FORT BLISS, Texas (Army News Service, April 1, 2005) -- For the past three weeks, Fort Bliss, Texas, may have been among the most diversely populated places in the United States as troops from eight foreign nations participated in Roving Sands 05.

Roving Sands is a large-scale military training exercise, highlighted by Army air defense artillery systems, foreign troops and all four branches of the U.S. military.

Four countries - the United Kingdom, Kuwait, Canada and the Netherlands - have troops that have actively taken part in the training, which is a part of the larger Joint Red Flag exercise. Three other countries - Saudi Arabia, Germany and Australia - have had troops observing, and service members from India also visited Fort Bliss during the exercise.

"We go to war together, we train together," said Maj. Shawn Lamb, U.K exchange officer for the 31st Air Defense Artillery Brigade.

Lamb is in his 15th year of service to the British Army, but he has spent the last eight months with the 31st, working as a liaison between the two countries, as well as assisting foreign troops in their "new home" at Fort Bliss during Roving Sands.

Lamb primarily works with Canadian forces that have been working alongside troops from the 31st since the beginning of major training events last week.

"If you look at [Operation Iraqi Freedom]," Lamb said, "nothing gets done without working together."

Maj. Paul Bezem, assistant operations officer for the 11th ADA Brigade, has spent even more time in the United States while working as the exchange officer to the Netherlands.

Bezem, born in Helmond, the Netherlands, has lived at Fort Bliss with his wife and daughter for 18 months of his three-year tour. During Roving Sands, Bezem has taken on two roles. Along with his usual mission as assistant operations officer, Bezem, like Lamb, has ensured the foreign troops in the brigade are ready and confident about the various training exercises during Roving Sands.

"It makes it easier [for foreign troops] to have someone here who knows what they are doing, but was also in the same situation as them," Bezem said.

Bezem, an air defense officer in the Dutch Air Force, said both U.S. and foreign troops are gaining knowledge and confidence by working together.

"The most important part is to learn from each other, and then work together using that knowledge," Bezem said.

Bezem is working with participants from Kuwait and the Netherlands. Of the Dutch troops involved, a group of 15 are working with 11th Brigade troops on the Patriot missile system.

(Spc. Chris Jones serves with the 40th PAD)