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GRAYLING, Mich. - The Michigan Army National Guard along with Danish forces spent the past couple of days at Rockport State Recreation Area participating in Artic Eagle.
The exercise is being conducted in three northern Michigan locations: The Camp Grayling Joint Military Training Center, Rockport State Park, and Mackinaw City. Arctic Eagle is a joint service and international exercise, based on the U.S. and Denmark National Strategies for the Arctic, addressing the defense of critical infrastructure within the Arctic Circle.
The exercise supports the president and Department of Defense's national strategy for the Arctic and is being conducted in the current constrained fiscal environment without the expenditure of additional dollars.
Forty members of the Danish army took part in the exercise in Rockport, Mich., April 22, 2015, which featured an assault on a mock terrorist base. With Bravo Company, 125th Infantry, Michigan Army National Guard, lending fire support from the high ground, a Danish strike force moved against the base to secure its objective; unidentified terrorist forces who have seized a pump house and constructed bombs to blow up the harbor in Rockport.
The idea of the training exercise is to prepare the troops for a situation where insurgents storm a U.S. port causing environmental damage and the troops must apprehend the bad guys, detain them and gather intelligence.
During the exercise, Danish Home Guard Corp. Thomas Rosendail said the exercise provided Danish and American forces a good chance to learn each other's tactics and formations. "It's a very big experience for us," he said. "The national guard in Denmark doesn't have the opportunity to train so often, so to train with the Americans is great."
Danish and American troops work together to secure the area and neutralize terrorist activity. The Soldiers have to cover a lot of treacherous terrain and brave harsh weather conditions. The weather went from rain to snow to sleet throughout the day, with temperatures in the 30s.
“It’s a tough week but it’s worth it and once the real fighting starts, our experiences here will save lives," Rosendail said. "We are a band of brothers all together. So we know how to fight and now we are fighting alongside with each other."
The exercise continues through April 25th, at Camp Grayling, at the newly constructed Combined Arms Collective Training Facility when the 1st Battalion 24th Marines and the 308th Civil Affairs Brigade will work to secure infrastructure as if they were securing a real community.
| Date Taken: | 04.22.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 04.24.2015 10:28 |
| Story ID: | 161123 |
| Location: | GRAYLING, MICHIGAN, US |
| Web Views: | 146 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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