JORDAN –
Soldiers train by doing. Soldiers of Bravo Company, 68th Armor Regiment, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division (3/4 ABCT), Task Force Spartan and the Jordan Armed Forces (JAF), 81st Quick Reaction Forces (QRF) Battalion trained for four days and two nights at an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia.
The JAF 81st QRF started training with 3/4 ABCT on a piece of equipment called the M-ATV. This vehicle is a Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle that has battle-proven armor configuration providing operating crews survivable protection over rough terrain.
The first day of training started with familiarization of the M-ATV, basically getting aquatinted with the vehicle’s amenities, such as seatbelts, starting the engine, adjusting the seats. It resembled a “test drive” before buying a new vehicle.
The second day consisted of Preventative Maintenance Care and Services (PMCS). Spc. Mark Murry demonstrated how to inspect the M-ATV by walking around and showing what to check during the walk around.
Then it was time to pop the hood and check the fluids to ensure the M-ATV had the proper fluid levels before going out on mission, along with a demonstration of how to change the $4,000 tire.
Later that afternoon, the JAF and 3/4 ABCT practiced how to do a combat tow if one of the M-ATVs end up disabled. They went through how to hook up the tow rope and signaling the driver to pull ahead and stop during recovery operations.
On days three and four it was time to practice driving the M-ATV during the day and at night. The M-ATV is a beast of a machine. Anyone getting into the vehicle must climb up and into it. It is not driving a sports car.
The M-ATV is a large and heavy piece of machinery. It’s an armored vehicle, making it difficult to see outside. Judging exactly where your wheels are when going over rough terrain is more than difficult, but if that is not enough to make one weary to be behind the wheel, try doing it at night. That was the training the JAF, 81st QRF and 3/4 ABCT did over four days in the sun and heat before the 81st QRF left in support of a NATO mission.
At the end of the training, Sgt. Kenneth Younce said he “enjoyed training with the JAF and appreciated how inquisitive they were during the training.”
Training engagements such as this one demonstrate the United States is committed to the security of Jordan and to partnering closely with the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army to meet common security challenges.