Combined Resolve XVI tests the ability of the U.S. Army and its allied forces on their ability to work in a joint, multinational environment against adversaries. This rotation marked the 16th Combined Resolve exercise, which consisted of approximately 4,600 soldiers from the United Kingdom, Ukraine, Slovakia, Italy, Serbia, Lithuania, Greece, Bulgaria, Poland and the United States.
“Combined Resolve is a 10-day full-scale exercise that recreates the battlefield with no pauses at all,” said 1st Sgt. Patrick Flanagan, Joint Multinational Readiness Center senior observer. “From start to finish you are completely immersed in this operational environment.”
Combined Resolve provides a full combat training center rotation for U.S. Army Europe and Africa’s Operation Atlantic Resolve deployed armored brigade combat team, testing and certifying their ability to conduct full-spectrum operations in a multinational environment.
The Joint Multinational Readiness Center is the Army’s only combat training center located outside the United States, providing a mobile training capability to Europe that trains leaders, staffs, and units up to Brigade Combat Teams and multinational partners, to dominate in the conduct of the Unified Land Operations anywhere in the world, now and in the future.
“Combined Resolve XVI was a significant capstone for this Atlantic Resolve rotation,” said U.S. Army Capt. Timothy Johnson, 1st Infantry Division brigade civil affairs chief. “All in all, this exercise stretched our brigade’s systems and capabilities to grow us into a more lethal, technically proficient and multinational-ready force.”
Flanagan said once on ground, many units find Combined Resolve a very immersive and challenging training scenario. Along with the technical and tactical challenges, the environment also poses challenges with the terrain and unpredictable weather patterns. Snow, rain, mud and ice made the steep terrain formidable to conquer, but units within the training adapted well.
Johnson said the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, lived and worked alongside allies and partners for the duration of their Atlantic Resolve rotation, which allowed them to work more cohesively as a team during Combined Resolve XVI.