Photo By Capt. Hector Rene Membreno-Canales | Tank crewman assigned to 3rd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division,...... read more read more
DRAWSKO POMORSKIE, Poland— Heavy rains transformed open fields into valleys of mud at a tank firing range at Drawsko Pomorskie Training Area, Poland, which left the densely wooded trails unreachable, unless you’re driving a U.S. Army M1A2 Abrams Main Battle Tank or a Swedish army Mowag Piranha. Deafening gunfire and thick clouds of dirt became commonplace for the U.S. and Swedish soldiers conducting combined maneuver training during Exercise Anakonda 2016, June 13.
Exercise Anakonda 2016 ensures that participating nations are trained and able to work together during future operations. For this training, soldiers assigned to 3rd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division worked hard to eliminate communication barriers.
“Initially, there was a bit of a language barrier but we trained on each others radio communication channels so that we were able to maneuver and communicate with them,” explained Sgt. Anthony Shircel, a native of Sheboygan, Wisconsin and tank crewman assigned to 3rd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division.
The challenges when completing a mission with two large vehicles operated by two different nations are not limited to communication. However, this exercise provides leaders from both armies the opportunity to measure and test their unit’s proficiency as well as their ability to work through the challenges of a high-tempo battle rhythm.
“This is why we train, to iron out those kinks. I want my troops to understand that mistakes will happen,” Shircel said, “but training is the ideal time to learn from those mistakes and this exercise provides me the opportunity to train up my soldiers.”
Exercise Anakonda 2016 demonstrates that the U.S. and partner nations can effectively unite together under a unified command while training in a contemporary scenario.
“My time in Poland has shown me that even though I can rely on fellow U.S. Army soldiers, I can also put my faith in the abilities of Swedish and Polish soldiers because they train just as hard as we do,” said Pfc. Draven Pancake, a native of Evansville, Indiana and infantryman assigned to 3rd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division.
Exercise Anakonda 16 is a Polish-led, multinational exercise, taking place in Poland from June 7-17. This exercise involves more than 31,000 participants from over nations. Anakonda 16 is a premier training event for U.S. Army Europe, and allied and partner nations.
| Date Taken: | 06.13.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 06.15.2016 08:48 |
| Story ID: | 201176 |
| Location: | DRAWSKO POMORSKIE , PL |
| Web Views: | 221 |
| Downloads: | 3 |
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