A soldier with the 3rd Squadron, 2d Cavalry Regiment, lays down cover fire with his M240 automatic weapon as they maneuver in the back woods of a small village, fighting against their foes, the soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment during Saber Junction 17, a field training exercise conducted at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center on May 15. SB 17 is designed to assess the readiness of the 2d Cavlry Regiment's soldiers to conduct unified land operations, with a particular emphasis on rehearsing the transition from garrison to combat operations, and exercising operational and tactical decision-making skills. The exercise includes nearly 4,500 participants from 13 NATO and European partner nations.