Photo By Staff Sgt. Michael Dunagan | U.S. Army Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 64th Armored Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade...... read more read more
Subscribe
BEMOWO PISKIE TRAINING AREA, Poland — NATO Multinational Battle Group Poland held a transfer of authority (TOA) ceremony where the 1st Battalion, 64th Armored Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division assumed command from 2nd Battalion, 12th Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, on Jan. 29, 2025.
TOA ceremonies are a long-standing Army tradition that marks the formal transfer of authority and responsibility from one unit to another. Soldiers representing the five-nation strong battle group stood side-by-side as the outgoing commander, U.S. Army Lt. Col. Patrick Merriss, 2nd Battalion, 12th Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, expressed his gratitude to the multinational group of soldiers on their success and commitment to the mission during his time as battle group commander.
“It has been a true honor standing beside you all these past nine months,” said Merriss. “What we do here shows the commitment of the United States to our brothers in arms.”
Battle group Poland’s incoming commander, U.S. Army Lt. Col. William Branch, battalion commander of the 1st Battalion, 64th Armored Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Battle Group Poland, reiterated his plans on picking up right where the 2-12th Cavalry Regiment left off.
“We may have some big shoes to fill, but we are committed to filling them,” Branch said. “While we all wear different uniforms, our mission as one remains the same.”
Polish Land Forces Brig. Gen. Grzegorz Kaliciak, commander of the 15th Mechanized Brigade, addressing members of the battle group, took a moment to offer his thanks to the 2-12th Cavalry Regiment’s commitment to enhancing NATO’s presence in eastern Europe.
“We have made a tremendous impact on building each other up and increasing safety in Poland and NATO,” Kaliciak said. “The work we do here keeps our friends in the West safe while letting our enemies in the East know we stand ready.”
The 1-64th Armored Regiment will build upon the 2-12th Cavalry Regiment’s successes by focusing on continued training with NATO allies. Battle group Poland's mission is to engage in multinational training and exercises across the continent, while strengthening partnerships with our NATO allies and regional security partners, which provides competent and ready forces to V Corps, America’s forward-deployed corps in Europe.
-30-
| Date Taken: | 01.29.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 02.07.2025 05:02 |
| Story ID: | 490271 |
| Location: | PL |
| Hometown: | FORT CAVAZOS, TEXAS, US |
| Hometown: | FORT STEWART, GEORGIA, US |
| Web Views: | 84 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, NATO Multinational Battle Group Poland Holds Transfer of Authority Ceremony, by SSG Michael Dunagan, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
