HOHENFELS, Germany — Saber Junction 21 began early September in Grafenwoehr Training Area with live-fire artillery exercises before making its way to Hohenfels Training Area, Germany, where it ended on Sept. 24. The 2nd Cavalry Regiment served as the primary training audience for the multinational exercise with more than 3,000 participants from 13 nations.
Saber Junction is a 7th Army Training Command-conducted, U.S. Army Europe and Africa-directed annual exercise designed to assess the readiness of the 2nd Cavalry Regiment to execute unified land operations in a joint combined environment, and to promote interoperability with participating ally and partner nations. The force-on-force portion of the exercise took place Sept. 10 – 24.
“Saber Junction 21 was a success as our NATO Allies and partners learned how to maximize interoperability in a realistic training environment against a multifaceted enemy,” said U.S. Army Capt. Harold Shorter, deputy public affairs officer at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center. “The lessons learned will continue to grow and expand our interconnections.”
The 3rd United Kingdom Division served as the primary headquarters providing mission command responsibilities of the 2nd Cavalry Regiment. The U.S. Army Reserve and more than 280 personnel from multinational units trained as attachments to 2nd Cavalry Regiment. Other multinational partners served as the opposing force along with 1-4 Infantry Battalion, who is permanently stationed in Hohenfels.
“Through the duration of the exercise, units worked together to synchronize capabilities in a realistic training environment, and refined basic battlefield-critical capabilities like communicating with and understanding Allies and partners,” Shorter said.
The 2nd Cavalry Regiment conducts steady state garrison operations in order to facilitate preparation for future full spectrum operations through U.S. Army Europe and Africa Command's area of responsibility, and provides the 7th Army Training Command with a lethal and agile force capable of rapid deployment throughout the European theater in order to assure allies, deter adversaries, and when ordered, defend the NATO Alliance.
“Systems, processes, and blanket communication has improved since our last Saber Junction exercise,” Shorter said. “And despite strict COVID regulations and restrictions, we still had 13 nations participate in this year's exercise. By conducting large scale exercises like Saber Junction, we are working to ensure our NATO Allies and partners are able to adapt to a dynamic security environment.”
JMRC focuses on multinational interoperability and delivers a realistic, complex operational environment supported by observer/coach-trainers.
Participating nations were Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Moldova, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom.
Earlier this year, the 2nd Cavalry Regiment participated in Dragoon Ready 21, in Hohenfels, Germany, and Saber Guardian 21 near Varpalota, Hungary, as training events leading up to Saber Junction 21.
For more information about Saber Junction 21, visit: https://www.7atc.army.mil/SaberJunction/ and https://www.dvidshub.net/feature/SaberJunction
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