Combined Efforts Prevail at CALFEX

Photo By Sgt. Hubert Delany | A M2 Bradley fighting vehicle trails a M1 Abrams tank, both from the 5th Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, while moving to secure an area during a Combined Arms Live Fire Exercise (CALFEX) at Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany, Mar 26, 2018. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Hubert D. Delany III / 22nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)  

GRAFENWOEHR, GERMANY

03.26.2018

Story by Spc. Hubert Delany 

22nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment   

GRAFENWOEHR, Germany — Moments before the hills of the Grafenwoehr Training Area shook from the force of U.S. Army firepower, the senior officer overseeing a combined arms live fire exercise offered his Soldiers a few words of encouragement before their training began.

“Never forget that in war and in life, we must always try to improve,” said Lt. Col. Hunter Bowers, commander of 5th Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division. “We must always improve, because if we are not getting better, then we are getting worse.”

The Soldiers of 5-4 CAV and 1st Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment, 12th Combat Aviation Brigade took heed to Bower’s words and executed a combined arms live fire exercise (CALFEX) outside of Grafenwoehr, Germany, Mar. 26.

The purpose of the CALFEX was to build Soldier confidence and competency and to prepare the units for Combined Resolve X (CBRX).

CBRX, is a multinational training exercise scheduled to include more than 3,700 participants from 13 nations, who will train to develop greater interoperability with NATO allies and partner nations.

Bowers, a veteran of five deployments, said he believed the CALFEX will be a fundamental boost in his Soldiers’ ability to work alongside their NATO allies during future missions.

“We’ve built confidence within our junior leaders, in their ability to implement all the different types of integration they need to do,” said Bowers. “As we go forward into Combined Resolve X and as we work with other NATO countries, what we have done here will help demonstrate that we are ready, willing and able to fight.”

Command Sgt. Maj. Jeremy Carey, a Lee, Maine native and the senior enlisted advisor for 5-4 CAV said that he believes in addition to being prepared for future NATO missions, his Soldiers performed admirably during the exercise.

“Our Soldiers have been doing a phenomenal job here,” said Carey. “As a squadron, we are always working to improve on our standard operating procedures and this type of integration was a sight to see.”

One of the ways the unit improved procedures was by bringing junior Soldiers and senior leaders together to discuss mission objectives. This allowed senior leaders to share past experiences and best practices with junior members of the team.

“We are trying to grow and develop leaders here in the 1st Infantry Division,” said Carey. ”What I saw here today, were leaders with relative levels of experience within the Army working above their comfort zone and still pulling all of this off together.”

Carey, said that he believes the tradeoff of wisdom between junior and experienced Soldiers, coupled with the hard work and drive of his troops is what helps give the U.S. Army an edge.

“One reason why the United States Army is as great as it is, is that we go out, train, come together professionally and look one another in the eyes to give feedback from experienced leaders to less experienced leaders,” said Carey. “Our Soldiers take that feedback with open ears and they learn from it. This type of training allows our Soldiers to bring a special type of drive and experience to the armies of the world.”

• Date Taken: 03.26.2018
• Date Posted: 03.27.2018 10:56
• Story ID: 270722
• Location: GRAFENWOEHR, DE
• Hometown: GRAFENWOEHR, BY, DE
• Hometown: FORT RILEY, KS, US
• Hometown: HENDERSONVILLE, TN, US
• Hometown: LEE, ME, US
• Hometown: MANHATTAN, KS, US
• Hometown: TOPEKA, KS, US
• Hometown: WICHITA, KS, US