HOHENFELS, Germany – The storied lineage of the 1st Air Cavalry Brigade has taken them to the battlefields of Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan during its history, as the brigade trains constantly to maintain combat readiness for such conflicts.
As part of the brigade’s focus on readiness, Task Force Lobos, 2nd Battalion, 2-227th Aviation Regiment, 1st ACB, 1st Cavalry Division, has been an active participant in Allied Spirit 22, which is an exercise comprised of more than 5,000 soldiers from 15 nations.
Allied Spirit 22 is a U.S. Army Europe and Africa directed, 7th Army Training Command conducted, Joint Multinational Readiness Center hosted training exercise that is designed to develop and enhance NATO and key partner interoperability and readiness across specified warfighting functions.
The battalion is providing air support to its multinational partners with a combination of attack aviation, heavy lift, and command control aircraft, said Maj. Chaz Allen, executive officer, 2-227th, 1st ACB.
“It’s been incredibly enlightening to see how we can interact with our partners at the multinational level and also take our own formation into a new environment, set up and conduct operations,” Allen said.
So far Allied Spirit 22 has been challenging and fulfilling, Allen continued, both necessary to achieve a sense of interoperability and working in tandem with other militaries.
“Working with the German tank division has been incredible, they’re industrious and efficient,” Allen added. “We’re always learning how to get better, and we’ve identified ways we can do that. But we’re incredibly pleased with the way things have gone so far.”
Ultimately Allied Spirit 22 comes down to training, which is paramount for the battalion, Allen explained.
“This event has been on the schedule for years, so we knew it was coming during our deployment to Europe,” Allen said. “It’s the idea of always retaining the ability to operate with our partners — it’s just the way we do business.”
“We’re always eager to remain ready, so exercises like this keep us honed for any type of operational mission,” Allen concluded.
1st Air Cavalry Brigade is currently in Europe as part of Atlantic Resolve's fall rotational deployment to Europe.
For more Allied Spirit content, visit: https://www.dvidshub.net/feature/AlliedSpirit
To learn more about Atlantic Resolve, visit: https://www.europeafrica.army.mil/AtlanticResolve/
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