Photo By Sgt. Cheryl Madolev | U.S. Soldiers assigned to Regional Command-East of the NATO-led Kosovo Force mission,...... read more read more
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The U.S. Army considers non-commissioned officers, or NCOs, to be the “backbone” of the Army. NCOs are responsible for ensuring all of their Soldiers’ needs are taken care of. They instill discipline; they mentor, train, motivate and provide Soldiers with support and guidance. The NATO-led Kosovo Force mission, also known as KFOR, has over 30 troop-contributing nations that provide the peacekeeping mission with NCOs who possess an array of leadership experience and diverse skill sets.
The U.S. contingent assigned to KFOR’s Regional Command-East, or RC-E, recognized the unique diversity within the KFOR mission as a great opportunity to conduct interoperability training on a different platform. As a result, the first multinational Jungleer NCO Academy was born.
The Jungleer NCO Academy was conducted on Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo, May 8, 2025. The event successfully represented NCOs, weapons displays, tactical gear and vehicles from 15 Allied and partner nations, including, Great Britain, Slovenia, Turkey, Bulgaria, Italy, Switzerland, North Macedonia, Romania, Croatia, Poland, Albania, Germany, Moldova, Hungary and the U.S. Additionally, nine multinational Command Sergeants Major and Sergeants Major from five different nations spoke to the attending NCOs about leadership and emphasized the importance of their roles as an NCO.
U.S. Army OR-6 Bailey Frasch, 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Oregon Army National Guard, was one of the Non-Commissioned Officers in Charge, or an NCOIC, of the event and says the intent of the Jungleer NCO Academy was to gather KFOR’s multinational partners together for a day of learning and partnership development.
“The motivation behind the Jungleer Academy was to do something that KFOR has not done before,” said Frasch. “I consider the day a success because of the amount of participation. Everyone was thankful and expressed how much they learned.”
The RC-E Command Sergeant Major, U.S. Army OR-9 John Zagyva, presided over the events of the day, and saw his vision for the Jungleer NCO Academy come to life.
“I truly believe Sergeant is the most important rank in the NCO Corps,” said Zagyva. “It’s where the rubber meets the road and where Soldiers learn what it means to be a leader and take care of troops. I am so grateful for everyone who worked hard to make the academy a success. Without the hard work of the dedicated Soldiers of Regional Command-East, this would not have been as successful.”
After all of the presentations were complete, the soldiers were broken into smaller groups and visited the various display stations to learn about other nations’ weapon systems, vehicles and capabilities. U.S. Army OR-8 Elizabeth Christner, 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Oregon Army National Guard, was the other NCOIC of the event and she was very proud of the RC-E Soldiers’ hard work and collaboration during the academy.
“My favorite part was witnessing the dedication of senior leaders, and the 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team’s Soldiers’ willingness to learn, share experiences and discuss their professional growth with other countries,” said Christner. “This experience highlighted how our diverse backgrounds and capabilities are strengths that enable us to achieve a common mission and make us better people.”
KFOR RC-E’s Task Force Aviation also contributed to the success of the Jungleer NCO Academy in many ways, including providing a venue in one of their Aircraft Large Area Maintenance sites, also referred to as ALAM, providing UH-60 Blackhawk flights and allowing the NCOs to be hoisted as a simulated aerial medical evacuation.
Although all of the Jungleer NCO Academy soldiers ranged in their nations, assigned battalions and ranks, they all shared similarities. They all gained new knowledge or a new experience.
Slovenian OR-8 Marija Kerčmar, a Kilo 6 Liaison Monitoring Team leader, expressed her positive feelings about the event.
“My favorite part was the presentations from the different NCOs,” said Kerčmar. “The hoist and the helicopter ride was great. Everything was presented on a very high-level and relaxed and friendly.”
NATO and the KFOR mission would not be successful without multinational collaboration, interoperability and cohesion. The Jungleer NCO Academy successfully showcased RC-E’s dedication to the KFOR mission. Frasch and Christner both not only enjoy working with Allies and partner forces, but they expressed the importance of working together as NCOs.
“It is vital to understand the important role every non-commissioned officer plays in developing future leaders and driving mission success,” said Christner. “Personally, this experience reinforced the idea that together, we are stronger.”
| Date Taken: | 05.30.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 06.02.2025 08:54 |
| Story ID: | 499278 |
| Location: | CAMP BONDSTEEL, ZZ |
| Web Views: | 50 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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