VNG Soldiers participate in RC 22 in Tajikistan

Approximately 300 troops from the United States, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Mongolia and Pakistan came together for the exercise “Regional Cooperation 22,” held Aug. 6-18, 2022, in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. The annual exercise, sponsored by U.S. Central Command and primarily conducted by National Guard Soldiers and Airmen, focused on enhancing multinational stability operations and promoting cooperation on counter-terrorism and joint combined capabilities among the U.S. and Central and South Asia, or CASA, nations.

“It’s really about collaboration and building those partnerships and ensuring that we all recognize that none of us want terrorism,” said Col. Peter Fiorentino, a Massachusetts National Guardsman who served as the brigade deputy commander for the exercise. “We all want to live peaceful, stable lives.

” This year’s exercise, held for the sixth time in Tajikistan, included both a command post exercise, or CPX, and a field training exercise, or FTX. Both events were preceded by a three-day academic lead-up designed to establish a baseline of knowledge for all exercise participants.

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Virginia National Guard Soldiers work through medical training lanes alongside their counterparts from the Tajikistan Ministry of Defense during the exercise “Regional Cooperation 22” Aug. 14, 2022, near Dushanbe, Tajikistan.