173rd Airborne Brigade paratroopers rotate training forces

By Sgt. Sara MarchusJune 30, 2014

173rd Airborne Brigade paratroopers rotate training forces
1 / 7 Show Caption + Hide Caption – The 173rd Airborne Brigade paratroopers stand with their Latvian counterparts during a ceremony at Adazi, Latvia, marking the rotation of forces within the brigade, June 25, 2014. The 173rd has maintained a rotational presence in the Baltic region si... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
173rd Airborne Brigade paratroopers rotate training forces
2 / 7 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Paratroopers from Company A, 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade, stand in a ceremony marking the end of their rotation June 25, 2014, at Adazi, Latvia, and their replacement by paratroopers from the brigade's 1st Squadron,... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
173rd Airborne Brigade paratroopers rotate training forces
3 / 7 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Paratroopers from Troop C, 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade, arrive in Adazi, Latvia, June 25, 2014. The 173rd has maintained a rotational presence in the Baltic region since April, as part of a land forces exercise to demo... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
173rd Airborne Brigade paratroopers rotate training forces
4 / 7 Show Caption + Hide Caption – The 173rd Airborne Brigade paratroopers stand with their Latvian counterparts during a ceremony at Adazi, Latvia, marking the rotation of forces within the brigade, June 25, 2014. The 173rd has maintained a rotational presence in the Baltic region si... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
173rd Airborne Brigade paratroopers rotate training forces
5 / 7 Show Caption + Hide Caption – The 173rd Airborne Brigade paratroopers stand with their Latvian counterparts during a ceremony at Adazi, Latvia, marking the rotation of forces within the brigade June 25, 2014. The 173rd has maintained a rotational presence in the Baltic region sin... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
173rd Airborne Brigade paratroopers rotate training forces
6 / 7 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Lt. Col. Kyle Reed, commander of the 173rd Airborne Brigade's 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment, stationed in Grafenwoehr, Germany, speaks at their rotation of forces ceremony with the 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, based in Vicenza, Italy... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
173rd Airborne Brigade paratroopers rotate training forces
7 / 7 Show Caption + Hide Caption – More than 100 U.S. Army paratroopers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade's 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment, based in Grafenwoehr, Germany, arrive for their training rotation in Latvia via an airborne operation as part of their training rotation with ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

ADAZI, Latvia (June 30, 2014) -- Paratroopers from 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment, jumped into Latvia with their combat equipment Wednesday, as the 173rd Airborne Brigade rotated units here for training during their unscheduled land forces exercise training alongside NATO allies.

A small ceremony was held to mark the arrival of new troops and the departure of paratroopers from 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, who return to their home station in Vicenza, Italy, after two months of training alongside Latvian and other forces here. Approximately 600 paratroopers from the brigade are in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland as to demonstrate commitment to NATO obligations and sustain interoperability with allied forces.

Brigade commander of the Latvian land forces Col. Martins Liberts addressed the paratroopers and thanked them for their commitment.

"You were the first to come into Latvia to ensure my country felt safe," said Liberts. "The U.S. forces highly represented what the NATO flag stands for."

The 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment, is an airborne cavalry squadron, which doctrinally focuses reconnaissance for target acquisition, observation points and camouflaging equipment.

"This new terrain provides us a great opportunity to train and hone in on our specialized skills," said 1st Lt. Jake Piscal, executive officer for Troop D.

The cavalry unit has partnered with the Latvian forces in previous exercises, but not on a large scale such as this training exercise.

"The Latvians have displayed a positive impression of their professionalism; they are truly masters of their craft. We are looking forward to working with a wider force base for this exercise," said 1st Lt. Kier Elmonairy, executive officer for Troop C.

Lt. Col. Kyle Reed, commander of the squadron, emphasized the importance of demonstrating U.S. commitment to NATO.

"This is a great opportunity to unify allied forces," said Reed. "The paratroopers are looking forward to this exposure and the development of new skills and the unique training it will present."

The 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, participated in several multinational training exercises during their time in Latvia.

"The experience we had here was definitely a unique opportunity for any Soldier," said Capt. Michael Agbay, a paratrooper leaving with 1st Battalion. "We not only trained with our Latvian partners, but ten total countries were on location at Adazi, and we built great lasting relationships."

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