Soldiers assigned to the 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, 2-501st General Support Aviation Battalion, 3-501st Attack Helicopter Battalion, Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Armored Division and the Hellenic XXV Armored Brigade conduct Exercise Olympic Cooperation 22 from Oct. 7-21, 2022 at Petrochori Training Area, Greece. Exercise Olympic Cooperation is an annual multinational combined arms live fire exercise (CALFEX) between the Hellenic XXV Armored Brigade and allies and partners.
“We are excited for the opportunity to integrate light infantry tactics and Air Assault with mechanized and armored formations to build a truly multinational combined arms team,” stated Lt. Col. David Williams, the Commander of the 1-502nd IN, during the opening ceremony for Olympic Cooperation 22. “We are also excited for the chance to build enduring relationships among Soldiers.”
“The combined employment of light infantry Soldiers, mechanized units and an array of both fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft demonstrate the true definition of NATO,” said Maj. Joel Marbut, the Operations Officer assigned to 1-502 IN. “We have undoubtedly built strategic relationships with our XXV Brigade partners.”
The United States’ commitment to defending NATO territory is ironclad and the United States will continue to bolster its posture to better defend NATO Allies. Olympic Cooperation 22 began with wet gap crossing training, which consisted of 1-502 IN, 3-501st AHB and the Hellenic XXV Armored BDE conducting joint operations to tactically maneuver across Nesto’s Gorge River. Light infantry assets were transported aboard UH-60 Blackhawks from the 3-501st AHB and cleared the way for the armored vehicles to maneuver across the river. Prior to the mission, there was much training leading up the actual event.
Similar to the wet gap crossing Training, military operations in urban terrain (MOUT) training would present similar challenges and require complex planning for the desired outcome. From October 12-14, 1-502 IN, 2-501st GSAB, 3-501st AHB and the Hellenic XXV Armored BDE executed MOUT training, which was broken down into to three phases: planning, training and execution. The training would not only test the combined forces, but it would bring them closer as joint force. The CALFEX was the culminating event; The joint force conducted an array of operations to demonstrate joint interoperability and readiness among NATO partners and allies.
