UKRAINE - Soldiers from the California Army National Guard arrived here at the Yavoriv Training Center Sept. 30 for Rapid Trident, which is an annual training exercise which focuses on peacekeeping operations and multi-national cooperation.
A Partnership for Peace project created under the guidance of NATO, the exercise trains participants to conduct multi-national brigade and lower level coalition operations.
This year, Rapid Trident will consist of two separate exercises, a computer assisted simulation and a field training exercise. Soldiers will train under a fictitious scenario tasked with peace enforcement in a Kosovo-like country.
With morale and anticipation running high, Army Guard Soldiers said they look forward to the multi-national training.
"I'm excited about the mission," said Spc. John Cunningham of Co. B, 1/18th Cavalry. "We come with our training, and we believe it's the best training in the world. So, hopefully we can show the other countries how we do things.
"I'm sure we'll be learning stuff from them and hopefully teach them some things too."
Unsure of what to expect upon arriving in the Ukraine, California Guardsmen also said they've been impressed by the host country's hospitality.
"We've been received with open arms," said 2nd Lt. Mark Phillips. "Everyone's been very helpful getting across the language barrier."
Phillips said he is hopeful the Americans and other participating country's soldiers will form friendships over the next two weeks, which he said he believes will improve the quality of training.
"I'd like to see a lot of camaraderie between us and our counterparts," said Phillips. "We are all a part of the same human race all fighting for the same goals of democracy and freedom."