Tony Grist
HOHENFELS, Germany — Over 500 U.S. Army paratroopers jumped from multiple aircrafts as part of a training exercise involving airborne operations in Eglsee, Germany on Sept. 4, 2024, kicking off Saber Junction.
More than 4,500 military personnel from 11 countries are participating in Saber Junction, an annual training exercise at the U.S. Army’s Joint Multinational Readiness Center, Hohenfels, Germany from Aug. 25 to Sept. 19, 2024.
“What’s awaiting them is probably the hardest fight they’ve ever been in,” said Brig. Gen. Steve Carpenter, commanding general of 7th Army Training Command, U.S. Army, Europe and Africa.
“We want it to be the hardest here so when they get into combat, it seems just a little bit easier.”
The purpose of this exercise is to strengthen interoperability and readiness between participating NATO Allies and partner nations, enabling them to respond rapidly to any threat.
“The way by which warfare is taking place right now and we’re seeing it in Ukraine, we’re seeing it in other places around the world like the Middle East. Large-scale combat operations is something we always have to practice, we have to stay on top of all the changes taking place”, says Carpenter.
U.S. Army’s 173rd Airborne Brigade paratroopers kicked off the event by jumping from U.S. Air Force C-130 and C-17 aircrafts to demonstrate their ability to deploy and integrate with NATO allies and partners.
“We have to adapt to what’s going on in the Ukraine and we need to train that [to adapt] at combat training centers like this”, says Carpenter, “So that any adversary of the NATO alliance or any alliance the United States has, they would think it’s absolutely unthinkable to start a war with the United States or its allies and partners”.
By SPC Cambrie Cannon
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