Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Michael Behlin | Lt. Col. Johnny Evans, commander of the 3rd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, 1st Armor...... read more read more
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ADAZI MILITARY BASE, Latvia – Members of the 3rd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, 1st Armor Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, participated in a staff delegation visit to Adazi Military Base, Latvia on November 8, 2015.
The staff delegation, which was comprised of staff members for U.S. Congressmen, were invited to the event by the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and received updates on U.S. commitment in the Baltic region.
During the visit, the staff delegation received briefings from representatives of the Latvian Ministry of Defense, Latvian Land Forces and 3rd Bn., 69th Armor Regt.
Lt. Col. Johnny Evans, the commander of 3rd Bn., 69th Armor Regt., said that he was appreciative of the time he and his Soldiers got to spend with the delegation.
“It was a great opportunity for the staff members of our elected officials to be able to gain our allies perspective on our mission and interact with our Soldiers,” he said. “They were able to hear from the Latvian military and civil authority.”
Evans, who commands more than 700 Soldiers spread throughout the Baltic region, mentioned that the visit was a great opportunity to offer high-level political leadership his perspective as a ground commander.
Evans said that his Soldiers have approached their mission with enthusiasm, and “are excited to train alongside their allied counterparts.”
Col. Martin Liberts, the Latvian Land Force Infantry Brigade Commander, echoed this sentiment during his time with the delegation and stated that he looks forward to the lessons learned during training.
“Your (U.S.) troops are not coming here just to stage,” he said. “We are contributing to the development of their capabilities as much as they are to ours.”
Overall, Evans said he felt the visit went well, and the members of the delegation were satisfied in what they saw and heard. He said one of the biggest highlights of the day was allowing the delegation to interact with Soldiers.
“The event could not have gone better,” Evans said. “They really enjoyed interacting with our Soldiers.”
While in Latvia, the staff delegation visited and attended the Riga Conference, an annual meeting of regional and international experts in foreign policy and defense which promotes the discussion and assessment of issues affecting the transatlantic community. They also met with U.S. Embassy representatives to get an assessment of U.S. engagement in the area.
On November 9, 2015, 3rd Bn., 69th Armor Regt. will begin its participation in Operation Iron Sword, Lithuania’s largest training exercise for 2015. Iron Sword will train and evaluate combined arms units formed by NATO and allow allies to interact, coordinate their actions and be prepared to carry out defensive and offensive operations. More than 2,000 NATO troops are expected to participate.
| Date Taken: | 11.08.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 11.09.2015 16:09 |
| Story ID: | 181478 |
| Location: | PABRADE, LT |
| Web Views: | 69 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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