Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Joseph VonNida | Swedish soldiers move through a MOUT (Military Operation Urban Terrain) site,...... read more read more
JONKOPING, Sweden – Swift Response, the largest multinational U.S. Army European airborne exercise held annually in Europe, began in Sweden with a Joint Forcible Entry, or airborne operation, where nearly 800 service members from the U.S., Hungary, Italy, Spain and Sweden participated in a parachute drop at Hagshult Wartime Air Base, May 7, 2024.
“Russia's brutal, illegal, unprovoked second invasion of Ukraine was a catalyst for collective defense,” said U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. James Kriesel, United States European Command Joint Force Development (J7 directorate), during a press conference for Swift Response 24. “And what you're seeing here today is part of that is deterrence, in the defense of the Euro Atlantic, against Russia and terror groups.”
Swift Response, a component of the larger DEFENDER 24 exercise, is a dynamic U.S. Army Europe & Africa led training exercise focused on allied airborne forces’ ability to quickly and effectively respond to crises as an interoperable, multi-national team.
“We have the resources and the capability to train together,” said Brig. Gen. Roger Deon, Army Reserve Aviation Command, Fort Knox, Kentucky. “What we're demonstrating here in Sweden, is the ability to work seamlessly with our newest ally, the 32nd, member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Sweden.”
Sweden joined the Partnership for Peace program in 1994. Their cooperation with NATO increased each year until 2022 when Sweden applied to be a member. Then, on March 7, 2024, Sweden was named NATO’s newest member.
“These Joint Forcible Entries are demonstrating that the United States Army Europe and Africa Command and its NATO allies and partners can rapidly deploy in support of our NATO allies and partners,” U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Steve Carpenter, commanding general, 7th Army Training Command, USAREUR-AF, said.
The exercise includes six near-simultaneous JFEs, into Estonia, Moldova, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania and Sweden. Additional exercise locations included the use of intermediate staging bases in Hungary and Italy.
“Since the accession of Finland, and now Sweden two months ago, the security architecture of NATO has shifted, creating a shield of land power in the high north,” said Carpenter. “And having units like the 11th Airborne Division along with the Swedish military, the Hungarian military, the Italians and the Spaniards conducting a Joint Forcible Entry into the high north further demonstrates that NATO can rally to the aid of their high north brothers and sisters rapidly.”
DEFENDER 24 exercises the U.S. military’s ability to rapidly deploy a large combat-credible force of troops and equipment from the United States to Europe and, alongside allies and
partners, quickly responding to a potential crisis. It also increases strategic readiness and interoperability between components essentially reducing the response time and building effectiveness.
“Insurance and commitment to allies and partners is the number one objective here today,” said Kriesel. “And the United States and the rest of NATO stand firm with Ukraine in its fight for democracy, sovereignty and territorial integrity. NATO's comprehensive support to Ukraine through military aid, training, and logistics forms a backbone against Russian aggression.”
In this new era of partnership, new friendships were also formed. Service members throughout all the services and countries took this time to not only learn new tactics and operating procedures, but also about new cultures.
“The highlight of this trip has been working with the Swedish military, learning their local area, having them embed and teach us how to fly here and how to pronounce all their words,” said Chief Warrant Officer 4 Michael Grego, MEDEVAC pilot, 8th Battalion, 229th Aviation Regiment. “We don't get to work together prior to coming out here. So we ensure that our standard operating procedures and our tactics work when we get here and we can speak the same language, and work and communicate as a team.”
After completing the JFEs, follow-on training allowed multinational forces the opportunity to continue troop deployment, operational and logistical tasks, and force on force scenarios.
In Sweden, U.S. forces from the 173rd Airborne Brigade conducted air assault operations in the night sky and later challenged the Swedish forces in a MOUT (military operation in urban terrain) in Kvarn. The Georgia Army National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 214th Field Artillery Regiment operating in Skillingaryd, conducted “React to Contact” exercises, while Swedish soldiers performed a mock attack against the 1st Battalion, 214th Field Artillery Regiment.
In Estonia, British Forces of the 23 Parachute Engineer Regiment, Royal Engineers, British Army, inspected the port at Paldiski, Estonia, to establish a Sea Port of Disembarkation allowing follow-on forces and equipment to enter the country by ship. A short distance away near Haapsalu, Estonian forces attacked at the British Divisional Support Area as the Brits defended the base used to resupply friendly forces in other areas of the country.
This large-scale near simultaneous operation continues to strengthen relationships among NATO members while ultimately displaying to adversaries that the U.S. remains committed to our partners and allies.
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| Date Taken: | 05.08.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 05.31.2024 12:10 |
| Story ID: | 472595 |
| Location: | SE |
| Web Views: | 81 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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