Throughout the months of May and June, U.S. European Command, along with NATO Allies and partners, is conducting a wide variety of training events. Long-planned, the series of military exercises and activities are intended to enhance operational readiness, interoperability and cooperation between nations in various locations across the European theater.
Earlier this month, the U.S. Army-led exercise DEFENDER-Europe 21 kicked off with a Distinguished Visitors Day (DV) at the Port of Durres, Albania May 4, 2021. The port is the site of the Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore (JLOTS) operation and is the first time a JLOTS was conducted in Europe since World War II. U.S. Army and Navy forces teamed up with British naval forces to offload more than one-thousand pieces of heavy equipment from USNS Bob Hope, anchored off shore, to move it ashore for onward movement to various locations throughout Europe.
“Throughout Defender 21, we will improve our integrated air and missile defense, we’ll engage in live-fire exercises, and we’ll culminate with a command post exercise,” said U.S. Air Force General Tod D. Wolters, commander, U.S. European Command during remarks at the DV Day event. Wolters emphasized the importance of partnership and added, “at the end of the day, we hope and we know that we will improve our readiness in all domains.”
Partnering with UK soldiers from the United Kingdom’s 3rd Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery, U.S. personnel from Bravo Battery, 1st Battalion, 77th Field Artillery Regiment, 41st Field Artillery Brigade, supported NATO Enhanced Forward Presence Battlegroup-Estonia by conducting a Multiple Launch Rocket System live fire exercise at Tapa Central Training Area, Estonia on May 5. The live fire exercise was the kick-off event for U.S. Army Europe and Africa’s Fires Shock exercise, a series of fires activities demonstrating the ability to rapidly deploy long-range precision fires and joint forcible entry fires across Europe and Africa. This portion of Fires Shock was in support of Swift Response 21, a linked exercise of DEFENDER-Europe 21. The ability to link exercises allows for greater training opportunities. Swift Response is taking place in Estonia, Bulgaria and Romania and demonstrates airborne interoperability between NATO allies.
In addition to land activities, training and operations in the maritime domain are underway with the Legend-class national security U.S. Coast Guard cutter Hamilton in the eastern region of the Black Sea. While there, Hamilton conducted a series of operational exercises with the Georgian Coast Guard, followed by a port visit in Batumi, Georgia.
In the western region of the Black Sea, exercise Trojan Footprint 21 involves a contingent U.S. Army, Air Force and Navy special operations forces. Allies and partners participating in the exercise include Bulgaria, Germany, Georgia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Spain, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom.
Off the coast of the United Kingdom, F-35B aircraft from Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 211 continued training for their deployment aboard Her Majesty's Ship HMS Queen Elizabeth. The deployment highlights the global reach of the U.S. and UK armed forces and their interoperability, and enhances the deterrence and defense capabilities of the NATO Alliance.
Committed to transparency and timely information about its activities and engagements, U.S. European Command not only trains with NATO Allies and partners to enhance readiness, but continues to support in the ongoing fight against COVID.
As the command maintains its rigorous operational pace, USEUCOM continues to actively support Allies and partners as European nations fight back the global pandemic’s second wave, In the past two weeks, the command provided disaster-response tents and related equipment to Croatia’s Ministry of Interior and its Directorate of Civil Protection. Some 45 other COVID-19 projects across 18 European nations – from Azerbaijan to Slovenia and Belarus to Cyprus -- are currently in the field being worked for ultimate delivery to help capital cities and small, farm villages alike.
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About USEUCOM
U.S. European Command (USEUCOM) is responsible for U.S. military operations across Europe, portions of Asia and the Middle East, the Arctic and Atlantic Ocean. USEUCOM is comprised of more than 64,000 military and civilian personnel and works closely with NATO Allies and partners. The command is one of two U.S. forward-deployed geographic combatant commands headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany.
