GRAFENWOEHR, Germany — Soldiers from the 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team participated in Kosovo Forces 33 Mission Rehearsal Exercise at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Hohenfels, Germany.
KFOR 33 is conducted at JMRC to prepare NATO and partnered nations for their deployments to the NATO Kosovo peace mission. Other multinational partners from Albania, North Macedonia, Germany, Moldova, Portugal, Slovenia and Kosovo also trained alongside U.S. Soldiers in an effort to further interoperability and mission readiness.
“We keep a brigade in Kosovo to assist with the NATO peacekeeping mission,” said U.S. Army Maj. Jesse De Anda, JMRC KFOR Planner. “It is important to understand that the KFOR mission is a multinational effort, it is important to bring in allies to train alongside U.S. Soldiers in order to set them up for success down rage.”
KFOR 33 is made up of various exercises such as: fire phobia, freedom of maneuver and liaison training. These training events allow Soldiers and partnered nations to build team cohesion while also enhancing partnerships with their local communities.
“JMRC provides a professional realistic training environment that accomplishes the brigade’s training objectives as well as validates USAREUR-AF’s training requirements,” said De Anda.
For example, the crowd riot control training began with units participating in drills and exercises. After training through a series of realistic scenarios, the exercise is culminated in a final event known as Bronze Shield that presents a simulated riot for the soldiers to deescalate.
“[The 7th Army Training Command] is furthering the NATO alliance through the KFOR training exercise by working with the German, Portuguese and Slovenia armies by training on specific small task in order to build a more unified organization towards the accomplishment of the peacekeeping mission in Kosovo,” said Sgt 1st Class Kevin Luck, JMRC Panther Observer-Controller Trainer. “They practice with riot gear, removing barriers, and de-escalation of force in order to continue to develop each other towards the bigger picture.”
The 7th Army Training Command facilitates a training environment where allied partners can perform various operations in furtherance of mission capability and effectiveness all across U.S. Army Europe and Africa and other allocated forces.
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