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Operation Atlantic Resolve: Southern expansion

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

What is it?

U.S. Army Europe expands its Operation Atlantic Resolve land forces training mission into Romania and Bulgaria with the 173rd Airborne Brigade’s March 24 parachute drop into Smardan Training Area, Romania, for a combined, multinational training exercise with Romanian Allies. As Army Europe’s 2nd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment, conducts a simulated ground assault to link up with the paratroopers and follow-on training exercises in Germany, Bulgaria, Lithuania and Romania.

These events occur as 3rd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment, is in the midst of its epic road-march, named Dragoon Ride, which sees 3rd Squadron drive its Stryker vehicles more than 1,100 miles across six Allied countries in a capstone event to its Atlantic Resolve training rotation in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.

What has the Army done?

Since April 2014, the U.S. Army, led by Army Europe, has conducted continuous, enhanced multinational training and security cooperation activities with allies in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland due to increased regional tensions following Russia’s illegal actions in Ukraine.

Unlike the continuous OAR training rotations in the Baltics and Poland, where one U.S. unit is replaced by another before departing, the training rotations to Romania and Bulgaria will not be continuous; but will occur periodically as units surge into the area for major exercises.

Why is it important to the Army?

Army Europe’s OAR mission provides the Army the perfect opportunity to test its new Operating Concept by employing CONUS-based Regionally Aligned Forces through, what many are calling a leadership laboratory, in the European theater of operations.

Two regionally aligned Army units are currently deployed from CONUS supporting OAR.

The 4th Infantry Division deployed a contingent of its headquarters from Fort Carson, Colorado, that assumed responsibility as the division headquarters for OAR land forces training Feb. 25, while 1st Bde., 3rd Infantry Div., from Fort Stewart, GA, takes over from 2nd Cavalry Regiment for the OAR training mission before the end of this month.

What continued efforts does the Army have planned for the future?

The 173rd Airborne Brigade is scheduled to conduct training with the Ukrainian National Guard in April.

Army Europe’s 2nd Cavalry Regiment, along with 16 partner nations, will conduct Exercise Saber Junction Phase 2, April 1-30, at Hohenfels, Germany, and at distributed locations in Eastern Europe.

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