Photo By Sgt. Patrick Eakin | RODRIGUEZ LIVE FIRE COMPLEX, Republic of Korea: Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 5th...... read more read more
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RODRIGUEZ LIVE FIRE COMPLEX, South Korea -- Amidst the slopes of the mountainous, almost 4,000-acre training complex, Soldiers in full gear took their positions as they prepared to clear the village located in the middle of the Rodriguez Live Fire Complex.
Rounds were heard as the Soldiers moved through the village, clearing buildings, neutralizing the threat from the enemies while platoon leaders communicated their commands with their Soldiers.
Engines of five Bradley fighting vehicles roared, moving into position, with Soldiers taking their place beside the two-ton behemoths ready to breach the objective.
This was the scene at the combined arms exercise during Warrior Strike VIII, a weeklong combined arms training exercise between the US and Republic of Korea Army 18-22 September. Soldiers of the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, spent that time training and reinforcing the alliance between the ROK and US Army.
“Warrior Strike is an opportunity to gain interoperability,” said Lt. Col. Robert Kimmel, commander of the 8th Brigade Engineer Battalion. “This exercise is a pinnacle event for a battalion-sized unit. It is incredibly important to continue to train alongside our ROK partners as it would make things much more difficult had we not had the opportunity to get out here, get on the ground and see each other during this training.”
The training began September 18 with a walk-through at the exercise site, followed by Soldiers convoying with their equipment to the objective, where they spent time conducting mounted and dismounted maneuvers with tanks and Bradley Fighting Vehicles.
“I’ve never done anything on this large of a scale before,” said Staff Sgt. Sean Kennedy, an infantrymen with Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Division, 2ABCT. “Our battalion working with different assets really puts everything in perspective, where our individual training makes sense and we can see how it all comes together.”
Approximately 700 Soldiers took part in the training exercise, about 500 being US and 200 ROK Soldiers. This allowed for a true combined arms experience and served as an additional challenge for Kennedy and his Soldiers.
“This was definitely a learning curve, but it is something that helps us in the future,” Kennedy said. “It helps us get a better picture and serves as a tool to force me to grow as a leader, since it’s not just me maneuvering my squad.”
This training comes at a time when tensions are high between the US and North Korea, making this training all the more necessary for both US and ROK forces.
“The current North Korea situation adds more emphasis on this training,” Kimmel said. “The coverage that we see on the news does increase tension, but we train with or without it.”
Working together, bridging the language with the help of the Korean Augmentation to the United States Army (KATUSA) Soldiers serving as interpreters, and training on landscape different from their home station helped to strengthen the relationships between the US and ROK Army.
“We come to Korea for this nine-month iteration as a ready and trained force,” said Col. Steven Adams, brigade commander, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team. “We don’t have the opportunity to train with ROK forces in the US. So coming here where it’s dense, rolling hills gives us a real-world feel of what we’d expect.”
This training serves as a tool to gauge the unit’s readiness and capabilities alongside their ROK partners.
“This is a great opportunity to identify needs for improvement,” Kimmel said. “This experience is invaluable, as all training that we do is for a possible war. The Soldiers of Black Jack are motivated along with partners who want to learn and get better with us. If need be, we are ready. Nobody joins the football team to sit on the bench.”
| Date Taken: | 09.20.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 10.21.2017 06:19 |
| Story ID: | 252237 |
| Location: | RODRIGUEZ LIVE FIRE COMPLEX, GYEONGGIDO [KYONGGI-DO], KR |
| Web Views: | 68 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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