Foundation Laid; Partnership Forged

Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Timothy Gray | New Zealand soldiers perform a haka during the closing ceremony festivities for Exercise Cartwheel at Blackrock Training Camp, Fiji, September 23, 2022. Exercise Cartwheel is a multilateral military-to-military training exercise with the U.S., Republic of Fiji Military, Australian, New Zealand, and British forces that builds expeditionary readiness and interoperability by increasing the capacity to face a crisis and contingencies by developing and stressing units at the highest training levels.  

FIJI

09.23.2022

Story by Staff Sgt. Timothy Gray 

3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division

NADI, FIJI – Soldiers closed Exercise Cartwheel during a final ceremony at Black Rock Camp, Fiji, September 23, 2022.

Exercise Cartwheel is a multilateral military-to-military training exercise with the U.S., Republic of Fiji Military, Australian, New Zealand, and British forces that builds expeditionary readiness and interoperability by increasing the capacity to face a crisis and contingencies by developing and stressing units at the highest training levels.

Soldiers assigned to 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, partnered with Republic of Fiji Military Forces, Australian, and New Zealand Soldiers during the 11-day exercise. Soldiers trained on urban, rappelling, and jungle operations. Unit ministry teams, medical teams, and engineers also trained at the same time, sharing their best practices.

Cartwheel was the final Operation Pathways exercise in 2022. During his closing remarks, Maj. Gen. Reginald G. A. Neal, deputy commanding general - mobilization and reserve affairs, U.S. Army Pacific, focused on the exercise successes which will ripple throughout the Indo-Pacific region.

“If I were a great strategist and I were tasked with designing a campaign for land forces to maintain a free and open environment in a maritime domain, how would I do this?” said Neal. “In short, I would design an exercise exactly like the one we have here in Exercise Cartwheel.”

Operation Pathways is a set of annual exercises that enable U.S. Army Pacific forces and partner nations to build readiness and interoperability throughout the Indo-Pacific region. During the exercise’s final ceremony, Commodore Humphrey Tawake, deputy commander for Republic of Fiji Military Forces, re-doubled the confidence built during Cartwheel.

“We share common values and military courtesies that make us unique as ambassadors and flag bearers of our nations in diverse operating environments that we participate in,” said Tawake. “Exercise Cartwheel has laid the foundation of our solid partnership that forged a firm, trustworthy friendship throughout training activities in the last two weeks.”

Following Operation Pathways 2022, 3rd Brigade will turn its attention to helping 2nd Brigade prepare for next year’s Pathways exercises.

• Date Taken: 09.23.2022
• Date Posted: 09.23.2022 04:29
• Story ID: 429925
• Location: FJ