An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : News : Article View
NEWS | Sept. 30, 2015

From U.S. to Berlin: Utah and Maryland Guard members exchange experiences with German counterparts

By Capt. Kurt Rauschenberg 115th Military Police Battalion

BERLIN, Germany —The Military Reserve Exchange Program, established between the U.S. Office of the Secretary of Defense Reserve Affairs and German Ministry of Defense in 1985, promotes unique training experiences and cultural education for reserve component officers.

Each year both the U.S. and German military sends approximately 22 reserve component officers to receive training and share experiences within their individual skill sets. The United Kingdom and Denmark military also have an exchange program partnership with the U.S. military.

I found the program invaluable in the sense of enabling U.S. military members to see and participate firsthand in another country’s military operations and best practices. This was one of those opportunities which not only develops a military officer professionally, but promotes personal friendships and building relationships abroad.

I was one of three Maryland National Guard members and one of 21 U.S. military officers participating in the exchange program. As the commander of Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 115th Military Police Battalion, I was presented with a unique opportunity to host a German military police officer, Capt. Thomas Werft, in Salisbury, Maryland, during annual training in June. Werft is a 16-year German military police officer or Feldjäger of the Bundeswehr.

“I got the impression the U.S. Army and Bundeswehr were very similar in terms of chain of command on a company and battalion level”, said Werft. “Although the concept of a reserve differs much more than I expected, U.S. Army supports reserves in a better way and they also expect more from the Soldiers.”

Werft was one of 21 German Bundeswehr officers to visit and train with U.S. Reserve military components and one of four to train with the MarylandNational Guard.

“Overall I would say we are quite close in our military principles and thinking, but at the end it is always the people behind the guidelines and here we (U.S. Army and Bundeswehr Soldiers have the same mindset,” Werft said.

Werft participated in a battalion-level exercise requiring him to perform functions of the U.S. military decision-making process, mobilize as a member of the Maryland National Guard, and conduct military police tasks as a quick-reaction force Soldier during a simulated riot in Ocean City, Maryland.

“It’s the exchange of thoughts, mindset and impressions,” Werft said. “And I recognized during the program it’s even more; it’s building relationships with people which will outlast the exchange program itself.”

Following Werft’s training experience with the Maryland National Guard, I left Baltimore to train in Berlin, Germany, for two weeks. However, rather than a military police officer, I trained as a public affairs officer, a secondary skill of mine, with the Ministry of Defense’s editorial service, or “Redaktion der Bundeswehr.”

To train with the German public affairs was a big surprise for me, but also very beneficial since I’ll soon be the public affairs officer for the 58th Expeditionary Military Intelligence Brigade.

I was able to not only grasp onto to the best practices of this macro-level organization, but provided my experience as a public affairs officer at the National Guard Bureau in Arlington, Virginia.

In addition to my military role, I’m also a media relations specialist with NGB as a federal civilian and was joined in Berlin with Lt. Col. Steven Fairbourn, public affairs officer for the Utah National Guard. Throughout the two weeks, Fairbourn and I received an introduction to each function of German Ministry of Defense public affairs, which is the equivalent of Defense Media Activity at Fort Meade, Maryland under the U.S. Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense.

Redaktion der Bendeswehr provides the German Ministry of Defense with state of the art media technology, various media content for three news publications, and social media expertise. Each department provided us a detailed lesson on the critical public affairs roles they serve under the Ministry of Defense. German Navy Cmdr. Peter Vossieg facilitated an introduction to all ministries of the German government.

“It was a true honor having our American counterparts here with us,” said Vossieg. “We all benefit from these exchanges.”

On the last day of the exchange, Fairbourn and I acquired a story involving the U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, receiving a prestigious award known as the Knight Commander’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, which was presented by Germany’s Chief of Defense, Gen. Volker Wieker.

Not only was I able to meet both our nation’s top generals, but we also produced a story on the award he received, which is now being published in the German military’s newspaper and magazine.

The story Fairbourn and I wrote will be the first English-written story published in the Aktuell, the Bundeswehr’s newspaper, and Y-Magazin magazine. These publications have been active since 1965 and are distributed to all Bundeswehr units and offices under the Ministry of Defense.

 

 

Related Articles
Soldiers stand in formation during a mobilization ceremony for the 634th Brigade Support Battalion Forward Logistics Element Jan. 20, 2025, at the Illinois Army National Guard's Readiness Center in Sullivan. The unit, with just over a dozen Soldiers, will support logistics for U.S. Army Europe and Africa.
Illinois Guard Unit to Support U.S. Army Europe and Africa
By Lt. Col. Bradford Leighton, | Jan. 21, 2025
SULLIVAN, Ill. - The Illinois Army National Guard’s 634th Brigade Support Battalion Forward Logistics Element was activated Jan. 20 for deployment to Africa and Europe.A forward logistics element is a diverse team comprising...

U.S. Army Sgt. Bryce Carter, an infantryman with C Company, 1st Battalion, 160th Infantry Regiment, California Army National Guard, sharpens the blade of a hoe to clear brush and other debris as part of remediation efforts along the Mulholland Trail near Tarzana, California, in the aftermath of the Palisades Fire, Jan. 18, 2025. Carter and other members of his unit were assisting CALFIRE in mop-up efforts, which included clearing brush and backfilling firebreaks and other areas to prevent mudslides and reduce the impact of firefighting efforts.
National Guard Members Continue LA Wildfire Response
By Sgt. 1st Class Jon Soucy, | Jan. 21, 2025
LOS ANGELES – U.S. Army Sgt. Ricardo Hernandez watched from a cross street as sporadic traffic passed on the Pacific Coast Highway near Pacific Palisades. The late afternoon sun glinted off his sunglasses as a man on a...

Air Force Gen. Steve Nordhaus, chief, National Guard Bureau, Army Senior Enlisted Advisor John Raines, SEA to the CNGB, and Army Lt. Gen. Jonathan Stubbs, director, Army National Guard, visit National Guardsmen on duty to support the 60th Presidential Inauguration as part of Joint Task Force – District of Columbia (JTF-DC), Washington, D.C., Jan. 19, 2025. JTF-DC is a scalable and tailorable entity that supports presidential inaugurations every four years and is led by the commanding general of the District of Columbia National Guard. JTF-DC supports civilian authorities, such as the U.S. Capitol Police, U.S. Secret Service and D.C. Metropolitan Police by providing support like crowd management, traffic control points, CBRN response, civil disturbance response and sustainment operations.
National Guard Bureau Leaders Meet With Guardsmen Supporting 60th Presidential Inauguration
By Master Sgt. Zach Sheely, | Jan. 20, 2025
WASHINGTON – About 7,800 National Guard troops are on duty here as part of a large interagency presence to ensure the peaceful transition of power during the 60th Presidential Inauguration Monday, continuing a legacy that...