Allied nations break barriers and doors during breach training

Photo By Sgt. Lisa Vines | A group of allied paratroopers from the U.S. Army’s 173rd Airborne Brigade, Poland’s 6th Airborne Brigade and Canada’s Princess Patricia Light Infantry learn about a variety of breaching techniques in class before testing their skills on the range during a breaching course May 26, 2014, near Drawsko-Pomorskie, Poland. Last month, the U.S. Army paratroopers began unscheduled training with allied forces in Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to increase interoperability between their formations. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Spc. Lisa Vines, 382nd Public Affairs Detachment/Released)  

DRAWSKO-POMORSKIE, POLAND

05.26.2014

Story by Spc. Lisa Vines  

382nd Public Affairs Detachment

DRAWSKO-POMORSKIE, Poland - American, Polish and Canadian paratroopers gathered to learn explosive, mechanical and ballistic breaching techniques during an allied training course held by the U.S. Army’s 173rd Airborne Brigade, May 26 at a training base at Drawsko-Pomorskie, Poland.

Mechanical breaching involves the use of tools and brute force to enter a door while ballistic breaching uses weapons such as shotguns. Explosive breaches use constructed charges.

Paratroopers from the 173rd’s 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment have been training alongside Canada’s 9th Princess Patricia Light Infantry and Poland’s 6th Airborne Brigade for over a month.

The day’s breach training allowed soldiers from the three allied nations to cross-train using their unique knowledge about urban breaching techniques, said Sgt. Ryan Friedrichs, a paratrooper from Detroit, Mich.

The training included a classroom session, hands-on charge construction and a walkthrough of the breach range. In mixed multinational groups, the paratroopers practiced constructing a variety of charges commonly used in combat to open solid wood or metal doors.

In the following days, these paratroopers are scheduled to run through a live-fire drill using these charges and breaching techniques.

Friedrichs said the allied training event offered each participant the opportunity to learn from one another.

“The Canadians are going to show us some of their urban breaching techniques. We’re going to show them some of ours, and the Polish soldiers are going to learn both,” he said.

This exchange of knowledge is just one of many occurring in the region, as the 173rd continues to train alongside partner-nation forces in Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

The 173rd Airborne Brigade, based in Vicenza, Italy, is the Army Contingency Response Force in Europe, and is capable of projecting forces to conduct the full of range of military operations across the United States European, Central and Africa commands’ areas of responsibility.

• Date Taken: 05.26.2014
• Date Posted: 05.28.2014 10:18
• Story ID: 131305
• Location: DRAWSKO-POMORSKIE, PL