US Army armored cavalry troops exercised in Lithuania after training alongside NATO Allies for several months.
US Army troops deployed to Lithuania wrap up Exercise Saber Winter, a combined live-fire drill involving armored units. The troops, part of 1st Armored Battalion , 9th Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, were deployed to Lithuania in autumn 2019 to demonstrate solidarity and improve interoperability with NATO Allies. In March 2020, more troops from the 1st Cavalry Division will arrive in Europe for Exercise DEFENDER-Europe 20, the largest deployment of US forces to Europe in 25 years. Footage includes shots of armored vehicles maneuvering around Pabradė Training Area in Lithuania, and interviews with US Army officers and the US Ambassador to Lithuania.
TRANSCRIPT
1. (00:00) DRONE SHOTS: BRADLEY ARMORED FIGHTING VEHICLES MOVING THROUGH PABRADE TRAINING AREA
2. (00:13) VARIOUS SHOTS: BRADLEYS AND M1A1 ABRAMS MAIN BATTLE TANKS MOVING THROUGH TRAINING AREA
3. (00:54) VARIOUS SHOTS: M88 RECOVERY VEHICLE MOVING THROUGH MUD
4. (01:09) VARIOUS SHOTS: VEHICLES MOVING AROUND TRAINING AREA
5. (01:57) SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH – CAPTAIN STEVEN BEBO, 1-9 CAV, 1ST CAVALRY DIVISION, US ARMY “So all of our vehicles were moved from our home station in Fort Hood, Texas, all the way to Jacksonville, Florida. They were loaded onto ships in Jacksonville, Florida, and they were moved by sea all the way to the port in Riga, Latvia. We, as all the soldiers, we loaded onto airplanes, we got on airplanes, flew into either Riga, or directly into Vilnius. From there, all of our equipment was either loaded onto railcars and moved by train or moved by truck all the way down here to Pabrade.”
6. (02:28) SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH – CAPTAIN STEVEN BEBO, 1-9 CAV, 1ST CAVALRY DIVISION, US ARMY “What we’ve been doing here over the last four months, it really shows, in preparation for Defender 2020, the ability for us to quickly and easily deploy to this location, and then train everything we need to train. So this training area here in Pabrade really provides us with everything that we would need.”
7. (02:45) SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH – CAPTAIN STEVEN BEBO, 1-9 CAV, 1ST CAVALRY DIVISION, US ARMY “It sends a message of unity to all of our partner countries here, to all of our NATO partners, and really to all of our partners across Europe, that we can integrate quickly and easily, and we can deter any aggression that might come our way.”
8. (02:58) SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH – ROBERT S. GILCHRIST, UNITED STATES AMBASSADOR TO LITHUANIA “Defender 2020, the biggest message that we’ll send out is our preparedness and our force readiness. I think that’s the biggest thing. I mean, others can read what messages they want to read into it, but I think it’s exciting, and I think it sends a tremendous message with regards to the strength and vibrancy of the Alliance. It’s a great opportunity, really, for American troops to practice side-by-side with Lithuanians, so and it’s also a strong statement with regards to our commitment to Lithuania.”
9. (03:27) SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH - 1ST LIEUTENANT DANI BATES, 316 FIELD ARTILLERY BATTALION, US ARMY “I honestly see it as a really great broadening assignment. It’s very exciting for me to be able to come out here. I’ve trained so far with multiple nations, such as the German and Dutch, and then Lithuanians. So it’s been really great to compare how we’re similar and how we’re different in our military techniques, as well as culturally.”
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