The aviation Soldiers are supporting Orient Shield 14, an annual bi-lateral exercise which partners U.S. Army personnel with Japan Ground Self-Defense Forces (JGSDF) for field and staff training exercises, Oct. 27 to Nov. 7.

This year’s exercise includes Soldiers from the 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., and JGSDF members from the 11th Infantry Regiment, 7th Armor Division, Northern Army, who will share experiences and participate in combined light infantry, squad-level training to include urban assault, building clearing, lane training and situational training.

The aviation Soldiers will provide AH-64 Apache, UH-60 Black Hawk and HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopters to support scenario-based training to include an air assault mission.

“Map reading is something all Soldiers know but it always helps to reinforce the skill,” said Chief Warrant Officer 3 David Lance. Lance, a medical evacuation and maintenance test Pilot assigned to C Co. 3rd Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment from Wheeler Field, Hi, taught the class to share his knowledge and help set Soldiers up for success.

The training combined classroom instruction and outside practical exercises to reinforce knowledge of various terrain features Soldiers will experience while participating in the exercise.