The Greywolf Brigade from Fort Hood is one of five brigades that make up Task Force Spartan, approximately 10,000 troops.
KXXV's Brooke Bednarz is still in Kuwait and spoke with troops who trained alongside partner nations.
Most of the Greywolf Brigade soldiers who deployed to Camp Buehring in Kuwait did so for theater security cooperation, one of the main focuses of Operation Spartan Shield.”
“The most important thing that we provide, we the United States Army provide, to this part of the world is we’re both a viable ally and a visible deterrent,” Lt. Col. Brian McCarthy, the 3-8 Battalion Commander, said.
The Greywolf Brigade participated in 12 different theater security cooperation exercises with nations such as the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
“A well-trained Brigade here just helps to keep things calm and then a credible reassurance for all of our partners in the Middle East that not only are we here, but that we’re out training alongside them and helping to develop inner-operability between our two nations, or multi-nations in several cases,” Lt. Col. McCarthy added.
For some Greywolf soldiers, this is not their first time participating in global partner exercises... saying this go around — specifically in Iraq — is different because...
"...the other occasions, I was developing that army. This time, I was fighting next to a force that is capable, willing and it has the equipment to fight next to us,” SFC. Michael DeJesus said.
The theater security cooperation exercises were for all aspects of the fight including combat medics who in a real battle would be treating patients side-by-side.
"We need to be on the same page so we can communicate better, we can treat the patients when they come to us that way [the] survivability rate is higher,” SSG Mensah Dzediku said.
Overall, the Greywolf Brigade’s time in Kuwait participating in multi-national training exercises allowed them to...
“... really grow as soldiers and then really just grow as citizens of the world as well,” Lt. Col. McCarthy said.
The Greywolf Brigade, with global partners, took part in Exercise Bright Star in Egypt over the summer. That was the first time U.S. forces have done so since 2009.
The Greywolf Brigade also conducted numerous planning conferences and key leader meetings with partner nation forces in addition to the training exercises.
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