Photo By Sgt. Hubert Delany | SINE, ALBANIA - U.S. Army Reserve Col. John Lyons (left), a civil affairs officer with...... read more read more
TIRANA, ALBANIA - In a village deep within the Albanian mountains, Soldiers from the U.S. Army Reserve, Kosovo, North Macedonia, and Albania stood inside a medical facility responsible for serving the local area. The group's mission is to conduct key leader engagements will hospital staff to not only assess the facility's capabilities but sharpen each soldier's interpersonal skills. No matter the language, a mixture of empathy and genuine care can impact any battle space. After several meetings, the group accomplished its task of building new relationships and making new allies.
Soldiers with the 353rd Civil Affairs Command participated in Immediate Response 23 in countries across Eastern Europe from May 22 - June 2. During the exercise, U.S. Army Reserve soldiers engaged and partnered with local communities to strengthen local governmental ties and improve interoperability amongst the militaries of allied nations. The purpose of Immediate Response 2023 was to conduct multi-national combined arms training in the Balkans, and to enhance U.S.-based combat power in Eastern Europe to increase the lethality of the NATO alliance,
“Strengthening the partnerships between our Allied forces and the civilian Governments we work with is an invaluable force multiplier to our shared mission,” said U.S. Army Reserve Lt. Col. Nathan Neuman, a Buffalo, N.Y. native and Civil Affairs Officer with the 353 CACOM. “The Civil Affairs troops who accomplish that mission are the best of the best. They are known for going above and beyond to get the job done, and I am so proud of the work they have done during Immediate Response.”
Throughout the exercise, Civil Affairs Teams (CATS) composed of soldiers from varying NATO-aligned nations tested their core competencies, planning skills, and cultural familiarity across multiple countries simultaneously. Multiple Multinational teams of “combat diplomats” traveled throughout various host countries meeting with village elders, municipal officials, and government representatives from foreign ministries of defense to discuss the coordination of civil-military operations in support of IR23.
During the exercise, CATS were evaluated by Observer Coach and Trainers (OC/T), who would offer suggestions to the teams and assist them in building "a unity of purpose in the field of civil-military cooperation."
"The true strength of NATO is our ability to work together and use our individual skills and resources to support a larger force," said Albanian Army Maj. Oltion Agolli, an officer with the Albanian Armed Forces Support Command. “In the same way that each Soldier brings their own unique perspective to an operation. Each country brings their own strengths, and all of those strengths support our collective fight to strengthen and defend NATO.”
Across the exercise, Immediate Response included approximately 2,800 U.S. and 7,000 multi-national participants working in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Slovenia, and the United States. For some civil affairs participants, this afforded them the opportunity to not only hone their skills, but see the effect their actions have on partner nations.
“It feels really special to be a part of something so important,” Cpl. Skyler Neel, a civil affairs specialist with the 386th Civil Affairs Battalion, said. “Working with Civil Affairs teams can really show the positive impact the Army can have on our allies”
Neel, a Muskogee, Oklahoma native said he credits the success of the event to the partnerships developed amongst NATO counterparts and the overall "buy-in" from exercise participants.
“It is more than a strong sense of camaraderie,” said Neel. “It is really truly is about partnership. All of us, from different countries, different armies, and different backgrounds serving together to make each other stronger.”
| Date Taken: | 06.02.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 06.07.2023 21:13 |
| Story ID: | 446151 |
| Location: | TIRANA, AL |
| Web Views: | 215 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Civil Affairs Soldiers Support NATO Partners during Immediate Response 2023, by SGT Hubert Delany, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
