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ALEXANDRIA, Egypt (October 15, 2009) - From
vast fields to jungles and now modern city landscapes the face of
the modern battlefield has changed and will continue to change in
the future.
One tool used by forces around the
world to prepare for the shifting battlefield is Military
Operations in Urban Terrain training. From room clearing techniques
to individual soldier movement, MOUT training helps give soldiers a
better understanding of how to win the fight in an urban
environment.
Members of the 82nd Airborne
Division's, 1st Battalion, 325th Infantry Regiment, recently helped
train Egyptian and Pakistani forces in MOUT during Bright Star
2009/10 held in Egypt.
Operation Bright Star which is led by
Egypt, the U.S. Central Command and Third Army/U.S. Army Central is
the largest exercise in the region that began nearly 30 years ago
as a military training exercise designed to build stronger bonds
between the military forces of those nations as part of an ongoing
series of exercises including airborne, aviation, naval and Marine
field training exercises, along with a multinational command post
battle-tracking exercise.
Using the Mubarak Military City,
located near Alexandria, the U.S. Soldiers began training the
coalition forces on room clearing procedures.
"We are training on how to properly
enter and clear a room and to get a better relationship with
Egyptian and Pakistani soldiers," said 1st Lt. William Ibrahim, 2nd
Platoon leader, 1-325th Inf. Regt.
"The training is important so they
can better understand how we do things. Most of the soldiers we are
training are lieutenants and captains so they can go back and train
their soldiers with what they learned when they get back to the
unit," Ibrahim said.
The importance of the training was
apparent on both sides of the line.
"It is very good but very hard," said
Capt. Eslam Abdou Mohamuad, an Egyptian company commander. "This is
a good way to exchange experiences on how to fight in the city and
it is good to take experiences from other countries."
Sgt. 1st Class Gerald Rouse, platoon
sergeant for 2nd platoon, added, "It's definitely different. I
think it's great for the younger soldiers who haven't deployed yet
to be able to work with foreign countries.
MOUT training lasted only one day but
all soldiers involved were able to exchange experiences and helped
build a new relationship which was a primary purpose of the
exercise.
"Some of these guys speak English
pretty well, so it's been pretty easy to talk to them," said Spc.
Ahmed Atia, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Brigade Special
Troop Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 82nd Abn. Div. "We are able to
exchange knowledge." Atia, a native Arabic speaker, has family in
Egypt and acted as an interpreter for the training.
"It's nice to come back here and
hopefully see some of my family before I leave," he said.
Bright Star will continue building
partnerships as it conducts a friendship jump with the coalition
forces and will culminate in a computer-based command exercise.
Planning for the next Bright Star will begin immediately after the
conclusion of the exercise with all participants looking for growth
in troops for the next event.
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