HOHENFELS, Germany — Saber Junction initiated its seventh annual joint-operation exercise, involving military forces from 15 different countries, including over 4,000 U.S. Soldiers, on Sept. 7, 2023, in Hohenfels, Germany.
A primary objective of Saber Junction is improving the interoperability between the United States Army and foreign allied forces.
“Saber Junction is the NATO coalition coming together in deterring our adversaries in a scenario where the enemy would launch an attack or invade one of our partner nations," said Capt. Dylan Wolber, Bravo Troop commander in the Regimental Support Squadron of the 2nd Cavalry Regiment. "It's really a test of our strength in showing how we can come together in an expedited manner.”
The 2nd Cavalry Regiment, stationed in Vilseck, Germany, is the primary American force working alongside the other participating NATO countries.
The first two days of Saber Junction saw several artillery, armored and medical units maneuvering into the field, also known as “the box.” The exercise simulates a combat environment, meaning the units must utilize tactical concealed movement and entrenched positions to react to enemy contact.
“We want to see if we can help the regiment keep pushing forward. It is a cool test to see our own abilities and what we’re capable of, and there’s hazards we are working through that are real-world that we would have if we were in a deployed nature,” Wolber said.
The opposing force, or OPFOR, is composed of U.S. and Italian units whose objective is to disrupt and engage the main body of NATO forces in the field. Putting the multinational forces to the test is a valuable challenge Saber Junction presents to participating units.
“We look at what tactics we share, what equipment we share, what is different and build a combined arms combat power to complete the mission," said Wolber. "Saber Junction encompasses all of that."
Many medical units are also in the box throughout the exercise, providing the combat units with vital casualty care.
Lt. Col. Armen Ghazaryan, an Armenian hospital commander, spoke on his unit’s missions during Saber Junction.
“Our main training objective is the interoperability of our personnel to work as one team, to be able to communicate with each other and give casualties the right treatment,” said Ghazaryan.
Each soldier out in the field is required to wear laser sensors along with their uniform as part of the Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement System. Soldiers are armed with blank rounds for their weapons with a laser transmitter attached and synced to “fire” as their weapons fire. Any casualties sustained are evacuated to a medical command post and treated as part of this immersive combat simulation.
“We have a very nice experience working together and attending multinational missions," said Ghazaryan. "Our medics and doctors are working as one team for one mission, and their skills are being used for our soldiers’ health.”
Saber Junction is scheduled to conclude Sept. 16 and will build up to its final few days, which incorporates simulated combat scenarios in urban environments. This will be the toughest test presented to combat units with the mission of controlling objectives and securing areas determined by their commands.
“It means a lot to work with our multinational partners here because we know that this is a realistic scenario," said Wolber. "It’s not hard for the soldiers to understand that if we were to go to war, these are the countries that will be to our left and right.”
Social Sharing