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SZCZECIN, POLAND — U.S. Army Reserve Soldiers with 406th Human Resource Company, 361st Civil Affairs Brigade, will receive active duty and reserve Soldiers arriving at multiple locations across eastern Europe theater to support U.S. Army Europe’s exercise Saber Strike 18.
Staff Sgt. Todd Strobel and Spc. Patrick Frank, both with 406 HR CO based out of Kaiserslautern, Germany, comprise a small personnel accountability team (PAT) responsible for entering Soldier data into a U.S. based tracking system immediately when units arrive at local airports.
“The PAT mission for Saber Strike is important because we need to maintain 100 percent accountability for all of our service members, wherever they are in theatre,” said Strobel, a human resources non-commissioned officer and native of Prairie Village, Kansas.
In addition to accountability, PATs must relay complete and accurate data to the U.S. Army Human Resources Command in order for Soldiers to receive the appropriate pay and entitlements based on status and assignment location.
Frank, a personnel accountability team member originally from Linden City, New Jersey, stressed the importance of relaying correct information the first time.
When the report gets to [U.S. Army Human Resources Command], there can be no mistakes, he said.
As a multi-national cooperative training exercise with troops constantly moving, Saber Strike relies on PAT accuracy for mission success and individual Soldier well-being.
For Frank, that level of competency is important regardless of the size of the exercise.
“Personnel accountability is important for every operation,” he said. “It tells myself and everyone higher running the mission that these Soldiers made it safely on the ground and now they’re fit to execute the mission.”
361st CA BDE is the only forward deployed U.S. Army Reserve civil affairs unit in Europe, and therefore the go-to resource to provide civil affairs support for U.S. Army Europe.
“Supporting Saber Strike shows NATO members that we can show up and act upon when needed,” said Strobel. “When that call comes, [we] are ready to support the mission, succeed, exceed, and complete.”
361st CA BDE, located in Kaiserslautern, Germany, which is the U.S. Army Reserve’s only forward deployed multifunctional civil affairs unit in Europe providing civil affairs; movement control; human resource; chemical, biological, nuclear and radiological; public affairs and forward engineering support to U.S. Army Europe.
Saber Strike is a long-standing U.S. Army Europe-led integrated training exercise that helps facilitate cooperation amongst the U.S., Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and 19 other allied and partner nations, June 3-15.
