BEMOWO PISKIE TRAINING AREA, Poland – As part of Tumak 24, U.S. soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 12th Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, participated in a multinational exercise at Bemowo Piskie Training Area (BPTA) Poland, from Nov. 15-Dec. 2, 2024. The combined land and air exercise included soldiers from Poland, Lithuania, and the U.K.

This exercise emphasized the U.S. Army’s ability to conduct complex unified maneuvers and live-fire operations with our NATO allies to enhance interoperability, security and warfighting capabilities. The overall goal is an agile force, capable of responding rapidly and effectively, no matter the environment. This region of Northeast Poland gives soldiers the unique opportunity to train on challenging terrain.

Driving through a narrow clearing between lines of dense forest, crew members operating an M1A2 System Enhanced Package V3 Abrams Main Battle Tank push through the mud and rain to their starting position.

“Working in a new environment can be challenging”, said U.S. Army Soldier Capt. Joshua Ramos, C-Company, 2nd Battalion, 12th Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division. “But working in the cold and the rain prepares us to fight in any climate.”

Tumak 24 is a multinational combined arms live fire exercise (CALFEX) and wet gap crossing (WGX). The CALFEX portion of the exercise focused on integrating equipment operated by various countries to conduct live-fire operations, enhancing teamwork and operational effectiveness in real combat scenarios.

“You can find a lot of common ground, even though we’re from two different countries. We’ve been able to teach each other many new techniques”, said U.S. Army Spc. Gunner Bernier, C-Company, 2nd Battalion, 12th Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division. “Once the targets started popping up, we started doing everything we were taught to do, sending big rounds down range.”

The WGX portion of the exercise involves overcoming natural obstacles, such as rivers and bodies of water to advance troops and equipment swiftly and effectively. This is done using Improvised Ribbon Bridges (IBRs) placed in the water and moved into position using Bridge Erection Boats (BEBs). IBRs can be statically placed, bridging over a body of water, or used as a raft to ferry personnel and equipment back and forth.

The 1st Cavalry Division’s mission is to engage in multinational training and exercises across the continent, while strengthening partnerships with our NATO allies and regional security partners. This provides competent and ready forces to V Corps, America’s forward-deployed corps in Europe.