2nd Cavalry Regiment, allies, and partners train together during Saber Junction 21

Courtesy Photo | Soldiers from the 2nd Cavalry Regiment, allies, and partners train together during Saber Junction 21 in Grafenwoehr and Hohenfels, Germany, Aug. 26 to Sept. 29, 2021. The exercise, conducted by 7th Army Training Command and U.S. Army Europe-Africa, was designed to evaluate and assess the readiness of the regiment to execute unified land operations in a joint, combined environment and to promote interoperability with participating allies and partner nations. (U.S. Army courtesy photo)  

GERMANY

09.29.2021

Story by Sgt. Therese Prats 

U.S. Special Operations Command Europe   

STUTTGART, GERMANY – The U.S. Army’s 2nd Cavalry Regiment conducted training during the Saber Junction 21 exercise at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center in the Grafenwoehr and Hohenfels training areas Aug. 26 to Sept. 29, 2021. The exercise, conducted by 7th Army Training Command and U.S. Army Europe-Africa, was designed to evaluate and assess the readiness of the regiment to execute unified land operations in a joint, combined environment and to promote interoperability with participating allies and partner nations.

“Saber Junction is first and foremost the validation exercise for the 2nd Cavalry Regiment. What makes this exercise valuable from the SOF perspective is the multinational aspect and the integration with conventional maneuver and support units in a challenging and realistic large scale combat operations scenario,” said U.S. Army Col. Marc V. LaRoche, the deputy commander of U.S. Special Operations Command Europe.

In Grafenwoehr and Hohenfels, the 2CR trained alongside Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, France, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Moldova, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Ukraine, and United Kingdom. Interoperability of these countries’ militaries is critical to bolstering an extended network of alliances and partnerships capable of decisively meeting the defense challenges of today and tomorrow.

“Improved interoperability is the greatest benefit of JMRC exercises. These exercises afford special operations forces units the opportunity to support conventional maneuver elements, which requires close coordination between SOF and conventional staffs,” said LaRoche.

In addition to interoperability, Saber Junction 21 strengthens U.S. Army readiness with its allies and partners, a key objective in training exercises.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to visit the 2nd Dragoons,” said LaRoche. “I was first assigned to the regiment in 1996, and when I visited last week, I observed effective interoperability between my former regiment and multinational units from across Europe, including SOF and Irregular Warfare organizations — reminiscent of experiences I made during the 2CR peacekeeping deployment to Bosnia in 1997. This level of combined and joint action is essential for future mission success.”

• Date Taken: 09.29.2021
• Date Posted: 09.29.2021 03:24
• Story ID: 406254
• Location: DE