent Haloo, a combat engineer with 82nd Brigade Engineer Battalion, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division from Fort Riley, Kansas scans the horizon during the Allied Spirit VII training exercise in Grafenwöhr, Bavaria, Ger... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

GRAFENWOEHR, Germany - Approximately 3,700 service members from 13 nations gathered at the Hohenfels Training Area in southeastern Germany to participate in the seventh iteration of Allied Spirit, which is scheduled to run from Oct. 30 - Nov. 22, 2017.

Allied Spirit VII is a 7th Army Training Command-conducted, U.S. Army Europe (USAREUR)-directed multinational exercise that focuses on testing participating military units' ability to work together.

During Allied Spirit VII, Lithuania's "Griffin" Brigade commands the multinational brigade headquarters.

"Being in this environment and experiencing a training event of this magnitude has been an incredible opportunity," said Pvt. Chancellor Adams, an infantryman with Company C, 2nd Battalion, 70th Armor Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division out of Fort Riley, Kansas.

The exercise is unique in its ability to provide hands-on training and testing of secure communications between NATO allies and partners.

"I've been able to use the skills I have been taught and see first-hand just how effective we are as an Army," said Adams, a native of Skiatook, Okla.

In one scenario presented for Adams and his teammates, a mock village called "Schwend" must be defended for several days. Using small-arms weapons and several tracked vehicles, like the M-1 Abrams tank and M-113 Armored Personnel Carriers, the 2-70 AR was able to fight off opposing forces that attempted to seize and occupy the village.

"It's been great to see young Soldiers, like Pvt. Adams, really benefit from Allied Spirit VII," said Staff Sgt. Wyatt Peterson, an infantryman with C Co., 2-70 AR. "This kind of training is what builds the cohesion we need to operate as a reliable team. When we go out, I need to know the Soldiers to my right and left got my back, this is the kind of training that builds that trust."

Not only is Allied Spirit VII a great opportunity for Soldiers of all ranks to gain experience in simulated-combat environments, it also provides the U.S. the chance to strengthen bonds and demonstrate the United States' resolve to stand side-by-side in Europe with NATO allies and partners.

"Working with my team in this environment has brought us all close," said Adams. "They're like my second family. I can depend on them, and they can depend on me."

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