Photo By Staff Sgt. Alexander Skripnichuk | Spc. Hunter Byington, a fire support specialist with the 1st Squadron, 7th Cavalry...... read more read more
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HOHENFELS, Germany – During Combined Resolve III, Soldiers from 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division demonstrated their ability to adapt to new challenges.
Forward observers from 1st Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st BCT, 1st CAV carried out training to monitor enemy movement and relay the information to their base of operations.
Their task was to stay in the woods of Hohenfels, Germany, for three days with a squad of infantrymen and a joint tactical aircraft controller from the Air Force as they observed enemy movement and called in artillery fire if necessary.
The infantrymen provided security as the forward observers acted as the eyes and the Airman in the group provided communication with aircraft in the area.
“When calling a fire support mission we coordinate with our Romanian allies,” said 2nd Lt. Joseph Schoolcraft, a fire support officer with 1st Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st BCT, 1st CAV. “At first, it presented a challenge with the language barrier.”
The initial setup involved separate American and Romanian tactical operations centers. As Soldiers on the ground reported enemy movements to each tactical operations center, the information was disseminated to each section in order to deliver artillery fire.
The language barrier created some difficulty for Soldiers when calling in artillery fire but was overcome when the decision was made to combine the tactical operations centers of each nation into one unit. Being in one room allowed for translation to occur instantly, reducing wasted time.
“When dealing with members from allied nations we had to think differently,” said Schoolcraft, an Enterprise, Alabama native. “We had different procedures when it came to fire missions.”
Once enemy units were spotted, the forward observers in the field relayed targeting information to their counterparts at the newly reorganized joint-tactical operations center where Romanian Soldiers were able to receive the information quickly after having it translated. New procedures were implemented so that Soldiers from all countries can carry out artillery attacks without mistakes and the enemy was engaged in a timely and effective manner.
“Once we got past the slow flow of information from our NATO counterparts we were able to conduct fire missions without problems,” said Spc. Hunter Byington, a fire support specialist with the 1st Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st BCT, 1st CAV. “Adapting to other nations and being able to work with them was a unique challenge for me and I am glad to have the opportunity to do it.”
As different situations in the European theater reveal themselves, Soldiers from 1st BCT, 1st CAV continue to show their potential to NATO allies as they learn to overcome the challenges of operating with foreign troops.
“Exercises like Combined Resolve III are specially designed to increase the flexibility of our forces to work together,” said 1st Lt. Vladimir Bejenariu, a public affairs officer with the Romanian Land Forces. “In future conflicts, we will be forced to work together and having trained together in the past it allows us to act decisively as a single force against any threat to NATO.”
| Date Taken: | 11.04.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 11.06.2014 14:16 |
| Story ID: | 147207 |
| Location: | HOHENFELS, DE |
| Hometown: | ENTERPRISE, AL, US |
| Web Views: | 85 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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