Photo By Sgt. Marcus Gable | Kazakh soldiers with the 1st Brigade, 1st Battalion, march in formation for a pass and...... read more read more
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TRAINING CENTER ILLISKY, Kyrgyzstan -- Third Army/U.S. Army Central continued its mission of Shaping the Future as Third Army soldiers, along with soldiers from both the Kazakhstan and British armies, participated in the opening ceremonies of the multi-national exercise Steppe Eagle.
Since 2003, Kazakhstan has hosted Steppe Eagle, a multi-lateral exercise designed to improve the participant's inter-operational capabilities. Steppe Eagle trains the combined forces for combat readiness as part of internationally sanctioned multi-national operations.
The main goal of this exercise is for the Kazakh army to become NATO qualified in both peacekeeping and humanitarian missions.
Gen. Col. Saken A. Zhasuzakov, First Deputy of the Republic of Kazakhstan, chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff, Ministry of Defense, Republic of Kazakhstan, officially opened the ceremony, emphasizing the importance of the annual exercise.
"This exercise builds on our existing relationships and will allow us to work together in a full capacity," said Zhasuzakov. "Together, our Armed Forces are strong and security will be greater."
Lt. Gen. William G. Webster, Third Army commanding general, expressed his gratitude in participating in the Steppe Eagle training event.
“Steppe Eagle is an important opportunity for us to work together to improve our inter-operability and mutual understanding,” said Webster. “We will leave here as better comrades and our vision for the future reinforced.”
After the key leadership concluded their opening remarks, Kazakh band members played national music as their fellow Soldiers marched the parade field for a pass and review with U.S. and British soldiers following in-step.
With the conclusion of the ceremony, the multi-national forces could look forward to the task at hand.
The Third Army’s role is to provide military decision-making process training to the Kazakh brigade and battalion.
This year, the Kazakhstan 1st Brigade, 1st Battalion will train with Third Army senior leadership as well as Arizona Army National Guard and British soldiers.
Kazakhstan soldiers will maneuver their companies while reacting to scenarios during the training. Some of these scenarios will include field-training exercises which test their abilities in convoy operations and security, and supply air drops. The Kazakh soldiers will then train in distribution of humanitarian supplies as well.
According to Lt. Col. Roland Gonzalez, Observer/Controller officer in charge with 158th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, Arizona Army National Guard, these missions and scenarios will test the Kazakh forces.
“This is a complex training environment,” he said. “In conjunction with the training, the field exercises will qualify the Kazakhstan brigade and battalion staffs to interact with NATO.”
More than one thousand personnel, comprising mostly of Kazakh soldiers, will participate in the eight-day training event. The efforts put forth by the multi-national forces during the next two weeks will reinforce the concept of teamwork and continue Third Army’s mission of Shaping the Future.
| Date Taken: | 08.18.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 08.18.2010 06:40 |
| Story ID: | 54764 |
| Location: | TRAINING CENTER ILLISKY, KG |
| Web Views: | 429 |
| Downloads: | 6 |
This work, Third Army/Kazakhstan Shape the Future during Steppe Eagle, by SGT Marcus Gable, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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