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Military Reserve Exchange Program returns to Army Reserve after COVID hiatus
Fort McCoy, WI -- In a sea of Army camouflaged uniforms two sets of uniforms stuck out, the uniforms were digi-camouflaged patterns of dark green, brown and red colors, the rank of the uniform was in the center of the chest, and on the upper arm was an Estonia Flag.
Ensign Alar Alp and Sergeant Carl-Robert Reidolf are Estonian Soldiers from Estonia watching a 20-foot container hoisted into the air by a U.S. Army Rough Terrain Container Handler.
The container activity was part of the Combat Support Training Exercise (CSTX) held at Fort McCoy in August 2022. CSTX is a U.S. Army Reserve training exercise where Army Reserve units train in a challenging and austere environment to help ensure they are proficient in their individual and unit tasks and battle drills.
Ensign Alp and Sgt. Reidolf were two of six foreign military soldiers present at CSTX 2022. The six foreign Soldiers were participating in the exercise as part of the Military Reserve Exchange Program (MREP).
The MREP exchanges North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) foreign military Soldiers from one nation to another nation. The reciprocal nature of the exchange is to send Soldiers with similar military duties from one country to train, interact and observe Soldiers of similar military duties in the host nation. The MREP helps to develop cultural understanding, regional expertise, language proficiency, and interoperability.
“It is really great that on one hand we were involved in the work and got the time to be in the field, and do great training,” Sgt. Reidolf said.
“[This program] is getting Soldiers integrated into a unit so if we go overseas or deploy with a host nation, it would not be the first time we are meeting each other or working with one another,” said Mr. Brian Cunningham, 1st Operations Brigade, 86th Training Division Staff Operations Training Specialist.
The MREP program falls under the Office of the Chief of the Army Reserve. Due to COVID-19, the program was on a hiatus until this year.
“This program is also about building relationships,” said Mr. Cunningham. “The [United Kingdom] Soldiers were added for the first time this year.”
“Working shoulder by shoulder with the Americans and with the planning side of things and in the field as well and getting a really good experience,” Ensign Alp said.
“The hospitality has been fantastic and the ability to experience different cultures from all across the U.S. is amazing,” said Warrant Officer Frank Featherstone, of the United Kingdom Army Training Unit (North).
The Estonian and U.K. Soldiers observed and participated in CSTX, which included going to weapons ranges, participating in a vehicle obstacle course as passengers, viewing the Command Post of the Future (CPOF) system, and more. In addition, the U.K. Soldiers also worked with and observed our Non-Commissioned Officer Academy at Fort McCoy to better understand U.S. Army military education training and standards.
“We deliver basic training in the U.K.,” said Colour Sergeant Ronnie Sawdon, of the U.K. Army Training Unit (North). “We've been picking up things from the U.S. Army and we've been talking to them about how we train.”
CSTX is an annual training (AT) exercise for U.S. Army Reserve soldiers. AT occurs once a year for about two weeks at various locations throughout the world. AT allows Army Reserve Soldiers and units to maintain or improve their combat skills for their military occupational specialties (MOS) through real-world, simulated military exercises.
The U.S. Army National Guard also has an MREP program, with each state having a country they align with.
For more information on the MREP program visit: https://www.usar.army.mil/ExchangeProgram/
| Date Taken: | 08.17.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 09.09.2022 10:25 |
| Story ID: | 427593 |
| Location: | FORT MCCOY, WI, US |
| Web Views: | 203 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Military Reserve Exchange Program returns to Army Reserve after COVID hiatus, by SGT Marcel Bassett, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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