Two advisor teams from 2nd Battalion, 5th Security Force Assistance Brigade partnered with the Mongolian Land Forces Command during a multi-month rotation in October, 2020, focused on strengthening Mongolia’s peacekeeping operations and non-commissioned officer development initiatives.

Since early 2021, 5th SFAB has maintained a persistent partnership with Mongolia’s LFC, the army component of the Mongolian Armed Forces. The two teams that employed to support this partnership over the course of the current force package are Company Advisor Team 5220 and Maneuver Advisor Team 5223.

Earlier this year, both teams supported a bilateral exercise called Zev, which translates to “arrow tip,” focused on these training objectives in an extreme cold weather environment — an operating environment with which Mongolia is very familiar. In Mongolia, temperatures frequently dipped to -40 degrees and below during training. The NWTC is located at the Black Rapids Training Site in Alaska, this was an integral part of the team’s preparation for the winter training.

Advisors had the opportunity to ride horses, help with farming chores, and participate in Mongolian traditions.

The 5th SFAB Advisors of Force Package 23-1 in Mongolia will transition efforts to the next force package to continue the partnership into the summer of 2023.