Ready First augments Canadian forces in JOINTEX 15

Photo By Lauren Harrah | Soldiers of of 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, join with counterparts of the British 12th Armoured Infantry Brigade and the 2nd Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group, 4th Canadian Division, outside of the Canadian Forces Warfare Centre at Shirley’s Bay, Ontario, Canada, Oct. 14, 2015, during JOINTEX 2015. Joint forces worked together through NATO partnership to repel simulated aggression toward and invasion of a NATO-allied country. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Lauren Harrah/Released)  

FORT BLISS, TX, UNITED STATES

10.20.2015

Story by Spc. Lauren Harrah 

24th Theater Public Affairs Support Element

FORT BLISS, Texas – Soldiers of 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, synchronized more than just their watches in training with Canadian forces and other NATO allies on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean during JOINTEX 15, a month-long, multinational exercise in September and October.

The 1st SBCT established a brigade headquarters element in support of a Canadian Armed Forces division during a command post exercise portion of JOINTEX 2015 at the Land Force Central Area Training Centre in Meaford, Ontario, Canada, and at the Canadian Forces Warfare Training Centre at Shirley's Bay, Ontario.

The exercise was designed to bolster NATO alliances and demonstrate the capabilities of a multinational, joint, integrated task force headquarters led by CAF.

"It shows how solid the alliance is and how solid the alliance has been for almost 70 years," said Lt. Col Richard Rouleau, joint fires chief of the 1st Canadian Division based in Kingston, Ontario.

By working together, troops established interoperability and gained a better approach for future operations, said Col. Jeff Smyth, commander of the Canadian Forces Warfare Centre.

"We try to do as much training as we can with U.S. forces, in particular, because they are our closest ally," Smyth said. "So every time that we get an opportunity to integrate Canadians into U.S. training or Americans into Canadian training, we try to exploit that to the best of our ability. We've fought together in many different places, and it's always great to have your best friend there when you go out the door."

Aligning under the 1st Canadian Division and integrating into a CAF-led exercise provided a unique opportunity for U.S. Soldiers. Historically, this is one of the only times a U.S. brigade has served directly under a Canadian division, said Maj. David Holstead, brigade executive officer.

"The mission for 1st SBCT Soldiers was to replicate a brigade headquarters subordinate to a Canadian army division headquarters -- and all of the challenges thereof -- as realistically as possible," Holstead said.

The Ready First Soldiers demonstrated their professionalism and skill in supporting the Canadian headquarters, agreed Smyth. It was an incredibly rewarding experience for everyone to participate in an interoperable environment, he said.

"The Ready First has come up and they've done a fantastic job. They've fit in very well and very easily. They've attacked the problem with a lot of vigor and what you'd expect to see out of the U.S. forces. It's been fantastic having them here, being part of the team and helping us all learn how to progress through a problem like this."

After working through the exercise with Canadian counterparts, Rouleau said he hopes to share the information he has gained to benefit future multinational operations so "we can streamline how long it takes for us to come together."

During the CPX, CAF established command of a joint force that included a Ready First's brigade headquarters element and Military Intelligence detachment, while using NATO's communications network to repel a simulated invasion of a NATO-allied country.

• Date Taken: 10.20.2015
• Date Posted: 10.23.2015 16:13
• Story ID: 179786
• Location: FORT BLISS, TX, US