Photo By Sgt. Lianne Hirano | From left, Minister of National Defense, Mariusz Błaszczak and Prime Minister of...... read more read more
Subscribe
WARSAW, Poland – The Prime Minister of Poland, Mateusz Morawiecki, and Deputy Prime Minister, Mariusz Błaszczak, who is also the Minister of National Defense toured the NATO enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) Battle Group Poland during the “Train with NATO” event, commemorating the 24th anniversary of Poland's accession to the NATO Alliance in Warsaw, Poland, March 12, 2023.
U.S. Soldiers assigned to the 1st Battalion, 9th Cavalry Regiment (1-9 CAV), 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team (2 ABCT), 1st Cavalry Division (1 CD) alongside the Romanian Sky Guardians, U.K. The Royal Lancers, Prince of Wales Troop, the 11th Croatian contingent, Panzer Battery, and Polish armed forces, 15th Mechanized Infantry Brigade hosted hundreds of Polish civilians, students and potential recruits as they experienced static displays of combat weapons and vehicles utilized by the NATO eFP Battle Group Poland while also engaging in activities conducted by members of the Battle Group.
“A large portion of our role at the event was to support our Polish allies in their recruiting efforts and our NATO allies in all aspects of defense, from training to deterrence,” said U.S. Army 1st Lt. Brian McKenrick, an armor officer assigned to Apache Company, 1-9 CAV, 2 ABCT, 1 CD. “It was an immense and incredibly rewarding opportunity to help our Polish allies with recruiting while also building relationships with our allies.”
To highlight the importance of Poland joining NATO, Prime Minister Morawiecki addressed the audience at the event.
“It is on these military missions that soldiers get to know each other, gain experience and work on interoperability of equipment, but also various concepts and strategies for defense,” said Morawiecki.
U.S. Soldiers interacted with the attendees of the event by teaching hand-to-hand close quarters combative techniques, combat first aid, conducting small arms weapon demonstrations and providing vehicle static displays.
“It was a good event to show the public what each military brings to the fight and what equipment future Polish soldiers could look forward to using,” said U.S. Army 1st Sgt. Antonio D. Bunton, first sergeant of Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC), 1-9 CAV, 2 ABCT, 1 CD. “Not often do we get a chance to interact with the local public and I believe that civilians enjoy learning a bit of combative techniques and get a little exercise in at the same time.”
The eFP Battle Group Poland recognizes that the NATO allies are working cohesively, creating the framework of stability within the European theater through interoperability between the allied nations.
“We were there to represent eFP Battle Group Poland to showcase soldiers' skills and survival tactics to the Polish community,” said U.S. Army Pfc. Lan Nguyen, a cavalry scout assigned to HHC, 1-9 CAV, 2 ABCT, 1 CD. “We're proud to be here with the Polish and train with their military and civilians.”
Cooperation and involvement with the Polish community is a positive reinforcement of the U.S. commitment to Poland and strengthens the resolve to defend our alliances along the Eastern flank.
“I personally loved the event and being able to interact with the Polish civilians was truly a great experience,” said McKenrick. “Talking to the civilian people and soldiers of the Polish military and to visibly see the impact and know we are making a difference was nothing short of incredible.”
Błaszczak remarked on the event and Poland’s alliance with NATO and how it has expanded past its own borders in support of neighboring allies.
“Poland is strong also in the alliances, as evidenced by the presence of American, British, Romanian and Croatian soldiers on Polish soil,” said Błaszczak. “It is evident by the presence of Polish soldiers in Romania, Latvia and anywhere else the North Atlantic Alliance has decided to support our allies."
| Date Taken: | 03.12.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 03.22.2023 09:33 |
| Story ID: | 440825 |
| Location: | WARSAW, PL |
| Web Views: | 182 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Train with NATO Day in Poland, by SGT Lianne Hirano, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
