Photo By Sgt. Daniel Cole | An Abrams Battle Tank .50-caliber gunner assigned to Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion,...... read more read more
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ZARAGOZA, Spain - U.S., Spanish and German soldiers conducted a fast-paced vehicle obstacle breach together, Nov. 3, at Exercise Trident Juncture 15 as part of the overall live-action portion of the exercise.
Trident Juncture 2015, which boasts more approximately 36,000 participants from more than 30 nations, is being conducted primarily in Spain, Portugal, and Italy with additional activities in Belgium, Canada, Germany, The Netherlands, Norway, as well as maritime operations in the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.
Soldiers assigned to 2nd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, made up the U.S. troops participating in the obstacle breach.
In addition to being part of today's training and Exercise Trident Juncture, the 3rd Infantry Division currently serves as the regionally allocated force to U.S. Army Europe.
"As the regionally allocated forces we would potentially deploy to Europe if there were a crisis," explains John Womack, the officer-in-charge of operations for 2nd Battalion, who was also overseeing the breach scenario. "We would most likely work with any or all of the nations participating here at Trident Juncture and in any future operations. It is important for us to practice together what we may ultimately do in the future."
This unique force asset is one of the five pillars of U.S. Army Europe, which directly affects the commanding general's overall objective of making the 30,000 Soldiers in Europe feel more like 300,000.
Lt. Col. Pete Glass, commander of 2nd Battalion, explains training here today and over the past weeks has brought a lot of progression for his troops as they train with the other nations.
"By participating in this exercise we can caveat off each other and know each other's strengths and weaknesses to better improve interoperability."
From what seemed like a vast open field emerged dozens of track and wheeled vehicles, producing many different weapon systems, including 50-caliber machine guns and 120-milimeter tank barrels.
At a distance, the training moved seamlessly. After all, this was not the first time the multinational units had executed this particular training sequence.
Over the past days the partners had been practicing these movements to continue to produce seamless execution, such as would be necessary in a real battle.
Simulated explosions erupted randomly throughout the breach, creating a life-like and challenging battlefield. Flares and smoke were also incorporated.
After approximately 45 minutes, the scenario ended almost as quickly as it had begun and the units proceeded to convoy off the field to conduct an after action review (AAR). During an AAR, observers highlight the strengths and weakness of the units that are training so that the participants can capitalize on their successes and learn from their mistakes.
After observing the training, Womack believes Exercise Trident Juncture has had a unique impact on the junior noncommissioned officers and officers participating.
"I think one of the best experiences for junior leaders is meeting other of the same rank or similar rank with the same job or similar job from other countries," Womack explains. "Understanding that they do the same things we do, their uniform may be a little bit different or their equipment may be a little bit different, but at the end of the day we all do the same thing."
No nation can confront today's challenges alone. Exercises such as Trident Juncture 15 allow the U.S. to work with Allies and partner nations and refine the processes in preparation for real-world events.
| Date Taken: | 11.05.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 11.05.2015 13:49 |
| Story ID: | 181022 |
| Location: | ZARAGOZA, ES |
| Web Views: | 59 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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