VICENZA, Italy (Feb. 27, 2015) -- Approximately 400 American and Hungarian paratroopers conducted a parachute assault into Papa Air Base, Hungary, Feb. 26, beginning Exercise Warlord Rock.
Warlord Rock is a joint forcible entry exercise involving elements from the U.S. Army's 173rd Airborne Brigade, the U.S. Air Force, the Hungarian Defense Force's 5th Bocskai István Infantry Brigade and the multinational Heavy Airlift Wing to strengthen the alliance between the two NATO allies.
"This exercise shows the alliance and the world that we are always willing to work together, train together and come to common ground," said 1st Lt. Michael Miller, an exercise planner with the 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne.
Doctrinally, joint forcible entry operations seize and hold lodgments against armed opposition. In this exercise, the lodgment will be the airfield on Papa Air Base, that when seized by the combined airborne force, will allow follow-on aircraft to land and unload additional equipment.
"This is great training - we are an airborne battalion and this is what we do," Miller said. "Not only are we building relations with the Hungarian paratroopers in order to increase interoperability between our airborne forces, but we are building and projecting combat power together."
Following the exercise, the heavy weapons company from 2nd Battalion will stay an additional week to conduct a combined live-fire exercise with the 62nd Battalion of the Hungarian 5th Brigade.
Warlord Rock is the latest in a series of exercises between the Hungarian Defense Forces and paratroopers from the 173rd Airborne.
In November 2014, the brigade conducted an airborne operation Papa Air Base, and previously that October, the brigade participated in multinational exercise Kozos Fellepes at Veszprem Training Area. Warlord Rock is the successor to Exercise Hadur's Rock, a previous joint forcible entry exercise between 2nd Battalion and the 88th Battalion.
The 173rd Airborne Brigade, the premier U.S. airborne force in Europe, is the Army Contingency Response Force in Europe, capable of rapidly projecting forces to conduct the full range of military operations across the U.S. European, Central and Africa Commands' areas of responsibility.
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