CAMP ILLISKY, Kazakhstan – Steppe Eagle 2012 came to an end as guest speakers commended soldiers from the United States, Kazakhstan, United Kingdom and Tajikistan for a job well done Sept. 20.
“I want to congratulate you on another successful Steppe Eagle exercise,” said Third Army/ARCENT Commanding General, Lt. Gen. Vincent K. Brooks. “To the soldiers, thank you for serving your countries and for bringing our countries closer together.”
More than 1,000 troops participated in exercise Steppe Eagle, an annual multi-national peacekeeping exercise designed to improve interoperability while exchanging ideas and building relationships through training together.
“[Steppe Eagle] is an excellent opportunity to provide a quality military training experience to militaries beyond the United States and the Republic of Kazakhstan,” said Brooks. “This year U.S. soldiers were able to work with not only the Kazakhstan Brigade but also a platoon from Tajikistan.”
The two-week exercise focused on the specific skills needed to work with coalitions and gave participating nations an opportunity to gain experience working together. The efforts put forth by soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry; 158th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade along with supporting elements of the Arizona Army National Guard; 1st Battalion, 181st Field Artillery Brigade of the Tennessee Army National Guard; and Kazakhstani soldiers during the training event reinforced the concept of teamwork and continued Third Army’s mission of Shaping the Future.
“It is a privilege and an honor to be back at Illisky training area to see first-hand the cooperation between our great soldiers,” Brooks said.