Photo By Capt. Kenneth Meisner | U.S. Army Officer Candidates from the New Jersey and New York National Guard conduct...... read more read more
RRETH-GRETH, Albania – Imagine traveling thousands of miles to a foreign country to put your leadership skills to the test. This month, the New Jersey and New York National Guard Officer Candidate School (OCS) Cadets did just that, conducting a part of phase two training with the Albanian Armed Forces (AAF) OCS Cadets May 6-17.
The OCS candidates rallied to Albania to complete several Situational Tactical Exercise (STX) Lanes, inching closer to becoming U.S. Army Commissioned Officers. The New Jersey National Guard is no stranger to training with its State Partnership Program (SPP) partner, the Albanian Armed Forces; continuing a partnership of over 20 years and completing more than 30 missions and events just this past year.
Thirty-seven Albanian Cadets joined 16 officer candidates from New Jersey Class 67 and four candidates from New York Class 69 to complete the STX lanes, which consisted of combat focused tactics on a squad level such as movement to contact, squad attack, ambush, knock out a bunker and conduct a reconnaissance. The OCS cadre responsible for mentoring and training the candidates ranged in expertise from a former U.S. Army Special Forces medic to a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter pilot.
“This is the second year we have conducted training with the officer candidates from New Jersey and New York, and there has been a lot to learn by integrating the cadets into squads and giving everyone the opportunity to learn about each other and be able to work as a group,” said Albanian Armed Forces Col. Ilirjan Dauti, Dean of Faculty of Security and Defense. “We also have been able to work on our troop leading procedures and having experienced officers from New Jersey and New York has been very beneficial in helping us practice these procedures.”
After completing the required lanes, all of the candidates took part in a traditional exercise led by the AAF, which was water crossing familiarization training done in the ancient Shkumbin River while utilizing a rope harness. The candidates were last welcomed on a staff ride to Berat, a historical city dating back to the Byzantine Empire.
“The training is established for leadership skills," Dauti added. "Once you assign a leader for the squad, from that moment on he will show that leadership on planning, preparation, and execution. I think it is beneficial to know your responsibilities as a leader because if you plan well, your people will be safe so the responsibility you have as a leader is very tough."
The New Jersey and New York officer candidates acquired a great deal of experience and developed working relationships with their allied partners.
“It was the perfect culminating event involving all the things we learned in a garrison environment, including a lot of the nitty gritty details of an operations order and being able to quickly produce an order on the ground and execute a mission,” said Officer Candidate Michael Randazzo, OCS Class 67, 2nd Battalion, 254th Regiment.
Randazzo explained the American and Albanian Cadets were able to work through the language barrier in order to communicate clear operations orders and guidance.
The New Jersey National Guard and Albanian Armed Forces achieved success for the third year in a row as partners training the future of the officer corps together. New Jersey OCS Class 67 is set to graduate in August 2024.
Suksese!
| Date Taken: | 05.20.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 05.20.2024 13:11 |
| Story ID: | 471731 |
| Location: | AL |
| Web Views: | 253 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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