U.S., Romania, Bulgaria team up for Immediate Response 06
By Spc. Tanya C. Polk
IAD Public Affairs
August 4, 2006
WIESBADEN, Germany (Army News Service, Aug. 3, 2006) – Soldiers from the 1st Armored Division, the Air Force Europe’s 492nd Fighter Squadron, U.S. European Command, Bulgarian and Romanian military forces teamed up and participated in a tri-lateral training exercise at the Novo Selo Training Area, Bulgaria, throughout the month of July.
Known as Immediate Response 06, the combined armies conducted this peacetime engagement exercise in support of U.S. Army Europe’s Theater Engagement Program to increase NATO interoperability.
“Bulgaria and Romania are war-proven allies of the United States,” said Gen. David McKiernan, U.S. Army Europe commanding general. “They are valued partners in the global war on terrorism.”
“Our ability to train and develop our young Soldiers, our sergeants, our young officers with Romanian and Bulgarian counterparts means that when they operate on the battlefield tomorrow they’re already going to know each other,” said McKiernan.
The partnered military forces in IR 06, which included Soldiers from 1 AD’s 1st Battalion, 94th Field Artillery Regiment, Romanian 21st Infantry Regiment and Soldiers from the 61st Stryama Mechanized Brigade Bulgarian Army, got to know each other as they integrated into three platoons. Each platoon had one squad from each country, and each platoon was lead by a different force’s leader.
The troops began their partnership training as they participated in a weapons exchange and familiarization exercise, July 16.
“It’s a unity-building event where we exchange fire weapons with the Romanians and Bulgarians,” said 1st Lt. Caleb McKeel, the 1-94’s executive officer. “It’s not so much about marksmanship, it’s more about team building.”
The combined armies fired each other’s weapons on five lanes.
“This mission gives us an opportunity to see how other countries work, how they run ranges, and it also gives us an idea of the capability of different weapons,” said McKeel.
The Iron Soldiers trained their NATO partners on how to fire several weapons to include the M-9 pistol, M-16 rifle, M-240B machine gun, M-249 squad automatic weapon and the MK 19-3 grenade machine gun.
Then, the Romanian and Bulgarian troops trained the U.S. Soldiers on how to use their AK-74 and AK-47 assault rifles, as well as their PK and RPK machine guns.
McKeel said the weapons the Bulgarian and Romanian forces use are the same as those being used against Soldiers in Iraq.
“If we can learn more about their weapons, maybe it will help someone later in combat,” he said.
Helping each other and getting to know each other in the weapons familiarization exercise was essential to IR 06 as several more teambuilding and combat related exercises were in the NATO partners’ future.
The 1-94 FA Soldiers stepped into an infantry role as they and their Romanian and Bulgarian counterparts successfully raided a “hostile” infested building during their first combined combat exercise at the NSTA.
Led by the Romanian’s Red Scorpions Lt. Constantin Paraschivu, the second platoon used terrain to their advantage as they walked through approximately three kilometers of thick vegetation and remained camouflaged from opposition forces played by the Hohenfels-based 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment.
The team’s original intent was to walk the entire ridgeline to their target, but time constraints pushed the team a faster alternative. They agreed to jump aboard their Humvees and infantry fighting vehicle (BMP) and bombarded an abandoned building.
“The team reacted perfectly,” said Staff Sgt. Christopher Smith, 2nd platoon squad leader. “It was a two second decision. We did it. We got in there and completed the mission.”
Although raid tactics differed, the intermixed platoon worked together, combined their strategies, and achieved their goal. They “killed” the “terrorist” found hiding in the building.
“We worked well as a team,” said Staff Sgt. Florea Sas, platoon sergeant from the Red Scorpions. “We are of three nations, but nonetheless we are a team.”
After the mission, the platoon summarized their events and discussed what they felt went well and what they thought could be improved upon.
“Overall, we were successful,” said Paraschivu. “The best part of this training is that we do things different in each country, but we end up in the same direction.”
“We had good communication,” continued Paraschivu. Despite language barriers amongst the three nations, the team was able to effectively communicate. Hand signals were used often.”
Hand signals turned in to hand shakes as several Soldiers congratulated each other for the successful completion of their first official combat operation.
The troops’ mission was only getting started. Still ahead for the NATO partners was a convoy operations and quick reactions force exercise.
Quick reaction force training is an air assault style exercise designed to train Soldiers to reinforce a unit already in combat, said Maj. Jorge Cordeiro, Maneuver Team observer controller for the Hohenfels-based Joint Multinational Readiness Center.
“We practice this mission with a lot of allied nations because it integrates both air and ground assets,” said Cordeiro. “Another reason we do this training is because it’s a very common combat mission.”
“This type of exercise is mostly reactionary,” said Sgt. Kelly Konkus, squad leader with 1-94 FA. “All you need is the right equipment. After that it’s all mental.”
The QRF training also proved beneficial to the combined forces.
“This is the second time I have done this type of training. It is really good training because it is like a big puzzle, every piece has to fit just right,” said Staff Sgt. Florea Sas of the Romanian army.
After four days of trilateral training, the troops put together the final puzzle piece as they conducted their final Immediate Response combat operation, July 21.
Their mission was to fly an hour and a half from the NSTA to a Romanian training sight and capture a mock terrorist leader in a hostile environment.
Dismounting three UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters onto Romanian soil, Soldiers hit the ground running. After only 15 minutes on the ground, the troops achieved their goal as they were able to take out all of the hostiles and secure their target.
“Today wraps up all of our training,” said Staff Sgt. Richard Elliot, a team leader with 1-94 FA. “We practiced, rehearsed, we knew what we had to do and then we executed it.”
Although from three separate nations, the combined forces grew stronger as Immediate Response’s goal to strengthen relationships was achieved.accoarding to Elliot.
“Over time we began to understand one another,” he said. “Soldiers have a common language. Our tactics are slightly different. Our uniforms are slightly different. Our weapons are slightly different, but this exercise has given us the opportunity to share in those very differences.”
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