By Sgt. Liane Hatch
3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs Office, 4th Infantry Division
CAMP BUEHRING, Kuwait — Kuwait and artillery Soldiers trained and learned together, developing interoperability and furthering mutual development at the Udairi Range Complex in Kuwait April 23-24, 2019.
CAMP BUEHRING, Kuwait — A soldier with the Kuwait Land Forces (KLF) Artillery Regiment looks out at a Camp Buehring, Kuwait, training area using a lightweight laser designated rangefinder during joint training with U.S. Soldiers from 3rd Battalion, 29th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, April 23, 2019. (Photo by Sgt. Liane Hatch)
Newly-graduated officers from the Kuwait Land Forces (KLF) Artillery Regiment Basic Officers Course partnered with Soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, 29th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, as they demonstrated a sand table rehearsal — used days before for a situational training exercise — and conducted live-fire training on M109A6 Paladin howitzers.
Lt. Col. Mike Coombes, commander, 3rd Bn., 29th FA, 3rd ABCT, said the exchange was the first in what will be an ongoing partnership with the KLF Artillery Regiment’s soldiers and with Lt. Col. Ahmad Alsanea.
“This provided (Alsanea) an understanding of how we plan and then provide exercise control for a dynamic platoon situational training exercise,” said Coombes. “For the lieutenants, it was their first observation of artillery live fire, and (the exercise) provided them a visual demonstration of the artillery sensor to shooter linkages.”
KLF soldiers spent two afternoons with U.S. troops, where they discussed U.S. gated training strategies and observed live fire both from the firing line and observation posts.
“This has been a great experience and an opportunity for our soldiers to learn how the U.S. conducts training exercises,” Alsanea said.
Alsanea and his troops most valued seeing the complexity of the situational training and the inclusion of a simulated paramilitary opposition force, he said, which required platoons to maintain security behind the simulated forward line of troops.
While KLF soldiers were engaged throughout the event, U.S. Soldiers also benefitted from working with their regional allies to strengthen their ongoing partnership, Coombes said.
“The purpose of the partnership is to build interoperability between the organizations that is sustainable and transferable over the course of future Operation Spartan Shield rotations,” Coombes said. “We benefit from an increased defense capacity in the region and individual U.S. Soldiers benefit personally and professionally from learning to interact and train with members of the Kuwait Land Forces.”
CAMP BUEHRING, Kuwait — Kuwait Land Forces Lt. Col. Ahmad Alsanea, middle, and other KLF soldiers observe a sand table rehearsal for a situational training exercise conducted by U.S. Soldiers from 3rd Battalion, 29th Artillery Regiment, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, at a Camp Buehring, Kuwait, training area April 23, 2019. (Photo by Sgt. Liane Hatch)