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CAMP ILLISKY, Kazakhstan (September 13, 2009) -
In keeping with its mission to shape the future, Soldiers from
Third Army/U.S. Army Central are working alongside representatives
from the United States, Kazakhstan, and British Armies during the
multinational exercise, Steppe Eagle, which began Sept. 14.
Kazakhstan minister of defense,
Adilbek Dzhaksybekov, officially opened the exchange, emphasizing
the important role it plays. "This exercise will considerably
increase the level of regional security and capability in our armed
forces," Dzhaksybekov said.
"Steppe Eagle is in its seventh year
and is military exercise designed to improve the participants'
operational capabilities, combat readiness, and ability to conduct
peace support operations as part of internationally sanctioned
multinational operations," U.S. Ambassador to Kazakhstan, Richard
Hoagland, said as he welcomed participants to the exercise. "I look
forward to what I know will be an extremely rewarding and
successful exercise for the warriors of KAZBRIG, Seventh Rifles
Regiment, the Puerto Rico National Guard, NATO and U.S. Army
Central."
One of the goals of this year's
Steppe Eagle is to assist the Kazakh military as it works towards
NATO certification, said Lt. Col. Dave Horn, Third Army/USARCENT
Central and South Asia team chief and deputy exercise director for
Steppe Eagle.
Robert Simmons, Special
Representative to the General Secretary of NATO, touched on this
during his opening comments.
"It permits the elements of the army
of Kazakhstan to work with and to in fact operate with forces of
allied countries in particular with the United Kingdom and the
United States so that they are truly interoperable," Simmons
said.
"Third Army's role in Steppe Eagle is
to provide a military decision making process information exchange
to the Kazakh brigade and two battalions of the KAZBRIG, their air
mobile force," Horn said. "Our goal is to assist them in becoming
interoperable with the NATO force and eventually deploy with a NATO
force."
Horn explained that the KAZBRIG's 1st
Battalion went through a NATO exercise last year and will be doing
a follow-on exercise next year. This year's Steppe Eagle is also
working with 2nd Battalion and the brigade headquarters, KAZBRIG. A
third battalion will stand up in the future.
"The culmination of this year's
Steppe Eagle will be the self-evaluation of the 2nd Battalion of
KAZBRIG - an extremely important element in our efforts to ensure
that KAZBRIG is combat ready and deployable in order to support our
mutual goals, but more importantly the strategic interests of
Kazakhstan as well as its allies and partners," Hoagland said.
In addition to their work towards
future NATO certification, Hoagland left participants with an
important message about the impact Steppe Eagle will have on
them.
"You are a reflection of the
commitment of our nations to develop and enhance our mutual
cooperation and understanding," Hoagland said. "You are a team that
shares the common bonds of a warrior culture. You have shared the
field of battle as comrades-in-arms in Iraq, and may soon do so
again as part of the NATO International Security Assistance Force
in Afghanistan."
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