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    In order to form a more lethal unit: the merging of the National Guard and 173rd Airborne Brigade

    Saber Guardian 17

    Photo By Sgt. David Vermilyea | 1st Battalion, 143rd Infantry Regiment 173rd Airborne Brigade conducts an airfield...... read more read more

    CINCU, ROMANIA

    07.28.2017

    Story by Sgt. David Vermilyea 

    173rd Airborne Brigade

    CINCU, Romania – In the classic, "The Art of War", author Sun Tzu said, “The skillful tactician may be likened to the Shuai-Jan. Now, the Shuai-Jan is a snake that is found in the Ch'ang mountains. Strike at its head, and you will be attacked by its tail; strike at its tail, and you will be attacked by its head; strike at its middle, and you will be attacked by head and tail both.”

    Every military strives to be like the Shuai-Jan. They all want to be the formidable adversary that can strike from multiple angles at once, and recently the United States Army employed a program tailored to do just that.

    In August 2016, the 173rd Airborne Brigade established formal ties with 1st Battalion, 143rd Infantry Regiment of the Texas Army National Guard through the Associated Unit Pilot Program (AUP), which pairs active and reserve units together to enhance readiness and cohesion.

    Sgt. Philip Tizzano, a team leader in Charlie Company 1st. Bn., 143rd Infantry Regiment, who doubles as an aspiring lawyer, attending Suffolk Law School in Boston, Massachusetts, is experiencing the AUP firsthand. The versatile sergeant has been with the Battalion since its inception in 2010.

    “I joined right at the time it switched over to become an Airborne infantry unit,” said Tizzano. “Seeing the unit evolve and change into something bigger was a great moment to be a part of.”

    Both the Brigade and Guard unit share some striking similarities. For one, they both operate in a fragmented capacity. The 173rd Airborne Brigade has elements stationed in Vicenza, Italy and Grafenwoehr, Germany, while 1st Bn., 143rd In. Regt. is constructed of soldiers in Texas as well as Rhode Island. The Guard unit makes up for the distance between themselves by synchronizing their training schedule and sustaining a continuous line of communication.

    “We have to find alternate ways to communicate and get the same things done that an active guy would, just right down the hallway,” said Sgt. 1st Class Justin Aguilar, a full-time State Trooper in Texas and platoon sergeant in Alpha Company 1st Bn., 143rd In. Bn. who served on Active Duty in 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment for the first six years of his enlistment. “When we’re performing weapons qualification and zero, that’s what they’re doing in Rhode Island. When we’re conducting squad live fires, they’re doing that on their own terrain.”

    Adding to the parallels, both units are Airborne with motivated Paratroopers who volunteer to carry out more than what is asked of the typical soldier.

    “We don’t have a selection, per se, like (Ranger) Regiment, but in the same sense you cut a lot of people out - guys that don’t want to go to Airborne School, guys that don’t make it out of Airborne School, and guys that get to the unit that don’t perform well or can’t jump out of the aircraft,” said Aguilar. “So, you start to get the cream to rise to the top.”

    The 173rd Airborne Brigade prides itself on being an elite unit as it is forward stationed, readily available to deploy to U.S. African Command, U.S. European Command and U.S. Central Command within 18 hours around the clock, seven days a week, 365 days a year. The Brigade sharpens the edge of America and NATO’s lethal blade by conducting training ubiquitously throughout Europe.

    The unremitting code the 173rd Airborne Brigade lives by, of always perfecting tactical applications while simultaneously building international relations, was comprehended and adhered to in 1st Bn., 143rd In. Regt. this week during their participation in the largest annual exercise in Europe, Swift Response 17.

    “It doesn’t take a general to appreciate the gravity of this situation,” said Tizzano. “The world’s changing constantly and I’m on the forefront of it. I mean we’re here in Romania working with Romanians and other NATO Allies.”

    The Battalion’s mission in the exercise was to conduct a Joint Forcible Entry (JFE) operation by seizing an airfield in Turzii, Romania in conjunction with Italian forces. Smooth interoperability between foreign militaries was a paramount component to the mission’s success. Aguilar acted as a catalyst by directing his platoon and meshing it with the Italian Folgore.

    “My platoon was actually attached to the Folgore’s Leone Company, so we got to conduct the team assault with the decisive operation of the objective,” said Aguilar. “Once we took contact on the objective, we knew exactly what needed to happen. They still conduct fire and maneuver just like we do, so we were able to minimize the language barrier.”

    The National Guard unit befit the style of the 173rd Airborne Brigade, working with European militaries and enhancing intrinsic capabilities. They worked hard and got the job done.

    “We supplement the brigade,” said Aguilar. “They are missing an infantry battalion and we are bringing them an infantry battalion that looks very similar to their 1st Battalion and 2nd Battalion, and we should be able to integrate easily.”

    Overall, it looks like 1st Bn, 143rd In. Regt.’s convergence into the 173rd Airborne Brigade is a forward step in the direction toward becoming Sun Tzu’s Shuai-Jan. If combining different components creates the counterpoint necessary to increase lethality, then it seems the program has effected its mission. In the grand scheme of things, that’s what matters.

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 07.28.2017
    Date Posted: 07.29.2017 08:48
    Story ID: 243069
    Location: CINCU, RO

    Web Views: 242
    Downloads: 0

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