Soldiers, from Company B, 3rd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, 1st Armor Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, conducted battle drills at Pabrade Training Area, Lithuania, Dec. 2.
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The Soldiers conducted the battle drills as part of their rotation as U.S. Army Europe’s regionally-allocated force.
Cpt. Matthew Samson, the commander for Company B, 3rd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, said the battle drills provided a great change of pace after gunnery training and NATO exercises.
“This training allows me to certify my company as being capable to perform their METL [mission essential task list] tasks,” Samson said. “Eventually, conducting the battle drills will allow my platoons to be certified by the battalion commander.”
The battle drills were conducted by 3rd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment. Soldiers included conducting squad attack, knocking out a bunker and conducting initial breach of a mined wire obstacle.
Similar to the training conducted with the allied forces in Lithuania, the battle drills allowed Soldiers to fine-tune their skills within their squad and platoon.
“Conducting the battle drills allows us the chance to rehearse our specific roles in order to be more efficient at what we do,” said Pfc. Tyler Hanson, an infantryman with 3rd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment. “While it was fun working with Soldiers from different countries and learning their capabilities, it was good to work on our own.”
Throughout muddy and snowy conditions, Samson said his Soldiers performed above expectations. He said his Soldiers had to make several adjustments while training in the Baltics but accomplished their mission overall.
“The Soldiers have done very well in battle drills and gunnery,” he said. “Despite the conditions, they have been very impressive.”
Samson said that the battle drills reinforced the capabilities and interoperability of NATO forces.
“This training did a lot to ensure our allies that we can work and fight together,” he said. “Overall, this rotation was a great training experience.”
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