Montenegrin Soldiers Visit the Maine Army National Guard

Photo By Sgt. Jarod Dye | Staff Sgt. Tyler Beck belays a soldier from the Recruit Sustainment Program (RSP) down a 55 foot wall at Bog Brook Training Area in Gilead, Maine. The Soldiers of the RSP are new to the National Guard and are training in order to become more ready to attend Basic Combat Training or Advanced Individual Training on May 20, 2017.  

GILEAD, ME, UNITED STATES

05.20.2017

Story by Spc. Jarod Dye 

121st Public Affairs Detachment

The Recruit Sustainment Program (RSP) hosted special guests from the Montenegrin Ground Army on May 20 during their annual field training exercise (FTX) as part of the National Guard State Partnership Program at the Bog Brook Training Area in Gilead.
The Montenegrin Soldiers observed several training events the new Maine Army National Guard recruits were participating in and talked to them about their Army experiences so far.
The Montenegrins started their visit with a briefing about the RSP program.
“The Recruit Sustainment Program is a national program tailored to each state’s individual needs,” said 1st Sgt. Joseph Whitmore, the lead noncommissioned officer in the RSP. “The primary reason for its inception was to reduce training pipeline losses.”
It reduces the loss of Soldiers in training by educating all Soldiers about what to expect and how to handle basic combat training (BCT). It also makes sure each Soldier is physically and mentally fit as well as administratively correct.
“The loss rate in the ARNG Training Pipeline has been reduced by over 10 percent since the RSP’s implementation, with the current BCT graduation rate exceeding 95 percent,” said Whitmore.
After the program was explained to the Montenegrins, they observed training events such as repelling, land navigation, and squad tactics using paintball.
The State Partnership Program is widely regarded as very useful and beneficial to both military forces.
“It helps us develop our capabilities, we use the experience of the National Guard,” said Lt Col. Radoljub Vitorovίc, a human resources officer with the Montenegrin Army. “From these four years of cooperation, we know each other very well, they know our system and how we work.”
This specific group of Montenegrins was involved in human resources and had indicated a high interest in the new Soldier training through RSP.
“It’s very important to work with young people, that’s the reason we are here today,” said Vitorovίc. “This part of the visit was planned because the training that is going on, we wanted to see for ourselves.”
After the Montenegrins observed the training, they talked to some of the new Soldiers.
“Hearing about what they do and where they come from is really awesome,” said Pvt. Symone Malbaurn, a Soldier in the RSP. “We can learn things from them and they can learn things from us.”
The Montenegrins also talked to the RSP leaders about recruiting methods and strategies to then turn these recruits into successful Soldiers.
“It was a great opportunity for our state partners to come over here and see what we’re doing with our new recruits. They can take back things they see here and maybe incorporate it into their own recruiting and training of their new enlistees,” said Chief Warrant Officer Carlo Paratore, the commander of the RSP.
“I think any exposure for a young recruit is beneficial, when they see our allies here, touring our facilities it helps emphasize to them that we’re the United States military, these are our allies, this is a big deal, this is the real thing. I think opportunities like that really drive these ideas home for a young recruit,” said Paratore.
The Montenegrins will continue their travels in Maine by touring various other National Guard facilities and units.

• Date Taken: 05.20.2017
• Date Posted: 05.22.2017 15:28
• Story ID: 234727
• Location: GILEAD, ME, US
• Hometown: GILEAD, ME, US