US, NATO Allies converge for war-time scenario

ADAZI, RIGA, LATVIA

06.08.2016

Story by 2nd Lt. Joshua Hays 

U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Europe and Africa     

RIGA, Latvia (June 8, 2016) – Multinational allied troops are rapidly amassing as a war-time force during an exercise here.

Armed Forces from 13 NATO countries, including Marines with the Black Sea Rotational Force and Combat Logistics Regiment 2, will gather for this exercise. They are taking part in an annual exercise to improve their ability to quickly move troops and prepositioned equipment from caves in Norway wherever the next conflict should occur.

“Operation Saber Strike has been a massive logistical undertaking. It’s a proof of concept that we are able to pull gear and aggregate it in Latvia in order to support our NATO allies,” said Capt. Brian Geisen, a logistics officer with CLR-2. “In the course of a few days we were able to pull gear from multiple caves in Norway, load them onto a British ship, cross the sea, land in Riga, and offload in Adazi. It is proof that in the event that we need to respond to a crisis we can quickly come to the support of an allied nation.”

The Marines’ ability to fight anywhere in Europe is insured by our Allied partners. They provide the flexibility needed to move tanks, supplies, trucks and troops around the battlespace.

“Saber Strike prepares us for supporting our NATO allies by being able to quickly aggregate forces in theater,” said Col. Brian Wolford, the commanding officer of CLR-2. “The equipment is already here, we draw it, man it, and we’re ready to fight quickly to defend our NATO partners.

Exercise Saber Strike is an annual combined-joint exercise in the Baltic region. The combined training prepares allies and partners to respond more to regional crises and meet their own security needs by improving the security of borders and countering threats.

• Date Taken: 06.08.2016
• Date Posted: 06.08.2016 11:43
• Story ID: 200346
• Location: ADAZI, RIGA, LV