TAPA, Estonia -- Estonian Prime Minister, Tavvi Rõivas, visited Tapa Nov. 11, 2014, to meet with his country's military leadership and to greet the U.S. Soldiers stationed here as part of Operation Atlantic Resolve.
The American task force stationed in Estonia consists of platoons from the 1st Cavalry Division, stationed at Fort Hood, Texas; 2nd Cavalry Regiment, stationed in Vilseck, Germany; as well as a team of Transportation Specialists from the 515th Transportation Company, stationed in Baumholder, Germany.
"[The visit] serves the purpose … to extend the welcome: we, as an ally, are happy to have you here and we will absolutely open our country to every opportunity to you that we can, so that you can enjoy your time here, you can train with us, and we can learn from each other," said Capt. Theo Kleinsorge, commander of Company B, 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division.
Upon his arrival, Rõivas took a guided tour of the training grounds before visiting with the U.S. troops to extend a formal welcome. He also expressed his gratitude for the training being conducted between the two countries' armies.
"It's good having you here," said Rõivas. "It's a big thing for us to have the opportunity to see you here. Estonian Soldiers and American Soldiers together are the best armed forces that there are."
The prime minister is the latest of several Estonian political and military leaders who have visited Tapa throughout the various iterations of the operation. Other distinguished visitors include Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves, Minister of Defense Sven Mikser, and Chief of Defense Maj. Gen. Riho Terras.
"We've had multiple VIP visits during our stay in Estonia," said Kleinsorge, a Colby, Kansas native. "As part of Operation Atlantic Resolve, we're essentially the first allied nation that has come and stayed in Estonia and trained for a duration, as opposed to just coming up and training for a short mission then being on our way."
This iteration of Operation Atlantic Resolve is the first-time the U.S. has deployed a mechanized unit to Estonia, something the local army has been very interested in getting to work with since the beginning of the operation, according to Kleinsorge.
"Because we're the first mechanized unit to come through [the country], we match more directly with the style of units that the Estonian Defense Forces have," he said. "They're motorized and mechanized infantry and we're motorized and mechanized infantry with our Bradley and Stryker Platoons."
The U.S. Army Europe-led Atlantic Resolve, a multinational combined arms exercise involving the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, and host nations, takes place across Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland to enhance multinational interoperability, to strengthen relationships among allied militaries, to contribute to regional stability, and to demonstrate U.S. commitment to NATO.
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