Photo By Warrant Officer Patrik Orcutt | U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment act as opposing...... read more read more
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HOHENFELS, Germany -- The Joint Multinational Readiness Center provides a unique environment for multinational Special Operations Forces to combine their capabilities. Lithuanian, Italian, and U.S. SOF joined to hone unconventional warfare skills during exercise Allied Spirit X.
In addition to the SOF elements, approximately 5,600 participants from 15 nations, including 1,300 U.S. Soldiers, participated in the exercise from March 30 until April 17. Allied Spirit is a multinational exercise series designed to develop and enhance NATO and capabilities and readiness across specified warfighting functions.
“You can read about it, or you can get it in a classroom, but until you get out there and walk the ground you can’t validate if your tactics and techniques actually work,” said the Special Operation Forces Cell Chief at JMRC. “It’s an environment where they can work together, work on their strengths, look at their weaknesses and validate their tactics.”
During the exercise, SOF trained with Lithuanina KASP (National Defense Volunteer Force) on tactics like movement in low visibility, house-to-house clearing, and large-scale battle drills. The exercise also served as a way for operators to practice combined techniques with conventional forces.
The Lithuanian KASP are a National Defense Volunteer Force with the Lithuanian army.
U.S. Army aviation was one of the highlights of the exercise for the Lithuanian and Italian forces.
Helicopter infiltration and extraction was very good training, said a Company Commander with the KASP. He added that working with multinational forces is a great experience for his operators.
Allied Spirit X was a unique exercise because it allowed for hands-on experience between NATO forces.
“Here it's a little bit different because we have other nations joining us to put all the same effort toward the same mission,” said U.S. Army Spc. Kevin Milner, assigned to the 1st Infantry Division’s 1st Combat Aviation Brigade at Fort Riley, Kan. Milner said the exercise gave him the rare opportunity to train with multinational SOF while he shared his knowledge of U.S. Army aviation tactics.
“We really enjoyed being able to train in and around helicopters,” said one of the Italian operators. “We don’t get to do this very often.”
The realism that JMRC offered to the operators was enhanced by the Soldiers that specialize in acting as enemy forces. Approximately 1,300 U.S. troops, led by U.S. Army Europe’s 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment, along with rotational units, acted as the opposing force during the exercise.
The SOF cell chief ensured that all of his trainers understood the gravity of the exercise by beginning each day’s training with vignettes of SOF operators killed in action.
“We take our jobs as trainers very seriously,” he said. “This is real validation for these guys when they go from the frying pan into the fire.”
| Date Taken: | 04.13.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 05.20.2019 07:40 |
| Story ID: | 323031 |
| Location: | DE |
| Web Views: | 267 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Italian, and US Operators Train with Lithuanian KASP at Allied Spirit X, by CW1 Patrik Orcutt, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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