BOISE, Idaho - Plane load after plane load of troops and equipment land on the airstrip at Gowen Air Field here in preparation for a joint combat support mission between U.S. and Canadian service members.
Operation Cougar Salvo 12 hosted nearly 900 U.S. and Canadian service members who traveled more than 1,000 miles with approximately 160 tactical vehicles April 23 to May 5.
Soldiers from the 158th Combat Service Support Battalion of the Arizona National Guard, and members from the 39 Canadian Brigade Group of the Canadian Forces Army Reserve, British Columbia, came together to create the joint multinational 39th Sustainment Support Element during the 14-day exercise.
"We're here for our annual training, and have combined with the 158th CSSB out of Arizona with the intent to provide combat service support to the 39th Canadian Brigade Group," said Canadian Army Lt. Col. Kirk Jones, commander of the 39th Service Battalion.
"This is a chance for us to work with our U.S. allies, and to understand how sustainment and combat support works in a NATO context," he said.
This training was beneficial for strengthening multinational integration efforts, and helped exercise some of the Arizona National Guard's own unit capabilities.
"This is a great opportunity for us to exercise support coordination," said Army Maj. Erik Schroeder, acting commander of the 158th CSSB and executive officer of the 39th SSE.
"The support we provide is everything from maintenance to transportation, supply management, recovery, repair, ammunition management, ammunition distribution, to name just a few significant components," he said.
While efforts to safeguard the freedom and security of its member countries by political and military means remain a constant mission for all NATO forces, the combat support training helped U.S. and Canadian troops with understanding how to work together while deployed.
"We want to continue to build that security cooperation agreement," Schroeder said. "We don't go to war by ourselves anymore, which is why it is important that we continue to push for this integration on all levels."
In addition to providing full spectrum logistic operational support to Cougar Salvo 12, the 39th SSE also conducted military drills, such as convoy operations, in order to prepare for future deployments.
"Our soldiers have this rare opportunity to train together and understand each other's mission," Jones said. "It's a chance for them to learn how each other's armies do business."
Although, the initial planning for Cougar Salvo 12 took nearly 10 months, it proved to be a worthwhile event for multinational training.
"The planning phase involved multiple reconnaissance missions of the training site and conferences to learn how each nation conducted their operations," Schroeder said. "Given the success of Cougar Salvo 12, a future joint multinational operation, Western Defender 13, is already being planned for next year in Wainwright, Canada."