Photo By Staff Sgt. Bruce Daddis | Soldiers with the N.J. Army National Guard teamed up with Soldiers from the U.S. Army...... read more read more
Bize-Tirane, Albania-- As the Soldiers from the New Jersey Army National Guard arrived in Albania on September 12, 2022 to support the Albanian Armed Forces (AAF) during their critical NATO Combat Readiness Evaluation Exercise (CREVAL), they weren’t the only U.S. force on the ground as they joined their counterparts from the U.S. Army’s 4th Security Force Assistance Brigade (SFAB) out of Fort Carson, Colorado.
The two Army components have both served in key advising and support roles with the Albanian Armed Forces in preparation for the CREVAL, as the New Jersey National Guard continues an over 20-year state partnership with Albania, while the SFAB Soldiers have been in country for the last six months embedded with the Albanian Light Infantry Battalion Group (LIBG).
In July, the two organizations were able to work together to demonstrate war-fighting functions for the Albanians at the 44th Infantry Brigade Combat Team’s (IBCT) eXportable Combat Training Capability (XCTC) exercise at Fort Drum, N.Y.
“XCTC really opened the door for the New Jersey Guard and SFAB partnership,” said Sgt. 1st Class Jonathan Martinez, of the 4th SFAB. “Our working relationship paid dividends and it was an eye-opening experience. I don’t think our success would be as great as it has without the New Jersey National Guard SPP already being here on the ground. It springboarded us into action quicker by having that baseline established, and we got way more done in six months than we otherwise would have.”
Leading up to the NATO CREVAL, the SFAB Maneuver Advisor Team was able to build tremendous relationships with the AAF.
“SFAB Soldiers would find counterparts in the Albanian formations and shape training and expectations,” said Capt. Peter Habsburg-Fortier of the 4th SFAB. “Working with the Albanians is a home run. They are 100-percent welcoming, and are quick to make change and affect change based on our recommendations and there’s so much trust between our organizations. Also, working with New Jersey is just one of the best opportunities ever, and we are looking into future opportunities. We’re all here to support Albania and it was just put into action”
The same sentiment was echoed by Albanian Maj. Enerjol Harka, Executive Officer with 2nd Battalion, LIBG, “It was crucial to have the U.S. here, the SFAB and New Jersey together, because we did it all with this team. They both have trained us and have given us their experience and if we succeeded, we did it because of them. These are the best relationships we could have.”
The official NATO assessment of the CREVAL is forthcoming, but all parties are optimistic about the success of the Albanian forces. Their performance during the exercise was a demonstration of Army force-readiness with highly sophisticated inter-component and international collaboration in critical advising and support roles.
“Our partnership with Albania continues to strengthen every event, and we continue to assist the Albanian Armed Forces as they increase their defense capabilities,” said Lt. Col. Nicholas Calenicoff, Executive Officer of the 44th IBCT, New Jersey Army National Guard. “The joint and combined efforts of the AAF, New Jersey Army National Guard, 4th SFAB, and NATO are the strongest they have been. I am very proud of the accomplishments the Albanian Armed Forces have achieved this past year with the assistance from our organizations.”
| Date Taken: | 09.19.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 09.19.2022 19:14 |
| Story ID: | 429662 |
| Location: | BIZE-TIRANE, AL |
| Web Views: | 477 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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