Some Polish troops spent part of October and November in Idaho. They weren’t sightseeing however, but were taking part in armored training exercises with the Idaho National Guard. The Eastern European country, which joined the treaty organization in 1999, has continued to conduct regular training operations with the United States and other NATO partners.
The Polish troops traveled nearly halfway around the world to take part in exercises at the Idaho Air National Guard’s Gowen Field, and at the Orchard Combat Training Center (OCTE), the premier joint combined arms training center. It is known for its vast terrain, world-class ranges and four-season climate.
Poland is one of five NATO member states to share a border with Russia, and after the United States and Turkey is the NATO member with the largest tank force. The U.S. ally had recently requested to purchase a fleet of M1A2 SEPv3 Abrams tanks, the latest upgraded version of the tank that first entered service with the U.S. military in 1980.
Poland has sought to bolster its defense capabilities as it faces Russian drills on its eastern border with Belarus. In July, Poland’s defense minister Mariusz Blaszczak announced plans to procure 250 M1 Abrams tanks from the U.S. in a deal worth $6 billion.
“Of course this is a response to the challenges we face in terms of international security,” said Blaszczak. “Our task is to deter a potential aggressor. We all know where that aggressor is.”
The Republic of Poland has also been working through the U.S. State Department and the Department of Defense (DoD) to identify opportunities to partner in armor crew member training. A critical part of the recent tank training with the units of the Idaho National Guard was for the Polish Land Forces to gain experience with the M1 Abrams main battle tank (MBT), and to help the Poles develop its own training capability back home.
From Illinois to Idaho
The Polish Land Forces already maintain a close partnership with the National Guard, as it is actually an official state partner of the Illinois National Guard – not surprising given the sizable Polish population in the Prairie State.
The Polish military and Illinois National Guard maintain a focus on professional military education, crisis management and response, as well as operational training and combat deployments. However, as the Illinois unit doesn’t operate or maintain the Abrams, the Republic of Poland has sought to extend its cooperation to the Idaho Army National Guard, which maintains the 204th Regional Training Institute, located at the aforementioned Gowen Field, ID.
The facility specializes as an armor training schoolhouse, delivering curriculum to U.S. military armor students. During the recent visit the Polish personnel, schoolhouse instructors and armor experts provided training and insight for the NATO partners to consider as they seek a capacity to train their own forces in the armor field.
“The 1st of the 204th Armored Training Battalion is the only National Guard battalion that teaches a full catalog of armored training courses,” said Maj. Noah Siple, commander of the training battalion. “We are credentialed to be the premiere armored training battalion of the National Guard. Couple that with our Orchard Combat Training Center, and our ranges for armor-specific training, there is really no better place to go to.”
The battalion has provided armored training since the 1980s, and it continues to offer various cavalry scout and M1 armor crewman courses, including a tank commander’s course and advanced leadership course. In addition, a portion of the curriculum requires students to train in the 143,000-acre OCTC, which remains one of the largest and most versatile maneuver training sites in the United States. It is located approximately 25 miles south of Boise.
Training Time
An undisclosed number of Polish officers and warrant officers, who serve in various positions, including chief of planning and programming; logistician and fires experts; and company level officers, attended the battalion’s crewman transition course. That was unique as the 27-day course was actually designed for enlisted members in the ranks of sergeant and staff sergeant, while the platoon-level coursework provides training in the technical and tactical skills necessary to employ the M1A1 SA MTB or M1A2 SEP tank against enemy positions during unified land operations. In this case, the Polish officers and warrant officers took part so as to be able to return home and pass those skills onto the ranks of the Polish military.
The training is also necessary for the Poles to become accustomed to the U.S.-made Abrams. Even as a NATO member, Poland currently operates the Soviet designed T-72 and locally produced P-91 tanks, which are considerably different from the M1A1 and M1A2 that could soon be rolling out in Poland.
“We integrated the Polish soldiers as much as possible into the training course to give them many of the same opportunities we give our U.S. students,” explained Sgt. 1st Class Lucas Kaserman, the crewman transition course manager. “They already have a familiarity with tanks, which was helpful, however, the M1 is a different kind of tank with a lot of new things to learn.”
Throughout the October-November course training, the Polish members took turns rotating through the driver, loader, gunner and commander crew stations; participated in tank simulations where they operated as both tank commander and gunner while engaging simulated targets; and conducted live-fire familiarization in the OCTC, where they fired different weapon systems of the tank, including an M240 and .50 caliber machine gun.
In addition, the Polish soldiers spent time with course experts and senior leaders of the Idaho Army National Guard, including its 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team, an M1 tank unit, to further discuss best practices in learning how to implement their own armor training course once returning to Poland.
“They came here to experience first-hand training with the M1A2 SEPv2 Abrams tank and to understand how we train and construct courses for Soldiers becoming tankers in the U.S. military,” Siple added. “Not only did they have that opportunity and are leaving here with lived experience to implement their own training, but they also got to engage and build relationships with all elements of the Idaho Army National Guard to continue building those capabilities in the future.”
