RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany — U.S. Army Soldiers, NATO members and multinational partners came together for a tabletop exercise on Ramstein Air Base, Germany, to discuss sustainment challenges and strengthen coordination across the alliance. The exercise brought together military leaders, planners, subject-matter experts and supporting personnel from the United States and participating NATO nations to rehearse command-and-control processes in a simulated operational environment. Unlike a field exercise, the tabletop format emphasized decision-making rather than physical maneuver. Participants worked through a series of evolving scenarios that required headquarters and national representatives to assess information, coordinate responses and make decisions within a multinational framework. The multinational tabletop exercise also allowed participants to examine how NATO forces can improve the movement of personnel, equipment and supplies throughout Europe while identifying challenges that could affect large-scale operations. For Command Sgt. Maj. Jimmy Ingram, brigade command sergeant major for the 16th Sustainment Brigade, one of the most important outcomes of the exercise was building relationships among NATO partners. “Relationship building is knowing each other's capabilities across all the host nations and then building those networks and those relationships,” Ingram said. “I think that is a key takeaway.” The conversations revealed that the challenge was not simply moving equipment across Europe. Participants also discussed the relationships, infrastructure and coordination needed to make multinational sustainment work. “We're all pretty much aligned,” Ingram said. “However, I've noticed there are some gaps, and I think that's why this is so important, figuring out those gaps and what we can do to put capabilities to those gaps.” Capt. Cody Gunther, an exercise planner with the 21st Theater Sustainment Command, explained that bringing representatives from different nations together helps create connections that can support future operations. “Sometimes the delay between figuring out what your problem is and finding the answer is just knowing who to talk to,” Gunther said. “Making those connections is really the most important thing that we're going to do here and carry forward with the people who have attended.” Infrastructure investment was another major topic discussed during the exercise. Gunther emphasized that effective sustainment operations depend on long-term investments in transportation networks, logistics bases and storage facilities. “None of the things that we do from a theater level can happen without long-term planning,” Gunther said. “This stuff isn't going to happen in the next six months. This is five, 10, 15 years down the road.” Lt. Col. Patrick Van Wijnbergen, a NATO representative from the Dutch Army serving as branch head for movement and transportation, also highlighted the importance of reliable infrastructure and coordinated logistics. “If our infrastructure is not great and we have delays, the adversary knows we are not on time,” Van Wijnbergen said. “So investing in infrastructure is quite important.” Van Wijnbergen said increased coordination among NATO nations could help improve the alliance's overall logistics and distribution capabilities. He emphasized the importance of shared systems, multinational logistics and training that reflects how NATO forces would operate during a real-world conflict. “If we keep fighting as separate countries within NATO's structure, it won't work,” Van Wijnbergen said. “[Those] in front will fight hard, but if we cannot sustain them or move them, we've got a problem.” Although Van Wijnbergen and Gunther represent different armies, both emphasized the same challenges: no single nation can effectively operate alone during a large-scale conflict in Europe. Their shared perspectives highlighted the importance of building relationships, improving coordination and understanding each nation's capabilities before those partnerships are needed in real world operation. “The U.S. is not going to fight a conflict in Europe by itself,” Gunther said. “We have to learn how to operate with our partner forces.” For those involved, the exercise was also an opportunity to leave with something more practical than a completed scenario; new professional relationships and a better understanding of the people and capabilities they may one day need to work alongside.