U.S. Special Operations Forces bring elite training to Serbia

Photo By Staff Sgt. Jessica Nassirian | Members of the U.S. Special Operations Forces and Serbian Special Anti-Terrorism Unit (SAJ) plan their next scheme of maneuver during a simulated joint assault which took place during a Joint Combined Exchange Training (JCET) in Belgrade, Serbia Mar. 15, 2018. JCETs are designed to give U.S Special Operations Forces an opportunity to conduct combined training with foreign security forces in order to sharpen and enhance both U.S. SOF and host-nation skills. (U.S. Army Photo by Staff Sgt. Jessica Nassirian)  

BELGRADE, SERBIA

03.15.2018

Story by Staff Sgt. Jessica Nassirian 

U.S. Special Operations Command Europe   

BELGRADE, SERBIA - Special operations forces assigned to U.S. Special Operations Command Europe and the Serbian Special Anti-terrorist Unit (SAJ) participated in a Joint Combined Exchange Training during the month of March at various locations throughout Serbia.

A JCET is a combined training event that allows SOF units to train with partner nations to develop language skills and familiarity with local geography and cultures, in addition to tactical skills.

The exchange training focused on counter-terror operations in urban terrain, providing an opportunity to build interoperability between U.S. and Serbian SOF, as well as a chance for the two highly trained and elite units to share techniques, experiences, and procedures.

"We have been teaching Close Quarters Battle in a high-threat urban environment and are using various training scenarios that the Serbian SAJ might encounter in their real-world mission sets,” said a U.S. SOF member.

Aside from boosting SOF response capabilities in the Balkans, the training also focused on various weapons drills, marksmanship skills and integration into joint operations planning--building a valuable layer of trust between the elite forces.

“We facilitated training at the shooting range, which included advanced marksmanship, weapons manipulations, and shooting in high-stress environments,” said a U.S. SOF member. “Additionally, we tasked the Serbian SAJ with various mission scenarios, which allowed both units to conduct joint planning, culminating in joint mission execution."

This JCET series has become a regular semi-annual training since 2016 with the Serbian SAJ and this iteration culminates in a final joint field exercise, which will test and evaluate the skills the two units have honed throughout the training.

• Date Taken: 03.15.2018
• Date Posted: 04.03.2018 07:21
• Story ID: 270859
• Location: BELGRADE, RS