Even so, soldiers say that their duties here provide good experience for intelligence officers, medical and logistical personnel, communications specialists and civil affairs units, which have helped to restore basic services in Kosovo. To preserve sol- diers combat skills, the army arranged for intensive combat training before the Kosovo deployment. Training ranges have also been set up in Kosovo. We will go out of Kosovo with some of our skills degraded at the company and battalion level, combined arms stuff that we won t get to do here, General Quinlan said. Companies can t operate as compa- nies here.
Battalions can t operate as bat- talions in conventional sense with tanks.
General Quinlan said it would take 90 days for his soldiers to regain their previous combat proficiency after they complete their assignment in Kosovo and return to Germany. He said that, if needed, they would be ready to go to war. So far, that problem seems to be under control here, at least measured in terms of re-enlistment rates. At Pones, Captain Cantello and his men are taking steps to main- tain their combat skills. His 75- man company drives its 14 tanks once a week.