6-8 CAV troops prepare for mission in Zambia

FORT STEWART, GA, UNITED STATES

01.11.2016

Story by Spc. Cameron Pinney 

2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Public Affairs

FORT STEWART, Ga. - Leaders from 6th Squadron, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, conducted a pre-deployment site survey, or PDSS, in Lusaka, Zambia, Jan. 11-15, 2016.

During the PDSS, 6­8 Cav. representatives met with their Zambian military counterparts and the U.S. Ambassador to Zambia Eric Schultz.

“Soldiers like to be trained by Soldiers,” said Capt. Christopher J. Mendham, squadron logistics officer for 6-8 Cav. “They feel like the Zambian Battalion 1, or Zambat 1, would have been trained faster if they would have had boots on ground in uniform to help the African Contingency Operations Training and Assistance Force or (ACOTA) contractors.”

6-8 Cav. Soldiers are slated to work with ACOTA, which will be the force assisting in training Zambian Soldiers to help ready them for their peacekeeping mission.

On the PDSS, the representatives refined the final steps of their sustainment plan, which would include where they will draw food, water and medical support. The Soldiers will eat on the local economy and with the Zambian force, which Mendham said would allow them time to bond. The Soldiers of 6-8 Cav. and ACOTA are going to train Zambat 2 which is approximately 850 Soldiers. Zambat 2 will also get a closer look at the U.S. Army’s comparative diversity.

“Some of our female Soldiers will be going over there and it will show the Zambian forces that women have a lot to offer,” Mendham said. “It will also show that females and males can work together to accomplish the mission, which will be value added to employ female soldiers when they get to central Africa.”

During their training support mission in Zambia, Soldiers of 6­-8 Cav. will help their partner forces become more proficient at squad level training, such as rifle marksmanship and vehicle maneuvers. After learning those individual skills, Zambat 2 will replace Zambat 1 in Manouschka, Côte d'Ivoire, for a United Nations peacekeeping mission.

“It's important to us to build relationships with other militaries,” Mendham said. “It shows it is not just the State Department involved, it's also the Department of Defense and the United States Army.”

Soldiers of 6-8 Cav. are preparing to depart for the Zambia mission in February.

• Date Taken: 01.11.2016
• Date Posted: 02.03.2016 17:56
• Story ID: 187835
• Location: FORT STEWART, GA, US