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DEFENDER 25 Outreach tour

DEFENDER is the Army’s largest annual opportunity to exercise moving personnel and equipment into theater across modes for initial and follow-on operations critical to Large Scale Combat Operations. Led by U.S. Army Europe and Africa, the exercise focuses on the strategic deployment of CONUS-based forces, employment of Army Prepositioned Stock and follow-on exercises demonstrating lethality and interoperability with Allies and partners

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Video by Jackie Faye Burton

Raw Footage: Statement by Supreme Allied Commander Europe on Exercise Dragon

U.S. European Command

March 5, 2024 | 1:43

General Christopher Cavoli, Supreme Allied Commander Europe, NATO

During Exercise Dragon-24 (DR-24) in Poland, NATO will test the Polish Armed Forces' response to potential crises, involving around 20,000 soldiers and 3,500 units of equipment from 9 NATO countries. The participants include: Poland; France; Germany; Lithuania; Slovenia; Spain; Türkiye; United Kingdom and USA. The exercise will evaluate their ability to execute combat tasks across various domains, including land, air, sea, and cyberspace. It will include elements such as crossing the Vistula River and the movement of the NATO Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF). This exercise is part of the larger STEADFAST DEFENDER-24 (STDE-24) series, involving 90,000 troops from NATO and Sweden, aimed at demonstrating deterrence and defence capabilities. DR-24 and other exercises are defensive and not targeted at any specific country but serve as a demonstration of preparedness against potential aggression. The exercises mark NATO's largest demonstration of defence capabilities in decades.

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Raw Footage: Statement by Supreme Allied Commander Europe on Exercise Dragon