Photo By Staff Sgt. Mahsima Alkamooneh | Croatian Service Members visit the Regional Training Site-Maintenance (RTS-M) at Camp...... read more read more
October 29, 2021 (CAMP RIPLEY, Minnesota) – Six leaders of the Croatian Army visited Camp Ripley and the Regional Training Institute – Maintenance Oct. 25-29, 2021.
The Event conducted on Camp Ripley and organized by the schoolhouse, under the 175th RTI, included the Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) and M2/M3 Bradley Fighting Vehicle Advanced Maintenance Course.
“We take our maintenance seriously and it is a fantastic opportunity for our cadre to evaluate and apply their skills assisting our partners from Croatia,” said Chief Warrant Officer 5 Kevin Jensen of the Minnesota National Guard’s J4 (Logistics).
Since 1996, the Minnesota National Guard and the nation of Croatia have been collaborating through the National Guard Bureau’s State Partnership Program (SPP). This program encourages the building and strengthening of international cooperative relationships within the partnership framework. For more than 25 years of the partnership many exchanges of Service-members from both Croatia and Minnesota have taken place. The arrival of this team of maintainers is the most recent.
The first part of the detailed MRAP training was tailored to the Croatian’s initial questions and based on their current knowledge of the vehicle, its operating ability and maintenance. With this as a factor the team quickly built up steam and were rapidly working with the cadre on a variety of maintenance activities and scenarios.
“The Instructors started on MRAP basics and familiarization going over Preventative Maintenance Checks and Services (PMCS) as well as scheduled service and assigned equipment,” said OF1 (Lt.) Mateo Mikolic, Head of machine and final works section for the Croatian Army.
Following the Wheeled Vehicles, Instruction on M2/M3 Bradley kicked off with the basics and evolved as understanding and familiarization of the tracked fighting vehicle moved the course along. Training aids and presentations such as the driving and rollover trainer made the already hands-on course that much more exciting and provided a realistic perspective.
“Everyone was eager to learn the operations of I & II level maintenance and really enjoyed getting deep into the Bradley,” said Sgt. 1st Class Brandon Johnson, Chief Instructor at the RTS-M. “Typically this is a six-week course, and it’s a lot to absorb in five days, but with everyone working together the Croatians picked it up very quickly.”
Troubleshooting and a class on special tools wrapped up the instruction portion of the course. A block of instruction on making Hydraulic hoses and a look at the HSTRU (Hydraulic System Test and Repair Unit) coordinated with Mr. Schmidt and the Engineers was a fun way to end the course. Following recovery, the visitors to the United States were able to relax and soak up some Minnesota culture touring historic Camp Ripley and getting out to see some of what Minnesota has to offer.
| Date Taken: | 10.29.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 11.19.2021 10:37 |
| Story ID: | 409683 |
| Location: | MINNESOTA, US |
| Web Views: | 87 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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