'Big Red One' to deploy as Atlantic Resolve division-level headquarters

By U.S. Army Europe Public AffairsJanuary 17, 2018

WIESBADEN, Germany -- The 1st Infantry Division will replace the 4th Infantry Division in March as U.S. Army Europe's division-level headquarters responsible for mission command of U.S. forces deployed in support of Atlantic Resolve.

Three years ago, in response to increased regional tensions, the 4th Infantry Division formed the first Atlantic Resolve Mission Command Element serving as the intermediate headquarters between U.S. Army Europe and U.S. Regionally Allocated Forces deployed throughout the eight eastern European Atlantic Resolve countries of Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.

Located in Poznan, Poland, the MCE provides command and control for more than 6,000 U.S. service members conducting bilateral training, operations and multinational exercises with allied host nation forces to deter aggression and support regional stability.

The 1ID, a combined arms division based at Fort Riley, Kansas, will deploy about 100 personnel to Poznan, Poland, in March, to take over the Atlantic Resolve MCE mission from 4ID. Brig. Gen. Richard E. Coffman, 1ID and Fort Riley deputy commanding general for maneuver, will lead the MCE.

The "Big Red One," the Army's first division, has been in continuous service to the nation for the past century, and brings with it a lineage of history in the European theater. The 1ID fought and won the Battle of Cantigny in 1918, the first American victory of World War I. 1ID was the first U.S. division to return to Europe for World War II, landing in Great Britain in July 1942 and later leading Task Force O in the assault on Omaha Beach during the Battle of Normandy. The division was also based in Wurzburg, Germany, from 1996 to 2006 where it deployed numerous times throughout Europe in support of peacekeeping missions.

During its tenure as the Atlantic Resolve MCE, the Fort Carson, Colorado-based 4ID led U.S. Army Europe's operations and efforts on NATO's eastern flank - demonstrating U.S. commitment to allies and partners; enhancing U.S. and allied readiness; deterring aggression; and enhancing freedom of movement.

As the first Atlantic Resolve MCE, 4ID facilitated the first U.S. RAF deployments into Europe as well as the first heel-to-toe rotations of regionally allocated armored brigade combat teams and combat aviation brigades. The MCE also relocated from Germany to Poland in order to ensure a more forward and ready headquarters presence in Eastern Europe. Throughout its time as the MCE, 4ID developed key relationships with allied and partner military and civilian leaders; managed the movement of thousands of vehicles, pieces of equipment and personnel across international borders in a region the size of the U.S. eastern seaboard; and oversaw numerous multinational exercises culminating in exercise Saber Guardian 17 which included 22 NATO allied and partner nations.

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For more information about the units and Soldiers of Atlantic Resolve contact the 4th Infantry Division Mission Command Element's Public Affairs Officer Maj. Johnathon Knapton at johnathon.s.knapton.mil@mail.mil or +49 (0) 1 520-653-5535.

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