By Sgt. Nathanial Johnson
GRAFENWOEHR TRAINING AREA, Germany— Soldiers, civilians, and allied partners from across Europe participate in Avenger Triad 25, a major multinational training exercise to strengthen coordination, communication, and readiness among the U.S. and NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization). The event, hosted by V Corps and supported by Exercise Control (EXCON), was a key milestone, known as Command Post Exercise 2 (CPX-2), on the corps’ path to its final Warfighter Exercise in 2026.
“Ultimately, this is about all of the staff getting to exercise as much of their personnel and planning processes as possible,” said Maj. Christopher Pennell, G37 exercise planner for V Corps. “We’re bringing all of these units together, multinational, U.S., and reserve components, and each of them is trying to get a realistic training environment where they can test their staff across all their functions.”
Originally planned as a smaller, stand-alone event, Avenger Triad 25 was expanded and integrated with Steadfast Duel, a NATO exercise designed to improve how allied units operate together. The combined event helped participants practice planning and problem-solving across real-world challenges, such as maintaining communication, managing logistics, and coordinating movements across large areas.
“EXCON specifically helps make sure that those response cells know what story we’re trying to tell at this planning event,” Pennell said. “We try to keep everything on track and make sure people have the answers they need, but they also don’t provide more than they would in real life if this were a real operation.”
The exercise ran 24-hours a day and includes more than 1,500 participants from the U.S. and allied nations. Staff responded to dozens of simulated reports and scenarios daily, allowing them to practice how they would react to complex situations in a real conflict or crisis.
“This is a staff training event, and bringing this many people together, just the ability to get all of them to go in the same direction, is ultimately a difficult task,” Pennell said. “At the end of the day, this was about getting all these people to work together.”
Avenger Triad 25 also builds trust and strengthens partnerships between the U.S. Army and its European allies, including Poland, Spain, France, and the United Kingdom. Pennell said the lessons learned and relationships built during this event will continue into future exercises, helping allied forces work faster and more effectively together in any environment.