Wisconsin Guard troops get realistic Kosovo training in Germany

By Lynn Davis
U.S. Army Europe Public Affairs

HOHENFELS, Germany - Crowd control, roadblocks and high tensions have recently become part of the daily scene for NATO peacekeepers in Kosovo.

Fortunately for the next KFOR rotation, that's also the scene at U.S. Army Europe's Joint Multinational Training Center in Hohenfels, Germany. Expert planners and observer controllers (OCs) have made it a number one priority to ensure National Guard Soldiers from more than 10 states - including approximately 180 from the Wisconsin Army National Guard's 157th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade - are ready to face the current situation.

"We sent several OCs from different teams over to Kosovo to observe the latest [tactics, techniques and procedures] and understand the operational environment there," said Capt. John Denney, an OC at JMRC.

That information is then given to scenario writers who develop the events that Soldiers will be challenged with during their training, Denney said. National Guard Soldiers make up the U.S. element of KFOR 15, and they noticed JMRC's efforts to make training as realistic as possible right away.

"Early on in our training, the focus was on a relatively steady state and calm environment in Kosovo," said the Wisconsin Army National Guard's Col. Jeffrey Liethen, KFOR 15 commander. "Things have drastically changed. It's very obvious that the training program here at Hohenfels has been modified to replicate what is actually going on in Kosovo right now so that will definitely be a help in us conducting our mission."

A group of Georgia National Guard Soldiers stack behind a wall during the cordon and search lane at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Hohenfels, Germany. National Guard Soldiers from several states - including the Wisconsin Army National Guard's 157th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade - are part of the KFOR 15 rotation preparing to deploy to Kosovo in the upcoming months. U.S. Army photo by Lynn Davis

The Guard Soldiers also have the unique opportunity to train with partner nations they will work alongside during their deployment.

"Anytime that we have the opportunity to train with our multinational partners is a huge benefit for both understanding how they operate and understanding the idiosyncrasies of their doctrine compared to ours," Liethen said. "Just being able to communicate with those that speak a language foreign to ours is a big benefit."

Another advantage is the prior deployments and skills set these Guard Soldiers bring to the table that will aid them in the KFOR mission.

"What we are hoping to do is take a lot of the experience these Soldiers already have out of Iraq or Afghanistan," Denney said. "We use those basics they have used and put a Kosovo polish on it specific to the deployment they are going to be seeing here shortly."

The transfer of authority to KFOR 15 is scheduled for December, where these Soldiers will have a chance to implement the training they've received and further the peacekeeping mission in Kosovo.

The 157th will serve as the brigade headquarters unit for Multi-National Battle Group East, also referred to as Task Force Falcon. There it will oversee operations for the entire Multi-National Battle Group-East, which also includes units from Armenia, Greece, Poland, Turkey, Romania and the Ukraine.