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For the first time in nearly a decade, the Massachusetts Army National Guard (ARNG) and Camp Edwards hosted Regional Cooperation 25 (RC 25), a U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM)-led multilateral command post and field training exercise intended to enhance multinational defensive peacekeeping operations, strengthen information sharing between forces, and for the first time in the history of Regional Cooperation, implement cyber protection training alongside USCENTCOM’s Central and South Asian (CASA) partners.
Over 300 military personnel traveled from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan (U.N. neutral participant), Uzbekistan, Mongolia, and from units across the U.S. to Camp Edwards Training Site for 14 days of field, command post, and cyber protection training. Additionally, service members from Armenia, the United Kingdom and Georgia attended as observers.
“It’s important to work with our multinational partners from the CASA states,”said Brig. Gen. Mark Kalin, Commander of the Massachusetts ARNG. “We build partner capacity, we share tactics, techniques, and procedures, and we show the world that we’re capable of working as a joint multinational force. We show any aggressor - nation state or otherwise across the globe - that these partnerships exist, they’re strong, they get stronger year after year, and we’re capable of showing that out in the field.”
RC 25 opened with a ceremony featuring leaders from all participating countries delivering remarks about what they hoped their service members would gain from the exercise.
“I’m looking for cultural exchanges. I’m looking for the diversity of thought. I’m looking to work together towards a goal. There will be a problem set given, and we’ll have to work through those problem sets,” said U.S. Army Col. Luis Rodriguez, commander of 51st Troop Command.
The field training exercise portion kicked off with CASA partners and Massachusetts Guardsmen training small arms marksmanship with an engagement skills trainer (EST).
“One of the advantages of the EST is that soldiers get an opportunity to brush up on marksmanship fundamentals without having to use live ammunition,” said Sgt. 1st Class Jeremy Brown, a combat engineer and former drill sergeant. “It allows us to reduce ammo expense and expenditure.”
Participants reviewed map reading and interpretation, plotting points, determining direction of travel with a compass, and using dead reckoning and terrain association to navigate the forests of Camp Edwards.
“This is another way that we can team with our foreign partners, and we can show them how we conduct land navigation, how we solve problems, and can then compare with how they do the same,” explained Cpt. Christian Carter of the Massachusetts ARNG. His block of training included support from the 96th Civil Affairs Battalion of Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
On June 18, U.S. Coast Guard’s Maritime security specialists assigned to Port Security Unit 301 (PSU 301) led entry control point training involving vehicle and personnel search procedures. Hosted at Tactical Training Base Kelly, a re-creation of a forward operating base designed to simulate daily life during a combat deployment was created for participants to learn how to safely search vehicles and personnel and whenever necessary, detain personnel.
“We’re conducting the training to increase collaboration with our partner nations in a defensive posture,” said PSU 301’s lead warrant officer, Chief Warrant Officer 3, Steve Gregorczyk. “The collective goal is that they become better prepared to protect themselves, their people, their borders in a manner which deters aggression and elevates interoperability between regional partners.”
An unmanned aerial system (UAS) training exercise was conducted June 19 as part of a counterterrorism and counter-narcotics training effort with the 96th Civil Affairs Battalion from Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
“We’re conducting UAS familiarization and going over some of the unmanned aerial systems that we use in our unit and the considerations to use when planning a mission,” said Capt. Kyle Rutter, team leader with 96th Civil Affairs Battalion. “The challenges they may be facing in their country are different from ours. We are creating a shared understanding for how we can work together and make things better for everyone.”
After a day of rest participants spent the weekend learning how the U.S. Army conducts squad patrols and how to conduct Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC).
“One takeaway is that we issue individual first aid kits to each service member,” explained Maj. Christopher Marrow, of Special Operations Command, Central. “That was a new concept for a couple of the participating countries. As a result, they are going to start implementing this practice so every person receives their own medical supplies.”
The field training exercise culminated on June 26 with a patrol lane which evolved into a complex TCCC scenario, concluding with a medical evacuation via a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter. Participants were split off into three teams, composed of service members from each respective nation.
Throughout the field training exercise, service members operated a command post and cyber protection section at the 101st Regional Training Institute on Camp Edwards. These participants exercised the military decision-making process to plan and react against multiple notional crises implemented by the RC 25 exercise designers. As one of the scenarios, U.S. Navy Lt. Priya Sridhar leveraged professional experience as a field reporter to deliver a simulated press conference for the participating nation leaders and public affairs officers.
For the first time in the near 30-year history of Regional Cooperation, all participants joined together to execute cyber protection training. U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Ronald Marquez, an Information Technology Specialist assigned to the Arizona Cyber Joint Task Force, explained the importance of incorporating this training into RC 25, “What’s important is an ability to bring a network from potentially compromised back to fully operational, reducing any negative operational impact and share unique perspectives and ideas within our collective cyber protection communities.”
According to Marques, the cyber protection cell’s main purpose during the exercise was to perform cyber incident response to combat suspected hacks and exploits in a network.
“It’s an emerging threat across the globe, no matter the sector, and continuing to guide cyber curriculum to exercises,” said Marques.
For more information about Regional Cooperation, visit www.dvidshub.net/feature/RegionalCooperation25tion.
| Date Taken: | 06.27.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 07.02.2025 11:15 |
| Story ID: | 502119 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE CAPE COD, MASSACHUSETTS, US |
| Web Views: | 42 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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