PABRADE, Lithuania - Lt .Gen. Timothy J. Kadavy, director of the Army National Guard, with Maj. Gen. Timothy P. McGuire, deputy commanding general of U.S. Army Europe, met with Minnesota Army National Guard soldiers during Exercise Saber Strike 17 on June 10.
The Soldiers from the Minnesota National Guard, the 2-136th Combined Arms Battalion, represented the largest contingent of Guard members to participate in the exercise, which includes 20 allied and partnered nations.
While the Army National Guard has participated in the exercise in previous years, the number of Soldiers involved was historically limited to the size of a company. During Saber Strike 17, the 2-136 CAB from the 34th Infantry Division was mobilized to Lithuania; something Kadavy said was not only the next step in training the already-capable Soldiers from Minnesota, but also supports the larger mission at hand.
"We are visiting the soldiers in Pabrade to observe their training that serves as a culminating event after last year's National Training Center rotation," Kadavy said.
Of the 17 NATO countries participating in Saber Strike 17, the Minnesota National Guard is most closely tied with Croatia, whose soldiers have worked shoulder to shoulder with Minnesota Guard members since 1996 in the State Partnership Program.
After the Minnesota Guard troops met with their international counterpart in Parade, Lithuania— the site of Exercise Iron Wolf 17— for training operations that further strengthened the bonds between the two fighting forces, the Minnesota Guard members said that while the training site changed, their focus on mission readiness hasn't. Kadavy echoed these ideas during his visit to the Pabrade training area.
"This training supports the European Resolution Initiative, in support of U.S. Army Europe and EUCOM as well as strengthens partnerships with NATO Allies," Kadavy said.
During Lt. Gen. Kadavy's visit, a few Soldiers had the opportunity to sit down with him Saturday morning, a move one Soldier said reinforced the importance of Saber Strike and his role in the training exercise.
"When you have officers from that level visiting the training site, you know the training is important," said Pfc. David Pesta with 2-136 CAB.