Photo By David Overson | Lithuanian Army Lt. Col. Viktoras Bagdonas, chief of staff for the Lithuanian Army...... read more read more
ADAZI, Latvia - Multinational military service members participated in the final mission of Saber Strike 2014 as they completed a four-day field training exercise (FTX). During the FTX, soldiers simulated battle at Adazi Training Area, in Adazi, Latvia, June 18, 2014.
“There were two purposes to the FTX, company movements and interoperability between companies and multinational partners,” said U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Ryan Longacre, Joint Multinational Readiness Center Grizzly observer coach trainer of Hohenfels, Germany, who was one of the observer coach trainers (OCT) assisting in the exercise.
Saber Strike 2014 is a joint, multinational military exercise scheduled from June 9 - 20, 2014. The exercise spans multiple locations in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, and involves approximately 4,500 personnel from 10 countries. The exercise is designed to promote regional stability, strengthen international military partnerships, enhance multinational interoperability and prepare participants for worldwide contingency operations.
Prior to the FTX, service members trained on simulated training exercise (STX), which consisted of battle drills containing the skills they would be using during the infantry based exercise. There were seven infantry companies both light and mechanized from seven different countries featured in the 24/7 event. Approximately 28 OCTs were on the field with the service members to provide instant feedback and evaluate their performance.
“The training exercises are a controlled environment, whereas the FTX is controlled to a point, but the OCTs don’t have as much involvement,” said Longacre. “It’s all about their commander's plan and how they implement it that determines their performance.”
British army Lance Cpl. Giovanni Growther of the First Princess of Wales Royal Regiment said, “It’s good to meet armies from other countries and get to know each other and learn how to work together. These joint exercises offer much better training than what we normally do. I hope we do a lot more joint exercises in the future.”
Soldiers were out in the field for four days and nights often enduring rain, harsh wind and cold temperatures as they went through the exercise. The primary difference between an FTX and the preparation that took place prior is the focus of the activity. The first training exercises focused on individual skills and the FTX puts everything together in one big exercise.
Norwegian army Pfc. Andreas Oeyen said, “We are used to the snow and winter in Norway, so it has been a real challenge to hide our weapons systems and know how to dress.”
“When you’re dealing with multiple nations, it’s always a challenge,” said Longacre. “And the biggest challenge is getting everyone on the same page.”
“I saw many great things during the exercise,” said Longacre. “I saw Americans, Norwegians, Lithuanians, Latvians, and all the other participants working together. I saw bonds being formed between different nations.”
This year’s exercise includes participation from Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, U.K. and U.S. This is the first year Denmark and Canada have participated in the exercise.
“This shows the world, friends and foes, that the nations stand united and we will keep our promises to each other in the face of any challenges,” said Longacre. “This shows the unity of NATO allies and sets a good example for other nations.”
| Date Taken: | 06.19.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 06.19.2014 12:08 |
| Story ID: | 133658 |
| Location: | ADAZI TRAINING AREA, AIZKRAUKLES APRINKIS, LV |
| Web Views: | 398 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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