Combined Training Exercise Rhodope 23, hosted by the Bulgarian Land Forces, 101st Alpine Regiment in Smolyan, Bulgaria, included U.S. Army Soldiers of 1st Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (LI), as well as soldiers from the Italian army and the army of the Czech Republic. The exercise trains tactics and procedures in mountain areas, survivability, mobility, and sustainability at the company level. Clockwise from top left: Soldiers with 1-87 Infantry look on as a 101st Alpine Regiment soldier demonstrates chambering procedures of a Bulgarian weapons system. Pfc. Hunter Adams, a 1-87 Infantry Soldier, fires an AK-47 rifle during a live-fire event. First Sgt. Daniel Fields, right, senior enlisted adviser for Light Fighters School on Fort Drum, New York, teaches 1-87 Infantry Soldiers additional methods to safely move on a fixed rope in high-angle terrain during a climbing techniques and fundamentals event. Spc. Daniel Churchman, with 1-87 Infantry, conducts the via ferrata station, which involves traversing across a slope with the help of cables and rungs, during a mountain movement technique training course involving high-angle terrain. (U.S. Army photos by Sgt. Jaidon Novinska)
Combined Training Exercise Rhodope 23 strengthens partnership among NATO allies
Sgt. Jaidon Novinska
1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (LI)
SMOLYAN, Bulgaria (Sept. 19, 2023) – Soldiers with the 1st Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (LI) participated in Combined Training Exercise Rhodope 23, Sept. 11-21, near Smolyan, Bulgaria.
The exercise, hosted by the Bulgarian Land Forces 101st Alpine Regiment, included U.S. Army Soldiers with the 10th Mountain Division as well as soldiers from the Italian army and the army of the Czech Republic.
During the two-week training exercise, Soldiers focused on basic mountaineering skills and field craft for high-elevation training, completed a live-fire range, enjoyed a cultural day and finished with a two-day field training exercise.
Sgt. Jordan Steinbach, one of the U.S. Soldiers who participated in the attack lane training event, spoke about the importance of working alongside NATO allies and partners.
“It’s important that we train with our Bulgarian counterparts, especially on a task like this,” Steinbach said. “It’s critical to the infantry mission.”
The 10th Mountain Division’s continuous training and involvement in exercises such as Combined Training Exercise Rhodope 23 allows the division to rapidly deploy combat-ready forces around the globe to support the NATO alliance and project forces.
After the two-day FTX, Bulgarian Land Forces Lt. Col. Stefan Dimov, commander of the 101st Alpine Regiment, expressed his satisfaction with the outcome of the exercise and the participants’ performance.
“Overall the exercise went very well,” Dimov said. “I think the soldiers showed their capabilities with climbing skills, shooting, and everything else we did during this exercise.”
Capt. Maxwell Burbidge, officer in charge of the U.S. Soldiers participating in the exercise, spoke about the expertise and knowledge of the 101st Alpine Regiment.
“It’s important for us to build as much partner capacity as possible, and we also want to learn from the expertise of the 101st Alpine Regiment,” Burbidge said. “We want to take that expertise, knowledge, and skillset with us back to Fort Drum.”