DONNELLY TRAINING AREA, Alaska - Soldiers assigned to the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, teamed up with soldiers from the Indian army for a day of training and cultural exchange here Nov. 8. The U.S. Army Alaska event was part of Yudh Abhyas 2010, an annual bilateral training exercise.
Surrounded by the snow capped mountains of the Alaskan Range, Soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 1st SBCT, 25th ID, and the Indian Army's 62nd Infantry and 5th Parachute Regiment Brigade participated in a number of tactical training exercises culminating in a Javelin anti-tank missile live-fire.
"The objective of the training exercise is to improve cohesion between ourselves and our Indian army counterparts," said Capt. John Oliver, commander of A Company, 3-21st. "Being able to work side-by-side with our foreign partners allows our Soldiers to get to know a system, while also allowing them the time and opportunity to learn the Indian culture and share their experiences."
Soldiers capitalized on the opportunity to share stories, making sure to leave with more than just a better understanding of a weapon system.
"There's no substitute for being shoulder-to-shoulder with our counterparts, sharing stories and building camaraderie," said Sgt. William Helton, A Company, 3-21st.
"The more chances we get to interact with our [international] counterparts the better we will be moving forward," said Oliver.
The training culminated just before sunset with two Javelin live-fires during which Soldiers from both armies demonstrated the ability to hit a target with pin-point accuracy.
"The intent was achieved," said Oliver. "Overall the training was successful for both armies. It's a step in the right direction for future peace keeping missions."
Yudh Abhyas is a regularly-scheduled bilateral, conventional-forces training exercise, sponsored by U.S. Army Pacific and the Indian army. The exercise is designed to promote cooperation between the two militaries to develop U.S. Army Pacific and USARAK relationships with India and promote interoperability through combined military decision making process, battle tracking and maneuvering forces, and exchange of tactics, techniques and procedures.
U.S. Soldiers and their Indian counterparts are conducting a command post exercise, airborne operations training, marksmanship and tactical training to improve partnership readiness and cooperation between the armies of India and the United States.
Photos from the Javelin training on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/usarpac/sets/72157625288366066.
Video from the Javelin training on DVIDS: http://www.dvidshub.net/video/100034/yudh-abhyas-javelin-fire
Follow Yudh Abhyas 2010 on the web at http://www.usarpac.army.mil/ya10, Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/US-Army-Pacific/113619942022854 and Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/usarpac/sets/72157625288366066.
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