Training with 14 other nations, Fort Hood’s 1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division learns cultural diversity and sharpens Army skills

Photo By Sgt. James Sims | Pallidins from the 1-82 Field Artillery conduct maneuvers while training during Combined Resolve II May 21 at the Joint Multinational Training Command in the Hohenfels training area. Combined Resolve II is a multinational military exercise in which U.S. Army Europe hosts allies and partners from 14 European countries at JMTCommand in Hohenfels and Grafenwoehr Training Areas from May 15 to June 30.  

HOHENFELS, BW, GERMANY

05.22.2014

Story by Sgt. James Sims 

139th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

HOHENFELS, Germany – Cultural awareness plays a pertinent role in the training of a Regionally-Aligned Force (RAF), the significance being that Soldiers sent into a particular region are ahead of the game. When language and culture become second nature to the aligned units, operations and planning improve and this becomes a significant increase to their abilities.

It’s not just about nations working together. It’s about Soldiers from those various nations working together on the ground that will really make a difference. In the future, NATO forces will engage and this partnership can provide options to those who create policy, said Brigade Commander Col. John DiGiambattista of 1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

RAFs are Army units who along with their military and land warfare core skills are also training for the global region to which they are oriented.

Soldiers from 1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas are training at the Joint Multinational Training Command in Hohenfels and Grafenwoehr Training Areas as a RAF.

“A very important aspect of this training is that deploying overseas gives us the practical experience of planning and implementing the necessary plan for a real world deployment,” said Capt. David Picard of the 91st Brigade Engineer Battalion, 1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

Picard has fought side-by-side with many of the NATO partners in Afghanistan and says that training with them now is just a reinforcement that they are all in this together.

“Training with our allies and NATO partners and conducting operations in the European theater has a very important impact, we are finding they are just as committed to the same goals as we are. We wear different uniforms and speak different languages but many of our tactical tasks and standard operating procedures are the same,” said Picard.

The mission is a great chance for 15 countries to come together to train for future operations.

“The benefits of training with the partner countries here is learning how they operate and showing them how we operate and doing that together,” said Sgt. Preston Laybon from Kahaluu, Oahu, Hawaii, “Creating that partnership where two or more people come together to achieve a common goal or in this case, multiple countries.”

Soldiers from 1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division are part of more than 4,000 troops participating in Combined Resolve II, a U.S. led, multinational exercise in Germany from May 15-June 3.

While Fort Hood has training areas where Soldiers can learn, exercises like this allow the troops the unique chance to train alongside allied nations.

“This is a phenomenal opportunity to employ many parts of my brigade throughout the NATO exercise,” said DiGiambattista. “This training allows us to work with other nations to build cultural awareness, understanding and interoperability.”

• Date Taken: 05.22.2014
• Date Posted: 05.25.2014 05:10
• Story ID: 131033
• Location: HOHENFELS, BW, DE