SEMBACH, Germany – Every year, U.S. Army NATO holds a training and leader development event to facilitate mandatory readiness and training requirements for U.S. Army exchange officers assigned to 38 isolated locations in seven European countries.

“The Military Personnel Exchange Program is a strategic initiative designed to support U.S. Army security cooperation efforts, strengthen alliances, and enhance defense cooperation,” said Max Ivulich, U.S. Army NATO G9 chief. “MPEP aims to build partner capacity, maintain relationships with allies and coalition partners, and integrate U.S. and partner nation military personnel at the unit level.

“Additionally, the program provides a framework for bilateral exchanges of military personnel, preparing officers and NCOs for future multinational operations.”

U.S. Army Sgt. Maj. Alex Burnett, who works as an instructor for noncommissioned officer education in Ermelo, Netherlands, as part of an exchange between the Royal Netherlands Army and the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy, participated in the training and development event for the second time Nov. 4-8.

“This is a great chance for all of us MPEPs who are away and in very remote locations to come together, complete the training that we need, but also exchange ideas and lessons learned from our time as exchange officers and NCOs,” said Burnett.

“I think this is a great initiative that U.S. Army NATO brigade puts on every single year, bringing us all together,” he said. “We all serve the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and we’re all working to make our host nation militaries and NATO better.”

To achieve these goals, MPEP participants are assigned to foreign armies in remote locations, often without the support of U.S. military posts that provide many of the same types of services expected from any small city in the United States.

“Their tours may vary from two to three years within a given country,” said Ivulich. “The unique nature of these tours and the challenges they present necessitates annual training conferences. These gatherings serve multiple purposes.

“First, they provide a platform for mandatory Army training to keep MPEP participants current on essential skills and knowledge.

“Second, the conferences allow for in-depth interviews with program managers to assess the alignment of participant assignments with broader strategic objectives. Based on these assessments, adjustments may be made to ranks, skill specialties, or locations to optimize the value of the exchange to both nations.

“Finally, these conferences offer invaluable networking opportunities, bringing together MPEP participants from across Europe to exchange tactics, techniques, and procedures,” said Ivulich.

Burnett agreed with Ivulich.

“My favorite part of the exchange program conference, is the same as most conferences that I go to, which is the networking, the ability to talk to somebody who’s in a very similar situation, who’s dealing with maybe some of the same issues that I am, or they’re seeing a complication within their host nation military that I do as well, and the ability to talk it out and to come up with some creative solutions, or at least network with somebody who’s going through the same thing,” said Burnett.

An issue that was discussed at length during the conference was getting settled in to a new location and finding the support and services necessary for Soldiers and their families to thrive in an isolated environment.

“My first bit of advice for a Soldier who finds out they’re going to become an exchange personnel within this program is try to reach out and find out who you’re replacing,” said Burnett. “The earlier you get to ask questions, the earlier you get to hear the ground truth of what your position looks like.

“That’s the best way to prepare yourself to eventually come over here, live alone and work with a foreign military,” he said. “And I think that this particular conference is a great opportunity for all of us to come together and learn how we can do better and how we can improve this organization.”

U.S. Army NATO provides support to 60 MPEP Soldiers and their families at locations in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland and the United Kingdom.