SEPTEMBER 15, 2025 – As the morning fog lifted during the early hours of Exercise Saber Junction 25, Sept. 8, yellow and white smoke fell on top of the headquarters element of the Army’s 1st Cavalry Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment, at the Hohenfels Training Area in Germany.
The soldiers were about to experience a simulated chemical attack, which would test the unit’s ability to operate in a chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear environment.
“Gas! Gas! Gas!” yelled Army Command Sgt. Maj. Paul Hamako, as the simulated artillery rounds impacted around the squadron command post. “Grab your masks and get accountability!”
Soldiers ran frantically through the wood line to grab their gas masks while also treating simulated casualties who were injured from the attack. The unit was being targeted by indirect fire and chemical rounds to simulate a coordinated enemy attack on a headquarters position.
Yellow smoke represented chemical rounds, while the white smoke was generated by tear gas grenades, forcing soldiers from the 2nd Cavalry Regiment to don their gas masks. If they failed to get their masks on in time, the soldiers would experience an intense and very uncomfortable burning sensation to their eyes, skin and lungs.
A soldier wearing a camouflage military uniform and gas mask walks in a wooded area. The soldier is carrying a rifle in their right hand.
The chemical attack threat in a combat environment can include both military-grade chemical weapons and toxic industrial chemicals, posing risks from nerve agents, blistering agents and choking agents.
To ensure protection from these types of threats, it requires individuals to use protective masks and clothing as well as to seek protection in vehicles and conduct training to ensure soldiers can operate in a CBRN environment. That is what soldiers from the regiment were tested on during the exercise as they prepare for future fights.
At the Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Germany, the 2nd Cavalry Regiment is training to face a chemical threat at the Army’s only forward-deployed combat training center. The training provides realistic scenarios for units on large-scale combat operations.
The regiment is at the JMRC from Aug. 14 to Sept. 21, conducting Saber Junction 25, where they are focusing on developing individual and leader skills at the tactical level and building their unit’s combat readiness during force-on-force scenarios.
By Army Maj. Brian Sutherland
7th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment