Interoperability achieved during 3rd BCT JOAX

Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Allan Baros | A sniper with Company A, 11th Infantry Battalion, Royal Netherland’s Army, conducts a mission with 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division as part of 3rd BCT’s JOAX held Jan. 11-15, 2014.  

FORT BRAGG, NC, UNITED STATES

01.17.2014

Story by Sgt. 1st Class Allan Baros 

3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division

FORT BRAGG, N.C. - Since the dawn of this great nation, the U.S. Army has been training and fighting alongside foreign militaries to accomplish common goals. Interoperability is the key on today’s battlefield.

Interoperability is the ability of making systems and organizations work together. This was evident by 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, and Company A, 11th Infantry Battalion, Royal Netherland’s Army conducting a Joint Operational Access Exercise.

“We were nicely integrated into the American unit for this exercise,” said Sgt. Maj. Roy Egberts, Sgt. Maj. of company A, 11th Infantry Battalion, Royal Netherlands Army. “This exercise was a trial run for us to see if we would do this on a yearly basis.”

During JOAX Paratroopers from 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd BCT, 82nd ABN DIV, and Paratroopers from the Royal Netherland’s Army, conducted Noncombatant Evacuation Operations on objective Bragg. This objective was located at West Mckethan Pond near the impact zone here.

“They fit right in from planning to execution and they were with us every step of the way, said Lt. Col. Scott Nauman, commander of 5/73. “They conducted every type of troop leading procedure we would expect from our own troopers and they executed it very well.”

The NEO started with Paratroopers advancing on a town where American, Dutch, and Canadian citizens were waiting to be evacuated. When they made it to the town, they quickly secured the perimeter and then tended to the injured personnel. Once the citizens were secured the Paratroopers called in the transport vehicles.

Once everyone was loaded into the vehicles, they encountered Opposing Forces in which they executed react to contact nearly flawless.

“It was an incredible exercise,” said Nauman. “The relationship we established with the Dutch will go along way for future partnerships.”

“We’re a cavalry squadron and the Dutch brought a rifle company which is similar to the rifle companies we have in 1P and 2P so the fire power they brought, the man power they brought, and the ability to conduct different types offensive operations that maybe we weren’t as able to do on our own, allowed us to branch out and conduct other operations and support the brigade’s effort,” he added.

With the ever-evolving complexity on today’s battlefield, exercises like this where interoperability was the key for success; it is imperative that continued partnerships like the one between 3rd BCT and the Dutch last far into the future.

• Date Taken: 01.17.2014
• Date Posted: 01.22.2014 11:39
• Story ID: 119451
• Location: FORT BRAGG, NC, US