South Dakota National Guard and Suriname forces wrap up Operation Rumble in the Jungle

PARAMARIBO, Suriname — South Dakota National Guard Soldiers and their Suriname partners have wrapped up Operation Rumble in the Jungle, a joint exercise designed to test and strengthen the forces’ ability to operate together in demanding jungle conditions.

Col. Dennis Bickett, commander of the 196th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, South Dakota Army National Guard, said, “The highly successful Rumble in the Jungle joint exercise marks a significant milestone in the State Partnership Program between the South Dakota National Guard and Suriname. By training shoulder-to-shoulder, we deepen our mutual trust and cultural ties and enhance our tactical interoperability.”

The South Dakota National Guard and Suriname have been partners in the State Partnership Program since 2006. This mission advanced U.S. Southern Command’s four strategic imperatives through three lines of effort: staff-level command and control, elite jungle warfare training, and vertical engineering operations. “In fostering and expanding these relationships, we directly support U.S. Southern Command’s broader goals of promoting regional security, countering shared threats and fostering a stable, cooperative hemisphere,” Bickett said.

During the exercise, the Headquarters and Headquarters Company of the 153rd Engineer Battalion conducted a counter-narcotics military decision-making process while providing command and control for 68 joint personnel. The staff coordinated logistics with the U.S. Embassy and the Suriname Armed Forces and executed real-world bridge and river route reconnaissance.

Lt. Col. James Forbes, commander of the 153rd Engineer Battalion, underscored the emphasis on operating with a reduced footprint to prepare for modern, contested environments where large command posts are vulnerable. “For the last three years, we’ve been trying to break our battalion operations down so that we were light and we could move easily and do it anywhere in the world,” Forbes said. “Basically, I set up a problem statement: How does the 153rd conduct command and control utilizing two air pallets? This was a culmination of so many different efforts coming together.”

Simultaneously, 25 South Dakota National Guard service members and Suriname Armed Forces partners completed a three-phase jungle operations and survival course. The South Dakota National Guard integrated the Army Security Cooperation Group-South to standardize joint tactics, techniques and procedures, paving the way for the future award of U.S. Jungle Tabs and Additional Skill Identifiers. “They have perseverance and spirit,” said Suriname Armed Forces 1st Sgt. Alvaro Ronoreso, the course’s head instructor. “The tropical jungle is breaking their will … but we keep motivating, and they keep continuing.” Sgt. 1st Class Richard Buechler, the noncommissioned officer in charge of the U.S. jungle participants, added, “There’s a lot of things that can slow you down and beat you up in this environment. Both Mother Nature herself and Father Time will kick you when you’re down. As long as you can keep everybody moving in the same direction, motivated and together, you’ll be successful.”

For the U.S. Embassy in Paramaribo, the engagement served as a diplomatic tool backed by Department of War and Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs funding. “Military-to-military cooperation, such as Operation Rumble in the Jungle, serves as a cornerstone of U.S. Embassy Paramaribo’s diplomatic toolkit,” said U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Tony Leguia, senior defense official at the embassy. “This active presence ensures the United States achieves status as Suriname’s preferred and most credible security partner,” Leguia said. “This enhanced relationship capital allows the Embassy to motivate host-nation leadership to sign bilateral agreements and pursue deeper economic engagement.”

In Brownsweg, 16 engineers from the 155th Engineer Company carried out a Humanitarian and Civic Assistance project alongside Suriname Armed Forces counterparts. The joint team logged more than 1,600 combined man-hours to renovate 14 classrooms, install 8,200 feet of drainage, and construct 4,000 square feet of security fencing. “Working alongside our Surinamese Armed Forces counterparts was a great experience for all our U.S. troops,” said Staff Sgt. Lee Gregerson, engineer project noncommissioned officer in charge with the 155th Engineer Company. “The SAF looked out for our U.S. Soldiers by helping with engagements with the local populace and local shops.”

The impact of the work was highlighted during a closing ceremony attended by community elders, teachers, students, and local religious leaders. “The community was overall supportive and happy with the end results of our project,” Gregerson added. “They were all very grateful and also spoke about wanting the U.S. Army to come back to Suriname to continue helping their community.”

Commanders assessed the operation as a success, citing gains in readiness achieved by operating in resource-constrained environments and the strengthening of a regional partnership valuable to both nations.