HOHENFELS, Germany -- U.S. soldiers and 14 NATO allies and partners sharpened their interoperability, readiness and lethality at Combined Resolve 24-01 from Oct. 10 to Nov. 11, 2023, at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center near Hohenfels, Germany.
To develop interoperability, U.S. soldiers and NATO allies and partners focused on their training objectives in a tactical field environment provided by the 7th Army Training Command.
“It is designed to be able to have us as a unit learn more about ourselves and to be able to be trained and also work with our NATO partners at the same time,” said U.S. Army Capt. Joseph Alexopoulos, an aviation officer for the Headquarters and Headquarters Company of the 2nd Battalion, 3rd General Support Aviation Battalion. “It's to build those mutual trusts and tactics that we can incorporate together.”
Sharing tactics and training side by side increases the lethality of participating units, and as a result, deters potential adversaries, while maintaining positive international relationships as a whole.
U.S. Army Sgt. Maj. Russell Pace, the brigade operations sergeant major for 101st Airborne Division, 1st Brigade Combat Team explained that communication is vital to mission success. Participating units emphasized the importance of training on their communication platforms not only within their units, but with NATO allies and partners.
“Communication drives everything,” said U.S. Army Spc. Kaleb Norton, an aviation operations specialist assigned to 2nd Battalion 3rd General Support Aviation Battalion, an element of 3rd Infantry Division. “If you don’t have good communication, you can’t have a controlled area, and it will cause problems. You could end up injuring or hurting someone to your left, or to your right, in front of you, or even behind you.”
With the amount of physical demand in Combined Resolve 24-01, leaders assert the importance of maintaining operational safety in order for U.S. Soldiers and NATO allies and partners to complete the mission without injury, maximizing the mission’s success.
“A big sustain for our Brigade would be to have everybody leave the same way we went in,” said Pace.
U.S. soldiers and NATO allies and partners obtained instruction and information about operational safety in different scenarios by attending various seminars within Combined Resolve 24-01. As the exercise progressed, soldiers gained a better understanding of tactical proficiency and mission readiness.
The use of ground combat vehicles such as M1 Abrams tanks, aircrafts such as Black Hawk UH-60 helicopters, and unmanned aircraft like the TRV-150, provided soldiers with greater situational awareness, helping them operate more effectively.
Simulated battlefield conditions in the exercise were designed to challenge U.S. soldiers and NATO partners and allies to use the environment and equipment to their advantage with the guidance of their trainers, resulting in the increase of the overall proficiency and combined tactical lethality.
As U.S. soldiers and NATO partners and allies continued to work together, they received the training necessary within Combined Resolve 24-01 to deter potential adversaries and neutralize threats.
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