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

Videos
Video by Airman 1st Class Brittany Kenney
Ellsworth hosts 1st Annual Search and Rescue Exercise
28th Bomb Wing
Sept. 6, 2024 | 2:05
U.S. Air Force Airmen from the 28th Bomb Wing, Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., and volunteers from the S.D. Civil Air Patrol and Pennington County and Lawrence County Search and Rescue teams participate in a Search and Rescue exercise in Sturgis, S.D., Aug. 22, 2024. Ellsworth’s Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape team planned this exercise to allow aircrew to test learned survival skills, as well as understand what a coordinated effort from local SAR teams would entail. (U.S. Air Force video by Airman 1st Class Brittany Kenney)
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enlightenedTo find information about filing a claim related to exercise DEFENDER activities, visit Claims Information and select your country.