SPARTAN SENTINEL TASK FORCE SPARTAN | March 2019 | Volume 2, Issue 4 Just Dropping Soldiers face obstacles, rappel their way through air assault course in Kuwait PAGE 30 in Inside Exercise Inferno Creek U.S. Army, Navy concludes in Oman partner for joint PAGE 4 aviation training in Soldiers take part in celebrating Arabian Gulf PAGE 10 anniversary of Kuwait liberation PAGE 32 The Spartan Sentinel is an authorized publication for members of the Department of Defense. Contents of the Spartan Two U.S. Army Soldiers rappel from a Sentinel are not necessarily the official views of, or endorsed UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter during by, the U.S. Government or the Department of the Army. This SHARED On the cover training at the Udairi Landing Zone, publication is produced by the 34th Red Bull Infantry Division, Camp Buehring, Kuwait, Feb. 9, 2019. lead element of Task Force Spartan. UNDERSTANDING Instructors from the Army National Guard Warrior Training Center, Fort Task Force Spartan is a unique, multi-component organization, Benning, Georgia, trained and qualified made up of active Army and National Guard units, rounded out < the aircrew assigned to the 1st Battalion, by U.S. Army Reserve support units. 108th Aviation Regiment, Kansas Army Through Operation Spartan Shield (OSS), Task Force Spartan National Guard, in preparation for an air maintains a U.S. military posture in Southwest Asia sufficient assault course that took place in Kuwait to strengthen our defense relationships and build partner It matters in February. (U.S. Army National Guard capacity. photo by Sgt. Emily Finn with illustration A MESSAGE FROM THE COMMANDER OF THE DIXIE THUNDER BRIGADE by 1st Lt. Eric Jungels) Units supporting OSS provide capabilities such as aviation, logistics, force protection and information management, and facilitate theater security cooperation activities such as key leader engagements, joint exercises, conferences, symposia and humanitarian assistance/disaster response planning. ith our transfer of authority what deters aggression and emboldens I hope each Soldier will be able to and redeployment on the our allies. It is what makes the U.S Army recognize the effect we have on this All content within this publication is free of copyright and available for public distribution. Attribution is appreciated. horizon, I am prompted to such a formidable fighting force. But no region as part of Operation Spartan look back over the course one does it alone. Shield. We may not see all the different For high-resolution photos and video, and for more updates of the last nine months areas that have been impacted by our about missions, activities and events of Task Force Spartan, W or any supporting units, visit us online at the following we have spent as Task Force Spartan’s The partnership exercises here are work, but I hope we are able to take locations: armored brigade combat team. Our successful because there is shared a step back, look at everything from dvidshub.net/unit/TFSpartan time here has brought excitement and understanding. It is not a one-way an individual task to a multinational facebook.com/USArmyCentral anticipation, but also the monotony conversation. It is fellow Soldiers, across exercise, and say with confidence, facebook.com/TFSpartan of tasks, meetings, and syncs. In the the Middle East, sharing experiences it matters. facebook.com/TheRedBulls facebook.com/155ABCT moment, it may seem like all of these and tactics, techniques and procedures Submit your photos and articles facebook.com/3BCT4ID things run together in an endless cycle. that will help strengthen both sides. It facebook.com/18thfabrigade As I look back and reflect, I am able to is no different at home. The ability to Contributions to the Spartan Sentinel facebook.com/The20thEngineerBrigade say with confidence,it matters. communicate and manage expectations are encouraged. Send high-resolution facebook.com/35thCAB facebook.com/69ADABDE/ goes a long way in creating mutually photos, art, news and feature stories facebook.com/242dordbn Each rep — whether it is at the gym, beneficial relationships. The ability to to [email protected]. Task Force Spartan Public Affairs Office the range or a multinational exercise offer constructive criticism is valuable, Camp Arifjan, Kuwait | DSN: 318.480.0858 — matters. Readiness and partnership but not nearly as much as the ability aren’t just themes in a campaign plan. to receive it. Communication is critical They are vital targets to enrich across in every relationship — whether it be a formations, but most importantly in the squad seizing the objective or a couple SPARTAN individual Soldier. This deployment has separated by deployment. Don’t just TASK FORCE SPARTAN SENTINEL provided time and resources for Soldiers look for what can be gained, but rather to grow stronger physically, mentally strive to be a part of something bigger and tactically. This is all part of personal than ourselves. Those insights and Commanding General Public Affairs Officer readiness. Completing Structured Self relationships can last a lifetime. Maj. Gen. Benjamin Corell Maj. David Adams Development, working toward a 300 on the Army Physical Fitness Test, or It matters. These partnerships matter. Command Sergeant Major @TFSpartan Deputy Public Affairs Officer earning Air Assault wings. These things This training matters. Increasing Command Sgt. Maj. Joseph Hjelmstad 1st Lt. Eric Jungels matter, and make better Soldiers and readiness matters. I hope each Soldier better people. Our collective readiness is will seize the opportunity to grow here. Major Units Division Public Affairs Team Col. Robert D. Ferguson 34th Red Bull Infantry Division Sgt. 1st Class Ben Houtkooper 155th Armored Brigade Combat Team (ABCT) Sgt. Bill Boecker Commander 3rd ABCT, 4th Infantry Division Sgt. Linsey Williams 155th Armored Brigade Combat Team 18th Field Artillery Brigade Spc. Samantha Petersen 20th Engineer Brigade 69th Air Defense Artillery Brigade 1st Battalion, 108th Aviation Regiment 242nd Ordnance Battalion 158th Military Engagement Team 34TH RED BULL INFANTRY DIVISION @TheRedBulls 2 @TheRedBulls34id SPARTAN SENTINEL 3 Soldiers of the Mississippi National Guard’s 2nd Battalion, 198th Armored Regiment, 155th Armored Brigade Combat Team, take a short halt to check their synchronization with partners in the simulated battle during the culminating event for Inferno Creek 19 in Rabkoot, Oman, Feb. 5, 2019. Inferno Creek is a bilateral training exercise designed to build interoperability between the U.S. Army and the Royal Army of Oman. During the exercise, both militaries developed shared understanding of each other’s tactics, techniques and procedures to build proficiency and work together to support long-term regional stability. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Linsey Williams with illustration by 1st Lt. Eric Jungels) RABKOOT, Oman— Mortars fire, Claymore mines detonate, and a support-by-fire element of infantry Soldiers at the crest of a rocky desert hill opens fire. Two Omani NH-90 helicopters swoop down through the sky and fire at their designated targets. Javelin shoulder-fired anti-tank missiles rocket into the sky. Sniper fire from a hillcrest hits silhouette targets standing in the open valley of sand. This was the final event of the Inferno Creek 19 exercise, an event that culminates three weeks of side-by-side training and many months of planning between the U.S. Army and the Royal Army of Oman. As the dust begins to spread over the desert, American and Omani Soldiers begin the ground assault toward their objective. From high above, on a hilltop known as Sultan’s Perch, high-ranking military officials and distinguished guests watch the maneuvers through binoculars under the shade of camouflage netting. U.S., Oman strengthen military partnership, capabilities By Sgt. Linsey Williams 34th Red Bull Infantry Division 4 SPARTAN SENTINEL 5 A Royal Air Force of Oman NH-90 helicopter takes a hard right to maneuver over an objective as part of a live-fire rehearsal in Rabkoot, Oman, between the Royal Army of Oman maneuver Soldiers of the Mississippi National Guard’s rehearsal with 2nd Battalion, 198th Armored Regiment, 155th Armored Brigade Combat Team, Mississippi National Guard, Feb. 4, 2019. (Below) U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Michael Wickman, 2nd Battalion, 198th Armored Regiment, deputy commanding general for operations for Task Force Spartan and the Minnesota National Guard’s 34th Red Bull Infantry Division, visits an Omani commander before the execution of 155th Armored Brigade Combat Team take a a live-fire maneuver rehearsal in Rabkoot, Oman, Feb. 4, 2019. (U.S. Army National Guard photos by Sgt. Linsey Williams) short halt with partners in the simulated battle at the culminating event for Inferno Creek 19 in Rabkoot, Oman, Feb. 5, 2019. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Linsey Williams) While the U.S. and Oman are long-time partners, there are built trust—we decided this would be something we could do in still many aspects of combat capability that can be enhanced addition to what we had planned.” when exercises like Inferno Creek take place, as U.S. Army Lt. Col. Kenneth Anthony, commander of Mississippi National Infantrymen in the 11th Brigade of the Royal Army of Oman Guard’s 2nd Battalion, 198th Armored Regiment, 155th had not conducted an air assault before this exercise. Task Armored Brigade Combat Team, points out. Force Spartan, a multi-component organization based in Southwest Asia designed to strengthen defense relationships “We’ve met, we’ve conducted classes and academics. and build partner capacity, assigned an aviation planner to the We’ve also conducted seminars, and jointly have planned exercise to participate in MDMP. operations,” said Anthony. “Through that we’ve figured out how we can get through the difficult task of communicating, “Once it was determined that they really wanted to do an air accomplishing our goal and meeting our training assault, it really changed the focus to doing the MDMP with objectives.” both the Army and the Air Force to bring both services to the table in order to plan and go through all the steps in order to Inferno Creek is an example of military interoperability at all be successful,” explained U.S.