WEBVTT 00:00.692 --> 00:02.366 - My name's Major John Dwayne Gamble, 00:02.366 --> 00:03.956 I'm the Commanding General of 21st Theater 00:03.956 --> 00:05.249 Sustainment Command. 00:05.249 --> 00:08.391 We're stationed out of Kaiserslautern, Germany. 00:08.391 --> 00:12.558 Here today in Slovenia with the 16th Sustain Brigade 00:12.583 --> 00:14.916 Special Troops Battalion and some 00:14.916 --> 00:17.714 of their down trace companies where they're doing 00:17.714 --> 00:20.157 interoperability training with our NATO allies, 00:20.157 --> 00:21.740 the Slovenian Army. 00:21.747 --> 00:25.164 The training ranges from convoy live fire 00:25.994 --> 00:29.911 to counter IED to EOD training and it's a great 00:30.961 --> 00:33.982 opportunity to share tactics, techniques, 00:33.982 --> 00:37.985 and procedures with our allies to build interoperability. 00:37.985 --> 00:40.670 Anything from secure commo on radios 00:40.670 --> 00:44.003 to EOD, counter IED, and EOD techniques. 00:46.406 --> 00:49.664 Sharing the technologies that are unique to both armies. 00:49.664 --> 00:52.752 And learning from each other and growing together 00:52.752 --> 00:56.919 all to make a stronger alliance and a strong Europe. 00:58.167 --> 01:01.111 This 16th Sustain Brigades Special Troops Battalion's 01:01.111 --> 01:04.318 a unique organization in so much as we're challenged 01:04.318 --> 01:07.485 in Europe with span of control issues. 01:08.906 --> 01:11.439 The special troops battalions in the United States 01:11.439 --> 01:13.399 are focused on running the headquarters. 01:13.399 --> 01:15.392 The Special Troops Battalion here in the 16th 01:15.392 --> 01:18.951 Sustain Brigade is focused on war fighting, 01:18.951 --> 01:21.000 building a war fighting level readiness 01:21.000 --> 01:25.083 in a vast variety of different subordinate units. 01:25.350 --> 01:29.100 The 16th Sustain Brigade STB provides command 01:29.897 --> 01:33.564 and control over not only the commo company, 01:33.830 --> 01:37.997 the Communications Signal Company, but two EOD companies, 01:38.270 --> 01:42.103 a rigor company, and several other subordinate 01:43.423 --> 01:45.725 organizations that's unique to this theater. 01:45.725 --> 01:48.000 The thing that drove us there frankly is lack 01:48.000 --> 01:50.851 of combat sustainment support battalions. 01:50.851 --> 01:54.684 So we've had to reallocate units under the STB 01:55.438 --> 01:57.765 to kind of balance the dispersion of our stationing 01:57.765 --> 01:58.682 in Germany. 01:59.263 --> 02:03.263 And frankly to balance the care and the training 02:03.338 --> 02:06.072 of our junior soldiers and our leaders. 02:06.072 --> 02:09.905 So I'm very proud of how 16th STB has stood up 02:10.377 --> 02:11.794 to the challenge. 02:11.822 --> 02:14.109 We're about six months into this new mission set. 02:14.109 --> 02:18.026 They've risen to the challenge very, very well. 02:18.487 --> 02:21.020 And this great complex training that's occurring out here 02:21.020 --> 02:23.742 in Slovenia today is indicative of the leadership 02:23.742 --> 02:25.810 that the command team brings. 02:25.810 --> 02:28.442 But not only that, but the development 02:28.442 --> 02:31.231 of our junior leaders and the leadership 02:31.231 --> 02:34.148 down to the sergeant and E-4 level. 02:35.586 --> 02:37.988 One of the great things about serving in Europe 02:37.988 --> 02:40.608 is unleashing the potential and the creativity 02:40.608 --> 02:44.331 of our junior leaders in this kind of dispersed training. 02:44.331 --> 02:48.414 Nowhere else in my 32-year career would a special 02:48.421 --> 02:51.440 troops battalion travel halfway across Europe 02:51.440 --> 02:55.043 from Baumholder, Germany to Slovenia by convoy 02:55.043 --> 02:58.376 crossing four countries and then conduct 02:58.976 --> 03:01.881 this kind of complex, fairly high-risk training 03:01.881 --> 03:04.548 with a special troops battalion. 03:05.367 --> 03:08.145 So I'm very, very proud of all the leadership 03:08.145 --> 03:11.647 in the 16th STB, and all the great soldiers 03:11.647 --> 03:14.314 that comprise that organization. 03:14.816 --> 03:18.170 The Vanguard Proof is the operational name 03:18.170 --> 03:20.420 for this training exercise. 03:20.606 --> 03:23.742 Again it ranges from convoy live fire to counter ID training 03:23.742 --> 03:27.575 to live fire, static live fire and counter ID, 03:27.666 --> 03:29.083 and EOD training. 03:29.598 --> 03:32.765 How does that fit into a strong Europe 03:33.169 --> 03:35.336 and General Hodges intent? 03:35.573 --> 03:38.173 It's about a couple things, right? 03:38.173 --> 03:40.713 General Hodges has five pillars 03:40.713 --> 03:42.717 that he defined strong Europe. 03:42.717 --> 03:45.025 One is empowering junior leaders. 03:45.025 --> 03:46.124 I already spoke to that, right? 03:46.124 --> 03:50.291 Without the junior leadership here at the platoon level 03:50.310 --> 03:53.080 and the squad level that kind of thoughtful, 03:53.080 --> 03:56.997 caring, and competent leadership we couldn't do 03:57.221 --> 03:59.138 this type of operation. 03:59.683 --> 04:01.280 Even if we did it we wouldn't be able to do it 04:01.280 --> 04:05.435 as safely and effectively as the 16th STB is doing. 04:05.435 --> 04:08.183 The other thing, frankly, is enabling our allies 04:08.183 --> 04:10.868 and working close with our allies. 04:10.868 --> 04:13.381 General Hodges talks about not being a bystander 04:13.381 --> 04:16.271 to the NATO alliance, but being in the fabric 04:16.271 --> 04:17.406 of the alliance. 04:17.406 --> 04:19.722 For many years we looked at the NATO alliance 04:19.722 --> 04:22.639 as a team that we were a member of, 04:22.653 --> 04:25.231 but we were really standing on the periphery 04:25.231 --> 04:26.231 of the team. 04:26.403 --> 04:28.199 Over the last couple of years in Europe 04:28.199 --> 04:30.706 through General Hodges leadership 04:30.706 --> 04:34.195 and the execution of his intent we're knee-deep 04:34.195 --> 04:37.259 or at least knee-deep if not neck-deep in the alliance. 04:37.259 --> 04:38.833 We're in the fabric of the alliance. 04:38.833 --> 04:41.172 So the partnership with the Slovenian Army 04:41.172 --> 04:44.316 is a key indicator of that where we could come 04:44.316 --> 04:48.278 down here and train together, learn from each other 04:48.278 --> 04:50.778 and prepare for combat, right? 04:50.866 --> 04:54.752 That's why we have our armies, to fight and win wars. 04:54.752 --> 04:56.502 We can't do it alone. 04:57.348 --> 04:59.207 Then there's dynamic engagement, right? 04:59.207 --> 05:02.078 General Hodges, another pillar he talks about 05:02.078 --> 05:04.611 dynamic engagement, never saying no 05:04.611 --> 05:06.280 to an opportunity to train. 05:06.280 --> 05:09.548 Not only taking advantage of the opportunities 05:09.548 --> 05:11.653 that are presented, but creating opportunities 05:11.653 --> 05:15.820 through using your imagination, using your own initiative. 05:16.942 --> 05:20.065 That's really what 16th Sustain Brigade has done here 05:20.065 --> 05:23.549 and through the STB is taking the initiative 05:23.549 --> 05:25.935 to create opportunities to train.