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

DEFENDER 25 Outreach tour
DEFENDER 25 Infographic

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Video by Tammy Reed
USACE San Francisco District Drift Collection Vessel Raccoon and Crew hard at work
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, South Pacific Division
Dec. 18, 2024 | 2:23
In its mission to remove hazardous debris from San Francisco Bay, crewmembers of the USACE Drift Collector Raccoon get off to an early start to snag a multitude of large woody and other debris lodged along the shores of the Oakland Estuary and many other areas around the bay and the delta. On this day, the crew uses king tides to their advantage as they access several hard-to-reach areas near Brooklyn Basin. Deploying a work skiff called the Trash Panda, the small boat's two-person crew uses pike poles to hook the debris and drag it into open water where a crane operator onboard the Raccoon loads it onto the deck or the Raccoon scoops it into the chain link net underneath the front of the hull. The Raccoon collects an average of 1.5 tons of debris a day from the bay.
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enlightenedTo find information about filing a claim related to exercise DEFENDER activities, visit Claims Information and select your country.