Kuwait and U.S. artillery soldiers trained and learned together, developing interoperability and furthering mutual development at the Udairi Range Complex on April 23 and 24, 2019. Sgt. Liane Hatch, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, reports on U.S. Army’s website.

Kuwait Land Forces (KLF) 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 on April 23, 2019. Alsanea and his Soldiers trained with their U.S. counterparts as part of an enduring partnership that enables interoperability between regional allies (Picture source: U.S. Army / Sgt. Liane Hatch)

Newly-graduated officers from the Kuwait Land Forces (KLF) Artillery Regiment Basic Officers Course partnered with U.S. Soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, 29th Artillery Regiment, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, as Soldiers demonstrated a sand table rehearsal they had just used days before for a situational training exercise, and conducted live fire training on M109A6 Paladin howitzers.

U.S. Army Lt. Col. Mike Coombes, the 3-29 commander, 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. “For Lt. Col Ahmad Alsanea, this provided him 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 provided them a visual demonstration of the artillery sensor to shooter linkages.”

KLF soldiers spent two afternoons with U.S. soldiers, where the troops 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.

He added he and his troops especially valued seeing the complexity of the situational training and the inclusion of a simulated paramilitary opposition force, which required platoons to maintain security behind the simulated forward line of troops.

Coombes said that while KLF soldiers were engaged throughout the event, the U.S. soldiers also benefitted from working with their regional allies to strengthen their ongoing partnership. “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,” said Coombes. “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”.