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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: Crystal Arrow put Battlegroup Latvia to the test

U.S. European Command

March 14, 2024 | 0:43

Interoperability and cohesion between the armed forces of Latvia and NATO Allies were tested during Exercise Crystal Arrow from February 26th to March 12th at Ādaži Military Base outside of Riga.

The aim of the exercise is to improve interoperability between NATO armed forces units, integrate combat support and combat support elements in support of manoeuvre units, to plan and execute offensive and defensive operations.

The international military exercise is the certification exercise of the NATO´s enhanced Forward Presence Battlegroup in Latvia and the training of the headquarters and units of the Land Forces Mechanised Infantry Brigade for the improvement of command, planning and management of operations.

About 2,000 soldiers from Albania, USA, Denmark, Czechia, Latvia, Estonia, Italy, Canada, Montenegro, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Germany will take part in the exercise.

Exercise Crystal Arrow is part of Steadfast Defender. Steadfast Defender involves 32 nations and 90,000 troops. It is NATO's largest demonstration of defence capabilities in decades.

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Raw Footage: Crystal Arrow put Battlegroup Latvia to the test