U.S. Army Europe
May 8, 2015
U.S. Army Europe, Allied Land Command host Combined Training Conference
By Sgt. Jesiah Dixon, U.S. Army Europe Public Affairs
OBERAMMERGAU, Germany: U.S. Army Europe and NATO Allied Land Command co-hosted the combined training conference, at the NATO School, here, May 5.
The semi-annual conference brought together military leaders and planners from more than 35 nations in Europe and elsewhere to plan combined training and exercises.
“The combined training conference is an opportunity for U.S. Army Europe and NATO’s Allied Land Command to bring together the NATO countries, partnership for peace countries, and others, in a joint, multinational, inter-agency way, to insure we have the best training opportunities for the next several years,” said Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, commanding general, U.S. Army Europe.
Planners discussed methods of improving the quality and efficiency of combined training, and maintaining the relationships and interoperability forged between NATO allies and partners through operations in Afghanistan and elsewhere.
“Now that Iraq does not have NATO forces committed, and Afghanistan has gone from the ISAF [International Security Assistance Force] mission to the Resolute Support mission, there is still a need in Europe, particularly with the threat of Russia, to coordinate our exercise activities to insure that we are inter-operable,” said Col. James McDonough, chief of the U.S. Army Europe’s multinational training division.
The Combined Training Conference will shape the training and exercises conducted between NATO nations for years to come, and is a demonstration of U.S. and NATO commitment to regional security.
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About us: U.S. Army Europe is uniquely positioned in its 51 country area of responsibility to advance American strategic interests in Europe and Eurasia. The relationships we build during more than 1,000 theater security cooperation events in more than 40 countries each year lead directly to support for multinational contingency operations around the world, strengthen regional partnerships and enhance global security.
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